Left vs Marlo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Left
This app simplifies daily budgeting by focusing on a single number: what's left to spend after setting aside essential bills. It offers a minimalist approach to personal finance, ideal for those overwhelmed by complex budgeting tools.
- Single daily spending number
- Envelope for big bills
- Customizable spending periods
- Minimalist interface
- No bank syncing
- No categories
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One number tells you what's left to spend today. One envelope holds the big bills — rent, subs, loans. That's it. — — — Left. is a daily budget tracker for people who tried YNAB and gave up, tried spreadsheets and got bored on day three, tried mental math and lost track on day one. It works on a single, honest idea: pour everything you have into a period, set aside the big bills into an envelope, and what remains is yours to spend, divided by days. One screen. One number. No charts. No categories. No streaks, no badges, no nudges. Nothing to maintain. When you need to dip into the reserve — hold the envelope. The envelope breaks open. You take what you need. It seals back. — — — How it works: 01 Pick a period — a month, a week, three days, a trip. 02 Pour in the amount — everything you have for that period. 03 Set the envelope aside — the big bills that have to wait. 04 See what's left — one number on the home screen, every day. — — — What's not in here: — No syncing with banks. — No machine learning categorisation. — No social feed of how friends spend. — No subscription, no upsell, no premium tier. What is in here: — A blank page that opens on a number. — A reserve sealed in an envelope, opened with a long press. — A ledger that remembers every tap. — One hand. One thumb. One number a day. — — — Left. by Koodalabs
Marlo
This app calculates your 'safe to spend' amount by subtracting fixed costs, budgets, and savings from your income. It provides a clear, guilt-free number for discretionary spending, with budgeting and savings goal features. All data is stored locally for privacy.
- Calculates 'Safe to Spend' amount
- Budget tracking by category
- Savings goal setting and tracking
- Recurring income and bill setup
- Optional daily logging reminders
- Private, on-device data storage
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Know exactly what's safe to spend — before you spend it. Marlo does one honest calculation: your income, minus fixed costs, minus your budgets, minus what you're saving. What's left is your Safe to Spend — the money you can enjoy right now, guilt-free. No spreadsheets. No shame. Just a clear number. Most budgeting apps tell you what you spent. Marlo tells you what you can spend. That's the difference between anxiety and permission. SAFE TO SPEND, FRONT AND CENTER Open the app and the first thing you see is one big number: what's genuinely free to spend this month. It updates live as you log. Green means go. In the red? The app sits with you — it never scolds. BUDGETS THAT MAKE SENSE Give any category a monthly budget and watch a simple, colorful card fill up as you spend. Rent, groceries, coffee — see where you stand at a glance. SAVINGS JARS FOR THE THINGS YOU WANT Name a goal, give it a target, and add money whenever you can. Set a monthly amount and Marlo shows you the exact date you'll hit it. A trip, a home, a safety net — turn a dream into a plan. SET IT AND FORGET IT Add your paycheck and fixed bills once as recurring items. Your Safe to Spend works from day one — no re-entering the same numbers every month. A GENTLE DAILY NUDGE One optional reminder a day. Ten seconds to log keeps your number honest. That's the whole habit. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything lives on your device. No account, no sign-up, no cloud. Your money is nobody's business but yours. — FREE FOREVER — Logging is never capped. The free plan includes: • Unlimited transaction logging • Your live Safe to Spend • Recurring income & bills • 2 category budgets • 1 savings goal • Daily reminder — MARLO PRO — Upgrade when you want more room: • Stats: spending trends, month-over-month, kept-rate, weekly review, and your full category breakdown • Browse any past month • Unlimited category budgets • Unlimited savings goals • Create your own custom categories • Custom themes, colors & icons • Export all your transactions to CSV • Every future Pro feature Pro pricing: • Monthly plan • Annual plan (best value) Spend wisely, not blindly. Marlo is the calm, honest money app that shows you what's really yours to enjoy. — Subscription details: Marlo Pro is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: linked in-app (Settings › Legal) Terms of Use: linked in-app (Settings › Legal) Support: contact@theanicca.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Left at none against Marlo's 4. Left also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Marlo sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Left asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Left against 5.0 for Marlo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Left ships an update every 2 weeks, Marlo every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Left | Marlo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Koodalabs LLC | Anicca LLC |
Customer experience
Left
Marlo
In-app purchases
Left
No in-app purchases
Marlo
- Marlo Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
- Marlo Pro Annual Intro$24.991 Year
- Marlo Pro Annual$29.991 Year
- Marlo Pro — Lifetime$39.99





