Comparison

Stash | Envelope Budget vs CustomBudget

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Stash | Envelope Budget

Features
Read full description

Cash stuffing, without the cash. Stash is a simple envelope budget. When you get paid, stuff envelopes. When you spend, tap an envelope and enter the amount. That’s it — no bank login, no account, no monthly subscription. HOW IT WORKS • Add your paycheck • Stuff envelopes (groceries, gas, fun, bills) • Spend from the right envelope in seconds • Move money between envelopes anytime SINKING FUNDS Car insurance, Christmas, the vet — bills you already know are coming. Give them a target and a date so they sit tucked away, not mixed into “safe to spend.” WHY STASH • No bank connection. You enter the numbers. • Your checking balance stops lying • Big, readable amounts • Optional iCloud backup (Pro) if you get a new phone • One-time Pro. Not a subscription.

About

CustomBudget

This app offers a private and secure budgeting experience without requiring bank account access. It uses an envelope system to help you track spending, manage recurring bills, and visualize where your money goes, all while keeping your data offline and on your device.

Highlights
  • Envelope budgeting system
  • No bank account linking
  • Offline functionality
  • Customizable budget start date
  • Bill reminders
  • Recurring bill automation
  • Data export and backup
Features
Read full description

Every other budget app wants your bank password. This one just wants five seconds a day. CustomBudget is envelope budgeting with no bank linking, no account, and no cloud. You give each category an amount at the start of the month, record what you spend as you go, and always know what is left. Everything stays on your phone. WHY CUSTOMBUDGET Most budget apps start by asking for read access to your bank. CustomBudget never asks, because it never needs to. There is no sign-up, no password, no sync, and no server. Open it, budget, close it. ENVELOPES THAT MATCH YOUR REAL MONTH * Give every category an amount and watch it draw down as you spend * Money left in an envelope rolls into next month; overspending does not follow you * Set your month to start on any day from the 1st to the 28th, so your budget matches your payday instead of the calendar * Starts with 16 spending envelopes and an income category, or build your own from 29 icons and 12 colours * Retire an envelope without losing its history FAST ENTRY, HONEST MATH * A big keypad built for one-handed entry in a checkout queue * Payee, note, account and date when you want them, none of them required * Cash, checking, savings and credit accounts * Transfers between your own accounts are tracked but never counted as spending * Every amount is exact to the cent, with no floating point drift REMINDERS THAT ARRIVE * Bill reminders 1, 3 or 7 days ahead of a recurring payment, at 9am * An alert when an envelope reaches 80% and again at 100%, while you can still do something about it * A month-end nudge the day before your budget month rolls over * Every reminder is scheduled by your phone. Nothing is sent anywhere RECURRING BILLS ON AUTOPILOT * Weekly, every two weeks, monthly, quarterly or yearly * Post automatically on the due date, or hold it for you to confirm * Catches up correctly after you have been away from the app SEE WHERE IT WENT * A spending ring that adds up to exactly what you spent, including retired envelopes * Budgeted against actual, worst overspend first * Uncategorised spending is shown, never quietly hidden PRIVACY FIRST BY DESIGN * No account and no login * No bank linking and no email scanning * No cloud, no sync, no server * No ads, no trackers, no analytics * Works completely offline, always YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS * Export a full backup to Files, iCloud Drive, email or AirDrop * Restore in one tap, with a seven-day undo if you change your mind * Delete everything permanently whenever you want * Backup and export are free forever, because it is your data BUILT TO READ WELL * Light and dark themes * 30 currencies * Money columns that line up properly instead of jittering PERFECT FOR * Anyone who wants a budget without handing over bank credentials * People paid on the 15th, or the last Friday, whose month is not the calendar month * Envelope and zero-based budgeters * Anyone who has tried a budgeting app and quit because it took too long YOUR MONEY. YOUR PHONE. NOBODY ELSE'S BUSINESS. Download it and set up your first envelope in under a minute.

Screenshots

Stash | Envelope Budget3 screens
CustomBudget3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CustomBudget at none against Stash | Envelope Budget's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Stash | Envelope Budget sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CustomBudget asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Stash | Envelope Budget versus CustomBudget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStash | Envelope BudgetCustomBudget
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXentech LLCCustomApps LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Stash | Envelope Budget

One-time1
  • Pro lifetime$49.99
None

CustomBudget

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stash | Envelope Budget free?
Stash | Envelope Budget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CustomBudget free?
CustomBudget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Stash | Envelope Budget or CustomBudget have ads?
Neither Stash | Envelope Budget nor CustomBudget shows ads.

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