{"tool":{"slug":"budgeting-app-finder","name":"Budgeting app finder","version":"2026-08-30","canonicalUrl":"https://carlo.finance/tools/budgeting-app-finder","jsonUrl":"https://carlo.finance/tools/budgeting-app-finder.json","pageUrl":"https://carlo.finance/tools/budgeting-app-finder","parameters":[],"options":[{"key":"outcome","label":"What do you need help with?","default":"decision","sourceId":null,"help":"Start with the problem, not the app category. The starting answer describes Carlo's strongest documented use case.","options":[{"value":"decision","label":"Plan a major decision"},{"value":"whole-picture","label":"See my full financial picture"},{"value":"budgeting","label":"Build and follow a budget"},{"value":"subscriptions","label":"Find and cut subscriptions"}]},{"key":"horizon","label":"How far should it think?","default":"connected-scenarios","sourceId":null,"help":"This separates present-tense tracking from directional forecasts and connected, tax-aware scenario work.","options":[{"value":"connected-scenarios","label":"Tax-aware connected scenarios"},{"value":"directional-forecast","label":"Directional long-range forecast"},{"value":"current-month","label":"Current month"}]},{"key":"workflow","label":"How do you want to work?","default":"conversation","sourceId":null,"help":"Choose the primary working style you want, even when a product also has secondary screens or assistants.","options":[{"value":"conversation","label":"Ask questions and adjust assumptions"},{"value":"dashboard","label":"Explore a dashboard"},{"value":"categories","label":"Maintain categories and rules"}]},{"key":"surface","label":"Where must it work?","default":"text","sourceId":null,"help":"A product matches only when the selected surface is documented for the relevant work.","options":[{"value":"text","label":"Text messages"},{"value":"web","label":"Web"},{"value":"apple","label":"Apple app"},{"value":"android","label":"Android app"}]}]},"inputs":{"outcome":"decision","horizon":"connected-scenarios","workflow":"conversation","surface":"text"},"result":{"exactCount":1,"summary":"Carlo is the only listed product that matches all four selected requirements.","shortlist":[{"id":"carlo-monthly","app":"Carlo","plan":"Monthly","price":"30 days free, then $20 a month","matched":4,"total":4,"exact":true,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":true,"detail":"Carlo is built to carry a major decision through a persistent model of the household's full financial life."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":true,"detail":"It connects scenario effects across tax, cash flow, goals, retirement, and net worth with visible assumptions."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":true,"detail":"Its primary door is conversation: ask a question, inspect the work, and adjust assumptions in web or text."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":true,"detail":"text access is documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"Carlo is built for connected financial planning, not envelope-style category management. It is the publisher-owned product operated by the maker of this finder.","source":{"id":"carlo","name":"Carlo product and pricing","url":"https://carlo.finance/","asOf":"2026-08-30","note":"Carlo is a web and text-message planning product. Its current web self-serve offer is 30 days free and then a flat $20 per month. A separate texting-lead checkout starts paid. Carlo is published by the operator of this finder."},"publisherOwned":true},{"id":"monarch-plus","app":"Monarch Money","plan":"Plus annual","price":"$199.99/year ($16.67/month)","matched":1,"total":4,"exact":false,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":true,"detail":"Plus adds scenario Forecasting to Monarch's whole-picture dashboard."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":false,"detail":"Plus annual does not document connected scenarios as a planning depth."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":false,"detail":"Plus annual is not documented as a conversation-first product."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":false,"detail":"text access is not documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"The Forecasting feature is web-only and uses directional assumptions rather than tax-bracket-level modeling.","source":{"id":"monarch","name":"Monarch pricing and Forecasting documentation","url":"https://www.monarch.com/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"Core is $99.99 per year; Plus is $199.99 per year and adds web-only Forecasting. A partner is included on either tier."},"publisherOwned":false},{"id":"copilot-annual","app":"Copilot Money","plan":"Annual","price":"$95/year ($7.92/month)","matched":0,"total":4,"exact":false,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":false,"detail":"Annual does not document decision as a primary job."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":false,"detail":"Annual does not document connected scenarios as a planning depth."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":false,"detail":"Annual is not documented as a conversation-first product."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":false,"detail":"text access is not documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"No Android app or long-range forecasting feature is documented in the verified product materials.","source":{"id":"copilot","name":"Copilot Money pricing","url":"https://copilot.money/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"One plan at $95 per year or $13 per month, available on Apple devices and the web; no Android app is documented."},"publisherOwned":false},{"id":"monarch-core","app":"Monarch Money","plan":"Core annual","price":"$99.99/year ($8.33/month)","matched":0,"total":4,"exact":false,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":false,"detail":"Core annual does not document decision as a primary job."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":false,"detail":"Core annual does not document connected scenarios as a planning depth."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":false,"detail":"Core annual is not documented as a conversation-first product."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":false,"detail":"text access is not documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"Forecasting is not included in Core; it requires the higher-priced Plus plan.","source":{"id":"monarch","name":"Monarch pricing and Forecasting documentation","url":"https://www.monarch.com/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"Core is $99.99 per year; Plus is $199.99 per year and adds web-only Forecasting. A partner is included on either tier."},"publisherOwned":false},{"id":"rocket-free","app":"Rocket Money","plan":"Free","price":"Free","matched":0,"total":4,"exact":false,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":false,"detail":"Free does not document decision as a primary job."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":false,"detail":"Free does not document connected scenarios as a planning depth."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":false,"detail":"Free is not documented as a conversation-first product."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":false,"detail":"text access is not documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"Web access and account sharing are Premium features, not part of the free plan.","source":{"id":"rocket","name":"Rocket Money pricing and Premium features","url":"https://help.rocketmoney.com/en/articles/2217739-how-much-does-rocket-money-cost","asOf":"2026-08-28","note":"A free tier covers basic budgeting and subscription tracking. Premium is typically $7 to $14 per month and adds web access and account sharing."},"publisherOwned":false},{"id":"rocket-premium","app":"Rocket Money","plan":"Premium","price":"Typically $7–$14/month","matched":0,"total":4,"exact":false,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":false,"detail":"Premium does not document decision as a primary job."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":false,"detail":"Premium does not document connected scenarios as a planning depth."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":false,"detail":"Premium is not documented as a conversation-first product."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":false,"detail":"text access is not documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"The price is a range and can vary by platform; long-range scenario planning is not documented.","source":{"id":"rocket","name":"Rocket Money pricing and Premium features","url":"https://help.rocketmoney.com/en/articles/2217739-how-much-does-rocket-money-cost","asOf":"2026-08-28","note":"A free tier covers basic budgeting and subscription tracking. Premium is typically $7 to $14 per month and adds web access and account sharing."},"publisherOwned":false},{"id":"ynab-annual","app":"YNAB","plan":"Annual","price":"$109/year ($9.08/month)","matched":0,"total":4,"exact":false,"criteria":[{"key":"outcome","label":"Outcome","matched":false,"detail":"Annual does not document decision as a primary job."},{"key":"horizon","label":"Planning depth","matched":false,"detail":"Annual does not document connected scenarios as a planning depth."},{"key":"workflow","label":"Working style","matched":false,"detail":"Annual is not documented as a conversation-first product."},{"key":"surface","label":"Required surface","matched":false,"detail":"text access is not documented for this plan."}],"tradeoff":"A hands-on budgeting system; its published feature set does not include a general long-range forecast.","source":{"id":"ynab","name":"YNAB pricing and features","url":"https://www.ynab.com/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"One plan at $109 per year or $14.99 per month, with YNAB Together for up to six people and web, Apple, and Android access."},"publisherOwned":false}],"method":{"name":"Documented-criteria match","rule":"One point for each selected requirement a plan's verified product materials support; exact means four of four.","tieBreak":"Ties are alphabetical by product, then plan. There is no editorial quality score or paid placement.","coverage":"Seven plans across five products with source facts verified from August 21 through August 30, 2026; this is not the whole market. The starting answers describe Carlo's strongest documented use case."}},"assumptions":[{"key":"outcome","label":"What do you need help with?","value":"decision","unit":"choice","provided":false,"source":null},{"key":"horizon","label":"How far should it think?","value":"connected-scenarios","unit":"choice","provided":false,"source":null},{"key":"workflow","label":"How do you want to work?","value":"conversation","unit":"choice","provided":false,"source":null},{"key":"surface","label":"Where must it work?","value":"text","unit":"choice","provided":false,"source":null}],"sources":[{"id":"ynab","name":"YNAB pricing and features","url":"https://www.ynab.com/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"One plan at $109 per year or $14.99 per month, with YNAB Together for up to six people and web, Apple, and Android access."},{"id":"monarch","name":"Monarch pricing and Forecasting documentation","url":"https://www.monarch.com/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"Core is $99.99 per year; Plus is $199.99 per year and adds web-only Forecasting. A partner is included on either tier."},{"id":"copilot","name":"Copilot Money pricing","url":"https://copilot.money/pricing","asOf":"2026-08-21","note":"One plan at $95 per year or $13 per month, available on Apple devices and the web; no Android app is documented."},{"id":"rocket","name":"Rocket Money pricing and Premium features","url":"https://help.rocketmoney.com/en/articles/2217739-how-much-does-rocket-money-cost","asOf":"2026-08-28","note":"A free tier covers basic budgeting and subscription tracking. Premium is typically $7 to $14 per month and adds web access and account sharing."},{"id":"carlo","name":"Carlo product and pricing","url":"https://carlo.finance/","asOf":"2026-08-30","note":"Carlo is a web and text-message planning product. Its current web self-serve offer is 30 days free and then a flat $20 per month. A separate texting-lead checkout starts paid. Carlo is published by the operator of this finder."}],"warnings":[],"disclaimer":"This is a deterministic filter over a disclosed, limited product set, not a recommendation or a review of the whole market. Product facts and prices can change. Carlo is included and is published by the operator of this finder; it receives no scoring preference. Verify current terms with the provider before paying."}