Tavala, for couples who keep separate accounts and share some costs
- Price: Free; sharing needs Plus at $39.99 a year
- Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, web
- Currencies: Every currency, in one space
A shared space holds the household money (rent, groceries, the car) and each partner keeps a private space nobody else can open. One partner's Tavala Plus shares a space with up to six people, and the people who join pay nothing. A Group pass opens one space to six people for 60 days with a single payment, for a trip or a move.
Where it falls short for some couples: entries do not show who added them, so it will not tell you who spent what. There is no bank connection outside the United States and Canada, and Tavala does not settle who owes whom.
YNAB, for couples who want one method and one plan
- Price: $109 a year or $14.99 a month
- Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, web
- Currencies: One per plan
YNAB Together lets the subscriber invite up to five people into one subscription, each with their own login. Both partners work in the same plan and assign every dollar a job before it is spent, which is the point of YNAB and the part that takes some learning. Bank import covers select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks.
Where it falls short: a plan holds one currency, and YNAB's own advice for a second currency is a second plan. There is no free plan after the 34-day trial.
YNAB's own pricing page
Monarch, for couples in the US or Canada who link every account
- Price: $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month
- Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, web
- Currencies: No conversion
Monarch connects to thousands of institutions and adds household members at no extra cost, each with their own login and the same access. If both partners are in the US or Canada and want everything aggregated automatically, it is built for that.
Where it falls short: it is available only in the US and Canada, has no free plan, and does no currency conversion, so a euro account shows its amounts as dollars.
Monarch's own pricing page
Honeydue, for couples who want a free, bank-linked app for two
- Price: Free, with optional tips
- Platforms: iPhone, Android
- Currencies: Not stated
Honeydue is made for couples: each partner links their accounts and chooses what to share with the other, with bank connections in five countries. It costs nothing.
Where it falls short: there is no iPad, Mac or web version stated, it works through bank links, and its pages do not say how it handles a second currency.
Honeydue's own pricing page
Goodbudget, for couples who budget with envelopes
- Price: Free, or $80 a year for Premium
- Platforms: iPhone, Android, web
- Currencies: One
Goodbudget shares one household budget across two phones on the free plan (five on Premium), with 20 envelopes, one account and a year of history. Entering spending by hand is the main way in, so neither partner has to link a bank.
Where it falls short: one currency only, bank sync is Premium and US-only, and its help describes it as available wherever you have internet access.
Goodbudget's own pricing page
Splitwise, for roommates and couples who split costs
- Price: Free, with a paid Pro
- Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, web
- Currencies: 100+, kept apart
Splitwise answers a different question: who owes whom. It keeps a running balance between people, handles 100 or more currencies and settles up. For roommates who share bills but not budgets, it is the right tool.
Where it falls short: it is not a budget, and the free plan allows up to four expenses a day.
Splitwise's own pricing page
