In the dashboard
Add, edit and review everything on the web, on any device. Envelopes, accounts, bills, goals and reports live here.
Every plan
Web dashboard · text budgeting · optional bank sync
Your whole budget: on the web, by text, even on autopilot.
BudgeFlow is a complete envelope-budgeting app: accounts, bills, goals, reports and shared budgets in one dashboard. Log spending there, or text it in and get back what is left in seconds, so you can budget without downloading another app on any device. Connect a bank when you want less typing — optional, read-only, and it never double-counts what you already logged.
- No credit card required
- Bank sync optional, read-only
- Web app and SMS (WhatsApp on Pro and Max)
- Cancel anytime
budgeflow.com/dashboard
Your envelopes
Sample data- Rent / Mortgage$1,850 of $1,850100% used
- Groceries$453 of $60076% used
- Dining$176 of $30059% used
- Transport$128 of $20064% used
AccountsBills & goalsReports
The dashboard: everything in one place, on any device
9:41
BudgeFlowSMS budget assistant
coffee 5.80
Logged $5.80 to Dining. $124 left this month.
spent 45 on gas at shell
Logged $45.00 to Transport. $72 left, 11 days to go.
SUMMARY groceries
Groceries: $453 spent, $147 left. 76% used.
Live demo — type coffee 5.80 and press send
Your budget, your way
Three ways to log. One budget.
By text message
Send “coffee 5.80” and get back what is left. Five seconds, no app to open. WhatsApp works too on Pro and Max.
SMS on every plan, WhatsApp on Pro and Max
From your bank
Optional and read-only. Transactions wait in a review list until you approve them, and never double-count what you logged.
Pro and Max
Inside the dashboard
A complete budgeting app, not just a text thread.
Envelope budgets, accounts and transfers, bills and subscriptions, goals and debts, reports and exports, all in one dashboard that works on any device. Text entries land in the same place, so you can use whichever is faster in the moment.
Log it your way
Dashboard, text message, WhatsApp on Pro and Max. Expenses, income, cash, forwarded bank alerts.
Know what's left
Envelopes with rollover and available-to-assign.
Let AI sort it
Categorisation and merchant memory.
Catch problems early
Alerts, bill reminders, month-end forecasts.
Share real money
Shared budgets, IOUs, bill splitting, invites.
Go deeper
Accounts, transfers, cards, reports, goals, debts.
budgeflow.com/dashboard
How it works
However you log it, four things happen.
Log a purchase in the dashboard or from the messaging app you already use fifty times a day. Either way the budget ends in a number you can act on, while there is still time to change course.
01
You log what you spent
In the dashboard, or by text in plain language, a merchant name, or a short command. SMS on any plan, WhatsApp on Pro and Max.
coffee 5.80
02
It gets filed correctly
Name the category in your text, or on Pro and Max let AI categorization and merchant rules file it and remember your corrections.
→ Dining · rule saved
03
The envelope updates
Assigned, spent, remaining, percent used and rollover recalculate the moment the entry lands.
Dining $124 remaining
04
You get warned early
Budget alerts, bill reminders and month-end forecasts arrive while you can still change course.
78% used · 11 days left
Your envelopes, updated as you log
Sample data- Rent / Mortgage$1,850 of $1,850100% used
- Groceries$453 of $60076% used
- Dining$176 of $30059% used
- Transport$128 of $20064% used
“Dining is 78% used with 11 days left. $34 remaining.”
The alert arrives while you can still change the outcome — not in a monthly report after the money is gone.
Text commands
Prefer to text? Plain English is enough.
An optional shortcut for the moments you are away from the dashboard. Natural language, merchant names, inline category hints, or terse commands all work from one thread on SMS, or WhatsApp on Pro and Max.
See what each plan includescoffee 5.80
Logs the expense and replies with what is left in that category.
spent 45 on gas at shell
Natural language and merchant names, no syntax to learn.
$14.99 netflix #entertainment
Inline category hints for when you want to be explicit.
SUMMARY Groceries
Month-to-date spending for a single envelope.
Split $120 between me, Mark, Priya
Splits the bill and tracks who owes what.
FUND GOAL Vacation 250
Moves your tracked savings progress toward a goal.
AVAILABLE
What is still unassigned across every envelope.
REPORT
This month against your recent months.
Optional · Pro
Bank sync, on your terms
Connect a bank and BudgeFlow lines up posted transactions with what you already texted. Out of the box everything waits for you in review — and if you'd rather it handled the obvious ones, that's a setting you turn on, not a default you have to catch.
Text it, or let your bank fill it in.Bank sync is optional — your budget, your call.
You set how much it does
Out of the box, every transaction waits in a review list. Turn it up when you trust it: get a text listing what it would add, or let it add the confident ones for you. Anything uncertain still waits.
No more double entries
Texted "48 home depot" on Tuesday? When the charge posts, BudgeFlow matches it to what you already logged and links the two, instead of adding it twice.
Your password never reaches us
You sign in through Plaid's own window, so your bank password goes to Plaid and never to BudgeFlow. What we hold is an encrypted read-only token, behind two-factor authentication, that you can revoke whenever you want.
Text it Tuesday. Let the bank catch up Thursday.
- TuesdayYou text it48 home depot
- ThursdayThe charge postsYour bank sends it on its own schedule
- ThursdayBudgeFlow lines them upMatched against what you already texted
- Your callConfirmedLinked, never duplicated
Banks post transactions on their own schedule — usually once or twice a day, not the second you swipe. Text it if you want it tracked now.
How much it does is your call
01Review everythingDefault
Every new transaction waits for your decision in Transactions. Nothing is added automatically.
02Assisted
Texts you one message listing what it would add, and waits. Reply OK to take them all, NO to skip, or EDIT 2 cat Groceries to change one.
03Automatic
Adds confident, categorized transactions on their own. Anything uncertain — no category, a possible duplicate, a bill it might be paying — still waits for you.
Transfers and card payments are their own switch, also off to begin with. Records the transfer when two rows can only be the same movement — same amount, opposite directions, within four days, and nothing else either one could be paired with. Your bank doesn't tell us the two sides belong together, so anything less certain waits for you in review.
Does
- Shows posted transactions in a review list, with your category rules already applied.
- Suggests matches to expenses you already texted, and links them instead of duplicating.
- Flags likely bills, subscriptions, and which project a charge belongs to.
- Texts you when something needs a decision — or once a day, if you'd rather.
- Adds the confident ones for you, if you switch that on.
Does not
- Move money, pay a bill, or change anything at your bank.
- Import a pending charge — the amount and date still move.
- Act unattended on anything you haven't switched on.
- Do anything you can't see afterwards and undo.
Read-only. Optional. Two-factor required. Disconnect whenever you want.
Beyond the basics
More than coffee money.
Three jobs people do not expect a simple budgeting app to do, and which plan includes each.
FreelancersMax
Receipts and mileage, handled by text
Send a photo or forward the email receipt and BudgeFlow's AI scanning reads it. Log business miles the same way, so the records are in one place at tax time.
Up to 100 receipts a month.
See what Max includesOverspendersPro and Max
Warned while you can still change course
See where the month is heading and get a warning before an envelope runs out, not a report after the money is gone.
Every plan gets budget alerts. Predictions and overspending warnings are the upgrade.
See the budget trackerCards and cashPro and Max
Every account in one budget
Keep checking, cash and credit cards side by side, move money between them, and text for your balances.
Account commands work by text too.
See credit card trackingStart where it hurts
Pick the money habit you want to fix first.
Whether you forget expenses, avoid bank linking, split bills, or use cash, BudgeFlow gives you a short text command and a clear next signal.
coffee 5.80
I forget to log purchases
Text the expense before the receipt even hits your pocket, or add it in the dashboard later. BudgeFlow categorizes it and updates your budget.
Logged to Coffee. $18 left this week.
Target 62.18 groceries
I overspend before I notice
Envelope progress and alerts show when a category is getting tight while there is still time to adjust.
Groceries is 78% used. $147 left.
Split $120 between me, Mark, Priya
My partner and I are out of sync
Shared budgets and IOUs keep household spending, reimbursements, and split bills in one place.
Mark owes $40. Priya owes $40.
expense 12 parking cat transport
I hate bank linking
Log by hand in the dashboard or by text when you want awareness without handing over bank credentials.
Logged to Transport. No bank sync needed.
income 850 freelance
I use cash often
Cash purchases, reimbursements, and side income can live beside card spending and account activity.
Added income to Freelance. June net: +$1,340.
ADD ENVELOPE Food 600
I need one clear target
Create envelope budgets, check available cash, and move money between categories by text.
Food envelope created with $600 assigned.
bank sync · optional
I don't want to type every purchase
Connect a bank on Pro or Max and BudgeFlow lines up what posts with what you already texted. Out of the box, everything waits in a review list until you approve it.
Matched to your “coffee 5.80” text. Not counted twice.
Automate the budgeting work you keep forgetting to do.
Auto-fund goals, schedule recurring bill reminders, and let AI handle expense categorization. Spend less time inside the app and more time on the things money is supposed to buy.
Auto-fund savings goals every month
Set a recurring amount and a day-of-month, and BudgeFlow funds the goal automatically — either as a real account transfer or a Ready-to-Assign earmark.
See how envelope saving worksRecurring bills and SMS reminders
Track rent, subscriptions, and credit-card due dates. Get a text the day before so nothing slips through the cracks.
See bill reminders by textAI categorization and smart rules
On Pro and Max, expenses land in the right category without manual tagging. Add merchant rules to lock behaviour and let automation do the boring work.
See how categorization worksBudgeting for the messy middle of real life.
Solo budgeters
Log everyday spending in seconds and see what is left before the next purchase.
Couples and families
Share budgets, split costs, and keep household money visible without constant app check-ins. Sharing is on Pro and Max.
Freelancers
Log income and client-project spending in the dashboard or by text. Receipt scanning and mileage tracking come with Max.
Small teams
Share budgets, split costs, and keep group spending visible to everyone who needs it, on Pro and Max.
Why ours wins
Same envelope method. 39% less. None of the friction.
An honest side-by-side, including the places where the others are still the better tool. Bank sync is optional here and read-only when you use it — the difference is that BudgeFlow still works fully without one.
Switch and save 14 days free, no card required · cancel anytime
Less per year
$39.99
on annual billing than the cheaper of YNAB and Monarch.
What a year costs
- BudgeFlow Basic$60/yr
$5.99/mo · web dashboard, text logging, envelopes, bills, goals, reports.
- YNAB$109/yr
Bank sync and a mature envelope system — inside an app you have to open.
- Monarch$99.99/yr
Strong dashboards and investment tracking, no text-message capture.
Feature for feature
3 features neither YNAB nor Monarch offers.
| Capability | BudgeFlow | YNAB | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5.99/mo | $14.99/mo | $14.99/mo |
| Annual price | $60/yr | $109/yr | $99.99/yr |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 34 days | 7 days |
| Log expenses by SMSOnly here | |||
| Log expenses by WhatsAppOnly here | Pro | ||
| Works without downloading an app | |||
| Usable without a bank login | Manual entry | Manual entry | |
| Envelope / zero-based budgeting | Category budgets | ||
| Bill splitting & IOUs by textOnly here | Pro | ||
| Shared household budget | Pro | ||
| Automatic bank transaction sync | Optional, read-only | ||
| Investment tracking |
Competitor pricing and features as of June 2026, from each vendor's public pricing and help pages. Entry tiers compared. Plans change — check theirs before deciding.
Pricing
Start small. Move up only when your money gets complicated.
14-day trial, no card. Cancel from billing in one click.
Basic
$5.99/mo
or $60 billed yearly
Solo budgeting on the web and by text, with the core finance tools.
- 100 text message credits/mo
- Dashboard, expenses, incomes, categories
- Budgets, envelopes, bills, subscriptions, goals
- Basic reports and file import/export
- Basic budget alerts
Pro
Most popular$10.99/mo
or $110 billed yearly
Accounts, AI, sharing and insights, plus WhatsApp.
- 250 text message credits/mo
- WhatsApp and AI categorization
- Accounts, transfers, cards, balances
- Projects, IOUs, splitting, shared budgets
- Spending predictions, overspending warnings, Monthly Wrapped
- Optional bank sync (up to 5 connections)
Max
$19.99/mo
or $200 billed yearly
750 text segments a month and automated receipt capture.
- 750 text message credits a month
- Everything in Pro
- AI receipt scanning
- Email / MMS / WhatsApp receipt intake (100/mo)
- Photo attachments and mileage tracking
- Priority support
- Optional bank sync (up to 10 connections)
What happens after you start
- 1Create your account and confirm your email.
- 2Pick a plan and start your trial. No card needed.
- 3Open your dashboard and log your first expense in the app, or verify your phone in setup to log by text. About two minutes.
See exactly what’s in each plan.
Compare message credits, WhatsApp, AI categorization, shared budgets, account tools, and reports.
On both plans: full app access, core dashboard, expenses, incomes, categories, budgets / envelopes, bills, subscriptions, goals, basic reports, file import / export.
| Feature | Basic | Pro | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99/mo | $10.99/mo | $19.99/mo |
| Text message credits | 100/mo | 250/mo | 750/mo |
| No | Yes | Yes | |
| Budget alerts | Basic | Advanced | Advanced |
| Account management | No | Yes | Yes |
| Account tools | No | Yes | Yes |
| Transfers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Credit cards | No | Yes | Yes |
| Total balances | No | Yes | Yes |
| Account commands by text | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI categorization | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic category rules | No | Yes | Yes |
| Forwarded bank alert logging | No | Yes | Yes |
| Projects | No | Yes | Yes |
| Project tracking by text | No | Yes | Yes |
| IOU / bill splitting | No | Yes | Yes |
| Receipt capture | No | No | Yes |
| AI receipt scanning | No | No | Yes |
| Email / MMS / WhatsApp receipt intake | No | No | Yes |
| Photo attachments | No | No | Yes |
| Mileage tracking | No | No | Yes |
| Priority support | No | No | Yes |
| Spending predictions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Overspending warnings | No | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly Wrapped | No | Yes | Yes |
| Achievements / streaks | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Bank connections | No | Up to 5 | Up to 10 |
Switching from YNAB at $109/year?
BudgeFlow Basic is $60/yr — the same envelope method, with no app to open.
$49back in your pocket,
every year
every year
Built for people who are careful with money data.
BudgeFlow is useful without bank linking, keeps sharing explicit, and uses Stripe for subscription billing.
Bank sync is optional and read-only
The dashboard and texting both work with no bank at all. If you connect one, you sign in through Plaid, so BudgeFlow never sees your bank password, and access is read-only.
You control shared access
Invite only the people who should see or help manage a shared budget.
Payments handled by Stripe
Card billing is handled through Stripe, so BudgeFlow does not store card numbers.
Cancel anytime
Manage your subscription from billing without a long cancellation flow.
Questions before you start.
Still unsure? The trial takes 14 days and no card, which is a faster answer than any FAQ.
Do I have to use text messages?
No. BudgeFlow is a full web app: envelopes, accounts, bills, goals, reports and shared budgets all work from the dashboard on any device. Texting is an optional shortcut for logging a purchase in a few seconds.
Does BudgeFlow require bank linking?
No. You can log expenses, income, cash spending and budgets in the dashboard or by text without connecting a bank. Bank sync is optional, read-only and available on Pro and Max.
Does it work on WhatsApp?
Yes. WhatsApp is included on the Pro and Max plans, with the same budgeting commands you use over SMS.
What are text message credits?
Credits cover the SMS messages BudgeFlow sends and receives for your workspace each month. Basic includes 100, Pro includes 250, and Max includes 750 outbound segments a month.
Can I share a budget with my partner or family?
Yes. Pro includes shared budgets, invites, roles, IOUs and bill splitting for household or team spending.
Does BudgeFlow categorize expenses for me?
Partly. On every plan you can name the category in your text. Pro and Max add AI categorization and automatic category rules that file a merchant for you and remember your corrections.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. You can cancel from billing and keep access through the end of your current billing period.
Pick the guide that matches what you are trying to solve.
Each guide has a separate job, so search engines and readers can tell the difference between the product, the method, expense tracking, app-free budgeting, envelope budgeting, and YNAB comparisons.
Your whole budget, ready in two minutes.
Pick a plan, then log your first expense in the dashboard, or verify your phone in setup to log by text. The budget builds itself from there.