Curl Budget

Short version

Curl Budget is a subscription app for tracking spending and budgets, built around shared workspaces for couples and families. It syncs banks through Plaid, categorizes transactions with optional AI and rule-based automation, and offers category or tag budgets with rollover. An optional All Budgets view adds a To Be Budgeted figure for people who want envelope or zero-based budgeting. It runs on iOS, Android and the web.

Research-based profile, not hands-on testing. Refreshed on 2026-10-07 from the vendor's pricing page, docs, release notes, privacy policy and both store listings. I did not sign up, start a trial or connect a bank.

How the budgeting works

The vendor's docs say the app does not push you into every-dollar budgeting: you can budget a few categories or tags and leave the rest unbudgeted. Budgets can be set by category or tag, with per-period amounts and rollover of unused balances (the docs list monthly, quarterly and yearly periods; the store listings also mention weekly, so the two differ). A separate docs page describes an All Budgets mode with income budgets and a To Be Budgeted figure, so you can aim for zero if you prefer. Spread transactions (described in the vendor's own article) amortize a large bill across the months it covers.

Cost

• $5/month or $50/year (about $4.17/month), both on the pricing page.
• 30-day free trial; no free tier beyond a demo workspace.
• The vendor promises existing subscribers keep their price. A search snippet of the App Store page showed $4.99 and $49.99 for the in-app purchases; I could not confirm the current store prices.

Privacy and data

• The privacy policy says personal information is not sold and staff do not routinely inspect identifiable financial data. Docs state TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest, read-only Plaid access and passwordless sign-in.
• AI categorization and the AI assistant are optional and send data to third-party AI providers; categorization has an on-device option.
• Export (JSON and CSV) and account deletion are documented in-app. Deletion timing is described two ways: the policy says data is deleted within 30 days, while the docs describe a 90-day restore window before permanent removal.
• No independent security audit of Curl Budget itself was found; cited certifications belong to its hosting and bank-connection providers.

What is distinct

Shared workspaces with roles and a payer record, spread transactions, a 12-month cash flow projection built from recurring rules, and Monte Carlo retirement planning all sit in one price. The vendor also publishes dated release notes for iOS and Android together (latest 1.0.14, August 2026).

Weaknesses

The public footprint is very small: one App Store rating and 10+ Play installs, with both stores still calling it early access. File import covers OFX, QFX and QBO only. Investment tracking is balances only, per the vendor's own article. No debt payoff planner or reconcile workflow was found.

Not confirmed

CSV import; current store in-app prices; Play Store rating; independent reviews (very little found); whether the weekly budget period exists in the apps beyond the store text.

Notes

The first App Store release date found is 2026-02-26, used for the founding year. Ratings are set separately against a shared rubric.