# GoodBudget review > Envelope budgeting app for households, with synced budgets on web, iPhone and Android. Source: https://budgetingapps.org/apps/goodbudget (researched 2026-10-18). Research-based review, not hands-on testing. ## Summary Goodbudget is a virtual envelope budgeting tool: users assign money to envelopes and spend against them rather than tracking against account balances. Budgets sync across devices so a household can share them. A free plan has envelope, account and device limits, and the Premium plan adds US bank sync and higher limits. **Best for:** Couples and households who want to plan spending with envelopes across several devices and can accept manual entry or US-only bank sync. ## Key facts - Website: https://goodbudget.com/ - Price: $10/month; $80/year - Rating: 4.0/5 - Free plan: yes - Free trial: n/a - Platforms: Android, iOS, Web - Budgeting method: Envelope, Couples & families - Bank sync: Premium only; US banks only (Plaid-based per changelog) - Mobile apps: iOS and Android apps plus web - Import: Not confirmed (bank import via Premium sync) - Multiple budgets: Not confirmed - Budget sharing: Partners can share a household budget across devices, but Goodbudget's sharing guide tells both people to use the same household username or email address and password. This is shared-login access, not separate member logins. - Team: Dayspring Technologies, Inc. SPC (small company) - Privacy: Not confirmed ## Features - Envelope budgeting: yes - Automatic bank sync: yes - Manual transaction entry: yes - Goal tracking: not confirmed - Debt payoff tools: yes - Investment tracking: not confirmed - Bill reminders: not confirmed - Reports & charts: not confirmed - Multi-currency: not confirmed - Shared / household budgets: yes - Separate logins for shared budgets: no ## Pros - Free plan permits 10 regular and 10 additional envelopes, 1 account and 2 devices. - Budgets sync across phones so partners see envelope spending in shared use. - Debt tracking is included on both plans, with debt accounts on the web. - Premium adds automatic bank sync for US banks, unlimited envelopes and accounts, and 5 devices. - Regular releases: the changelog shows web, iOS and Android updates in early 2026. ## Cons - Free plan is limited to 1 account, 2 devices, 20 envelopes total and 1 year of history. - Automatic bank sync is Premium-only, US-only, and limited to checking, savings and credit-card accounts; loans and investments are unsupported. - Premium allows 5 devices and 7 years of history, not unlimited. - The vendor reported serious balance, transaction-display and backup problems after an August 2026 maintenance release; mobile backup fixes were announced, but some balance/reconciliation issues remained unresolved in the thread. - Google Play showed a 3.2 rating from about 19.2K reviews at research time; store prices and plan names may differ by region. ## Our review ### Short version Goodbudget uses virtual envelopes: assign available money to categories, then record spending against those amounts. It syncs across web, iPhone and Android and supports household budget sharing; people sharing one household use a common login rather than separate member accounts. **Research-based profile, not hands-on testing.** Compiled from public vendor documentation, store pages and public discussion; no signup, trial or bank connection was used. ### Cost - **Free:** 10 regular envelopes plus 10 additional envelopes (20 total), 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history. - **Premium:** $10/month or $80/year on the vendor signup page. It adds automatic bank sync for US banks, unlimited envelopes and accounts, 5 devices, 7 years of history and email support. - Goodbudget's current signup page lists Free and Premium. Storefronts may show regional purchase options or names; I use the signup page for the plan names and prices here. ### What is distinct - A classic envelope workflow with manual entry, plus optional bank imports on Premium. - Debt tracking is included on both plans; debt accounts are tracked separately from linked bank-sync account types. - Shared household budgets sync across supported devices, although sharing instructions use one common household login. ### Bank sync and imports Goodbudget's current signup page lists automatic bank sync as a Premium feature for US banks only. The vendor's help article identifies Plaid as the connection provider and says new transactions usually arrive 1–3 days after purchase; the initial link imports only the most recent transaction. Loans and investment accounts are not listed as supported bank-sync types. CSV or other manual import/export details were not confirmed here. ### Privacy and reliability The privacy policy, last revised November 7, 2024, says personal data is not sold or rented, data uses 256-bit SSL, deletion requests are completed within 30 days, logs/backups within 12 months, and data is stored in the US. These are vendor statements, not an independent security audit. In August 2026, staff reported serious display, balance and backup issues after a maintenance release. The forum marked iPhone and Android backup fixes; the same thread still discussed broader balance/reconciliation issues, so that incident deserves attention. ### Mobile and recent activity Goodbudget lists web, iPhone and Android versions. Apple’s listing showed updates through September 14, 2026; Google Play showed an update on August 6, 2026. The vendor changelog page available during this check ended at March 9, 2026, so it does not reflect all newer store releases. ### Who it suits Households comfortable with a hands-on envelope routine, especially those who value shared budgets and can work within the free limits or pay for US bank sync. It is a weaker fit if you need separate household logins, non-US bank links, linked loans/investments or dependable imports of older transactions. ### Not confirmed Full export and file-import options; supported bank coverage for a particular institution; current resolution of all balance/reconciliation issues reported in August 2026. ### Bottom line A well-established envelope approach with a useful free tier and optional US bank sync on Premium, but plan names and prices can vary by storefront. A recent vendor-acknowledged data-display incident is important context. This is a document-based profile, not a months-long hands-on review. Ratings are set separately against a shared rubric. ## Sources - [Official plan pricing and features](https://goodbudget.com/subscribe-for-more/) (retrieved 2026-10-18) - [Premium pending-transaction imports announcement](https://goodbudget.com/blog/2026/03/gb-finally-imports-pending-transactions/) (retrieved 2026-10-18) - [iPhone running balances announcement](https://goodbudget.com/blog/2026/04/stay-ahead-of-the-curve-with-running-balances-on-iphone/) (retrieved 2026-10-18) - [Apple App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/goodbudget-budget-planner/id471112395) (retrieved 2026-10-18) - [Google Play listing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dayspringtech.envelopes&hl=en_US) (retrieved 2026-10-18) - [Vendor forum incident report](https://forums.goodbudget.com/t/issues-with-balances-and-backups-since-aug-3/3807) (retrieved 2026-10-18)