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Liquid Budget

Web and mobile envelope budgeting with Plaid or SimpleFIN bank sync at $5/month.

Visit Liquid Budget

Research-based review, not hands-on testing. Last researched .

Overview

Liquid Budget is a subscription web app with iOS and Android companions for zero-sum envelope budgeting. It offers credit-card payment tracking, recurring transactions, projections, reports and a developer API. Bank sync uses Plaid or optional SimpleFIN; the vendor lists transaction-file imports and a budget migration path.

Best for: People who want a low-cost, web-first envelope budget with mobile apps and optional bank sync, including those moving an existing envelope budget over.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Envelope-style assignment with per-card credit card payment tracking.
  • Bank sync through Plaid is included in the subscription; SimpleFIN is an optional alternative.
  • $5/month or $50/year, with a 45-day trial; the website says no card is needed, though app-store terms may vary.
  • Reports cover net worth, debt overview, assignment history and income vs expense.
  • Data export, daily per-budget backups and a developer API are listed.
  • Imports include OFX/QFX/QIF and GoCardless files, plus a budget migration option.

Cons

  • No ongoing free tier; app use requires a subscription after the 45-day trial.
  • The terms describe three months of read-only export access after cancellation, followed by data deletion.
  • The vendor lists Plaid and SimpleFIN for bank sync; no other providers are documented.
  • The web and mobile privacy descriptions should be read together: the policy describes account, transaction and usage data collection, while store disclosures are developer-provided.
  • Debt payoff planning beyond card-payment tracking and investment tracking are not confirmed.

Features

  • Envelope budgeting included
  • Automatic bank sync included
  • Manual transaction entry included
  • Goal tracking included
  • Debt payoff tools not confirmed not confirmed
  • Investment tracking not confirmed not confirmed
  • Bill reminders not confirmed not confirmed
  • Reports & charts included
  • Multi-currency included
  • Shared / household budgets not confirmed not confirmed
  • Separate logins for shared budgets not confirmed not confirmed

Account groups, quick-assign goals, recurring transactions, projections, tags, reports, bulk import, export, backups, API

Our review

Short version

Liquid Budget is a subscription web app with iOS and Android companions for zero-sum envelope budgeting: money is assigned to categories until nothing is left unassigned. It includes credit-card payment tracking, recurring transactions, projections, net-worth and spending reports, and a developer API. Bank imports use Plaid or an optional SimpleFIN connection; the site also offers a budget-import path.

Quick profile, not a full review. Built from the vendor site, store listings and public sources. No hands-on testing: I did not sign up, start a trial or connect a bank.

Cost

  • $5/month USD or $50/year USD
  • 45-day trial; the website says no card is required, while the terms note app-store trials may require a payment method
  • Without a subscription after the trial, the account becomes read-only; the terms say account data is deleted after three months if no subscription begins. After cancellation, read-only export access lasts three months after paid access ends, then data is deleted.

What stands out

The vendor's pages position it explicitly as a cheaper, fully featured envelope option and provide interactive demo/tutorial material. Distinctive listed tools include recurring items, projections, reports, a public API, and daily backups. The App Store release notes show ongoing feature updates, including reconciliation, reporting and card-summary changes in 2026.

Bank sync, imports and privacy

The website says Plaid is included and SimpleFIN is optional; imported bank data can be delayed or incomplete, and the terms make users responsible for checking it. The site lists OFX/QFX/QIF and GoCardless transaction imports and a dedicated budget-import option. The privacy policy identifies the operator and describes account, budget, financial and usage data collection; bank credentials are entered through Plaid or SimpleFIN, not stored by the vendor. It also says data is not sold and describes service-provider sharing, analytics and retention. Store privacy disclosures are developer-provided.

Mobile

Official iOS and Android companions are available; an active subscription is required to use the service. The Apple listing showed 5.0 from 30 ratings; Google Play showed 4.4 from 25 reviews. Ratings are small samples and may differ by storefront. Google Play listed an update on Oct. 2, 2026; Apple's version history includes several 2026 updates.

Who it may suit

People who want category-by-category envelope budgeting across web and mobile, with projections, recurring transactions and reports. People wary of subscription access or post-cancellation data retention should read the terms carefully.

Not confirmed

Launch year; shared household access and distinct member logins; debt-payoff planning beyond credit-card tracking; investment tracking beyond off-budget accounts; exact Google Play latest version number.

Notes

Vendor says it ships weekly updates (not independently verified). The site markets a cheaper substitute directly; that is relevant context for its positioning, not an independent endorsement. Independent feedback found is limited; store ratings are small samples.

Sources

Liquid Budget alternatives

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