Envelope budgeting with Plaid bank sync on web and iPhone
- Envelope
- Zero-based
- Expense tracking
ReadyCents
Manual-first envelope budgeting with optional bank sync and a free tier
Research-based review, not hands-on testing. Last researched .
Overview
ReadyCents is a web-based envelope budgeting service where every dollar is assigned to an envelope until the amount left to budget reaches zero. Manual entry, imports, goals, a calendar and basic reports are free; paid plans add bank connections (bring-your-own SimpleFIN/Lunch Flow, or managed Plaid) plus debt payoff, rewards, retirement projections and tax tagging. A one-time self-hosted license is also sold.
Best for: People who want a manual-first envelope budget and prefer to choose (or skip) their bank-sync provider
Pros and cons
Pros
- Manual envelope budgeting, goals, calendar and basic reports are free with no time limit and no card needed
- Bank sync is flexible: bring your own SimpleFIN or Lunch Flow, or use managed Plaid on the top plan
- Imports history from YNAB, CSV and bank files, and exports data on any plan
- Self-hosted license available for a one-time $39 for people who want to run it on their own server
- Prices are stated openly on the home page, including how the Plaid connection limit is counted
Cons
- Only a web app is confirmed; no iOS or Android store listing was found
- Debt payoff, credit-card rewards, retirement projections and tax tools require a paid plan
- SimpleFIN and Lunch Flow connections require a separate paid provider account on top of the plan fee
- Managed Plaid is capped at ten institution logins on the top plan
- Not open source and appears to be a small, recent product with little independent coverage
Features
- Envelope budgeting included
- Automatic bank sync included
- Manual transaction entry included
- Goal tracking included
- Debt payoff tools included
- Investment tracking not confirmed not confirmed
- Bill reminders not confirmed not confirmed
- Reports & charts included
- Multi-currency not confirmed not confirmed
- Shared / household budgets included
- Separate logins for shared budgets not confirmed not confirmed
Envelopes and groups, goals, calendar with projected cash flow, reports, imports/exports, household basics, debt payoff, card rewards, FIRE projections, tax toolkit
Our review
Short version
ReadyCents is a web-based envelope budgeting service where every dollar is assigned to an envelope until the amount left to budget reaches zero. Manual entry, imports, goals, a calendar and basic reports are free; paid plans add bank connections (bring-your-own SimpleFIN/Lunch Flow, or managed Plaid) plus debt payoff, rewards, retirement projections and tax tagging. A one-time self-hosted license is also sold.
Quick profile, not a full review. Built on 2026-09-29 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
- Free $0; Connected Basic $3/mo (own SimpleFIN/Lunch Flow, provider fee extra); Connected Premium $9.99/mo (10 managed Plaid logins); Self-Hosted $39 one time
- Quarterly and annual billing options exist but their prices were not visible in the fetched page text
- Trial: Free tier has no time limit and needs no card; optional $5 one-time 60-day 'Access Pass' for connected features (no auto-renew)
Not confirmed
Annual and quarterly plan prices; Mobile apps / beta status; Founding year; Multi-currency support; Bill reminders and investment tracking; Developer team size; Last release date.
Notes
Self-hosted $39 is a personal license (not a lifetime subscription to the hosted service), so lifetime left null.
Ratings are set separately against a shared rubric.
ReadyCents alternatives
Private, open-source budgeting in the browser with end-to-end encryption
- Zero-based
- Expense tracking
- Couples & families
Free web-based zero-based budgeting for manual entry, installable on phones
- Zero-based
- Expense tracking
- Forecasting