# Budget with Buckets vs EnvelopeBudget

> Budget with Buckets (—) vs EnvelopeBudget ($4/mo). Pick Budget with Buckets for desktop-first households that want private, local envelope budgeting, pay once instead of subscribing, and don't mind a monthly hands-on routine; pick EnvelopeBudget for people who want hosted envelope budgeting with optional manual entry or bank sync through SimpleFIN or Plaid, plus debt-payoff planning and shared budgets.

Source: https://budgetingapps.org/compare/budget-with-buckets-vs-envelopebudget

EnvelopeBudget, our Editor’s Pick, has a financial interest in BudgetingApps.org.

## Key differences

- **Price:** Budget with Buckets: —. EnvelopeBudget: $4/mo. Check each app's pricing page for current plans.
- **Trying it first:** Free trials: Budget with Buckets (Untimed free trial of the full app (trial sticker, a 'Buckets License' savings bucket, and occasional purchase reminders)) and EnvelopeBudget (34-day free trial, no credit card required).
- **Budgeting method:** Budget with Buckets is built for envelope budgeting; EnvelopeBudget for envelope, zero-based and expense tracking. They overlap on envelope.
- **Platforms:** Budget with Buckets: Android, Desktop and iOS. EnvelopeBudget: Android, iOS and Web. Only Budget with Buckets has Desktop. Only EnvelopeBudget has Web.
- **Feature differences:** EnvelopeBudget lists debt payoff tools and multi-currency, which Budget with Buckets’s listing does not confirm.
- **Separate logins for shared budgets:** Invite family or teammates to the same budget with their own logins. Sharing one password or sign-in link does not count. Separate logins do not necessarily mean private accounts or transactions. Budget with Buckets: Not confirmed. Check whether each person gets their own login. EnvelopeBudget: Yes. Invite family and team members to shared budgets with their own logins. Manage member access and transfer budget ownership; eligible family members can share the family owner's subscription access.
- **Bank sync:** Budget with Buckets: Optional and indirect: SimpleFIN Bridge (billed separately by SimpleFIN), recorded macros (private scripts that fetch data), or OFX/QFX/CSV file imports. Not a live aggregator connection. EnvelopeBudget: Optional SimpleFIN ($1.50/mo or $15/yr paid to SimpleFIN) or Plaid ($3/mo or $30/yr add-on). Plaid is enabled in the web, iOS and Android apps, per current owner confirmation; the vendor changelog documents Plaid connections and mobile bank-sync updates.
- **Track record:** EnvelopeBudget has been around since 2009; Budget with Buckets since 2017.

## Which should you choose?

- **Budget with Buckets is best for:** desktop-first households that want private, local envelope budgeting, pay once instead of subscribing, and don't mind a monthly hands-on routine.
- **EnvelopeBudget is best for:** people who want hosted envelope budgeting with optional manual entry or bank sync through SimpleFIN or Plaid, plus debt-payoff planning and shared budgets.

Full reviews: [Budget with Buckets](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/budget-with-buckets.md), [EnvelopeBudget](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/envelopebudget.md)