Everything a budget needs.
Nothing it doesn't.
BetterBudget is the zero-based method, built to be fast, shared, and genuinely fun to keep up. Here's the full tour.
Zero-based core
The to-assign meter
Your month starts with income and a single number: dollars left to assign. Fill envelopes and watch it count down — amber while money sits idle, mint the moment it hits exactly zero, coral if you promise more than you earn. When it locks green, every dollar has a job. And yes, there's confetti.
- Live meter with three honest states — under, zero, over
- Copy last month's budget in one tap, then adjust
- Overspending is a nudge to move money, never a red alarm
Zero-based core
Envelopes that carry over
Real envelopes don't empty themselves on the 1st. Set any category to carry its leftover balance into next month — underspend groceries in July and the surplus is waiting in August. Or keep a category on monthly reset if that fits it better. Your call, per envelope.
- Per-category choice: reset monthly or carry over
- Carryover balances shown right on the category row
- Available on Plus and Business
Zero-based core
Sinking funds with pace tracking
Big expenses shouldn't be surprises. Attach a goal to a category — a target amount and a target month — and BetterBudget tells you whether you're on pace, every month, as you assign. December's gifts get funded by March, April, and May instead of a January credit card bill.
- Target amount + target month, progress computed live
- On-pace / behind indicators as you assign each month
- Milestone celebrations at 25%, 50%, 75% — and a badge when it's funded
Zero-based core
Recurring bills, applied in one click
Rent, insurance, subscriptions — set them up once with an amount, a category, and a day of the month. Each month, one click drops them all into your budget as transactions. It's idempotent, so clicking twice can't double-book your rent.
- One-click apply per month, safe to repeat
- Day-of-month handled sensibly (the 31st clamps in February)
- Applied bills are labeled so you can tell them from manual logs
Gamified habits
Streaks, XP & 14 badges
The habit is the hard part, so we made keeping it the fun part. A daily logging flame, a weekly review chain, and a shared months-budgeted streak keep you coming back; XP and levels track the journey; badges mark real milestones. Daily XP is capped — the game rewards good habits, not grinding.
- Three streaks tied to behaviors that actually matter
- XP for zeroing months, funding goals, logging honestly
- Confetti for the big moments — gated behind reduced-motion, naturally
Budget together
One shared budget, real roles
Invite your partner, your kids, or your team into the same budget. Owners run the plan, adults assign and spend, limited members log their own transactions without moving money. Every transaction carries its member's name — attribution replaces interrogation — and changes appear on everyone's screen in real time.
- Owner / adult / limited roles (roles on Business)
- Per-member transaction attribution and a per-member report
- Live updates — assign $50 and your partner sees it instantly
Getting started
CSV import, EveryDollar included
Bring your history with you. The importer takes any transaction CSV — map the columns once and go. Coming from EveryDollar? Choose the EveryDollar preset and the mapping is done for you. Duplicate detection means re-importing the same file can't create double entries.
- Generic column mapping for any bank or app export
- EveryDollar preset — see the walkthrough
- Hash-based dedupe: safe to re-run an import
Understanding
Reports that tell the story
A spending donut for the month, 12-month trends to see the shape of the year, a net income view, and a per-member breakdown for households. Basic reports are free; trends beyond three months and the member report come with Plus.
- Spending by category, at a glance
- 12-month trends and net income over time
- Per-member spending for shared budgets
See it with your own numbers.
The tour is nice — your actual budget is better. Free to start, no card required.
Start budgeting free