Bow vs EveryDollar
EveryDollar is a zero-based budget from Ramsey Solutions with a free version, bank sync in Premium, and ties to Ramsey’s Baby Steps. Bow is an envelope budget for iPhone that keeps your budget in your own iCloud, imports from YNAB, and costs $49.99 a year with bank sync optional.
At a glance
| Feature | Bow | EveryDollar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99/month, $49.99/year, or $129 once for Lifetime | Free version; Premium $17.99/month or $79.99/year |
| Free trial | 2 weeks on the monthly and annual plans | 14 days of Premium (new users) |
| Works on | iPhone, including iPhone Duo | iPhone, iPad, Android and web |
| Budgeting style | Envelope budgeting: give the money you have to envelopes until nothing is left to assign | Zero-based: “plan where every dollar goes before you spend it” |
| Bank sync | Optional, through SimpleFIN Bridge ($15/year, paid to SimpleFIN). Manual entry, Siri and receipt scanning work without it | Premium only, through Mastercard and Plaid |
| Your data | No Bow account. Your budget is stored on your iPhone and in your own iCloud | EveryDollar account; data on Ramsey Solutions’ servers |
EveryDollar details checked October 2026 on EveryDollar on ramseysolutions.com and Ramsey Solutions’ privacy policy. Prices are in US dollars and can change; check their site for today’s.
EveryDollar may suit you better if
- You want a free budget and are happy entering transactions yourself.
- You follow Ramsey’s Baby Steps and want them in your budget.
- You use Android or want to budget on the web.
Bow may suit you better if
- You want unspent money to stay in its envelope and carry over, with targets for bills that come once a year.
- You’d rather not create an account or keep your budget on a company’s servers.
- You want credit cards handled for you: card spending moves money into the card’s payment envelope.
- You’re coming from YNAB and want to bring your budget with you.
Zero-based and envelope budgeting
Both start the same way: every dollar you have gets a purpose before you spend it. EveryDollar plans each month from your income. Bow assigns the money already in your accounts to envelopes, and whatever you don’t spend stays in its envelope for next month.
Questions
Is EveryDollar free?
EveryDollar has a free version with manual entry. Premium, at $17.99 a month or $79.99 a year, adds bank-linked transactions, reports and more.
Can I move from EveryDollar to Bow?
Bow imports from YNAB, not EveryDollar. Set up your accounts and envelopes in Bow’s setup, which takes a few minutes.