Bow vs Goodbudget
Goodbudget and Bow are both envelope budgets. Goodbudget has a free plan and runs on Android and the web, with bank sync in its Premium plan. Bow is iPhone-only with no free plan, but has no envelope or account limits on any plan, no account to create, and fills in purchases with Siri and receipt scanning.
At a glance
| Feature | Bow | Goodbudget |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99/month, $49.99/year, or $129 once for Lifetime | Free plan (20 envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices, 1 year of history); Premium $10/month or $80/year |
| Works on | iPhone, including iPhone Duo | iPhone, Android and web |
| Budgeting style | Envelope budgeting: give the money you have to envelopes until nothing is left to assign | Envelope budgeting |
| Bank sync | Optional, through SimpleFIN Bridge ($15/year, paid to SimpleFIN). Manual entry, Siri and receipt scanning work without it | Premium only, through Plaid |
| Your data | No Bow account. Your budget is stored on your iPhone and in your own iCloud | Goodbudget account; data synced through their servers in the US |
| Sharing a budget | Syncs across your own iPhones through iCloud. Sharing with a partner isn’t supported yet | Partners sign in to the same household with the same email and password |
Goodbudget details checked October 2026 on goodbudget.com/signup, goodbudget.com, Goodbudget’s bank sync help, Goodbudget’s partner sharing help and Goodbudget’s privacy policy. Prices are in US dollars and can change; check their site for today’s.
Goodbudget may suit you better if
- You want a free envelope budget and 20 envelopes is enough.
- You use Android or want to budget in a web browser.
- You want bank sync included in one subscription.
Bow may suit you better if
- You budget on iPhone and want an app made only for it.
- You want unlimited envelopes and accounts on any plan, for $49.99 a year or $129 once.
- You’d rather not create an account or keep your budget on a company’s servers.
- You want targets that tell you what each envelope needs, and purchases filled in from receipts, photos or Siri.
How they handle envelopes
Both apps fill envelopes from the money you have and spend from them. Goodbudget’s free plan caps you at 10 regular and 10 more envelopes and one account; Premium removes the caps.
Bow has no caps. Its targets tell you what each envelope needs this month, and Fund All Needs fills them in one tap. Credit card spending moves money into the card’s payment envelope automatically.
Questions
Is Goodbudget free?
Goodbudget has a free plan with 20 envelopes, 1 account and 2 devices. Premium, at $10 a month or $80 a year, adds unlimited envelopes and accounts and bank sync.
Does Bow have a free plan?
No. Bow has a 2-week free trial, then $6.99 a month, $49.99 a year or $129 once. Without a plan your budget stays readable, never locked.