Personal Finance · head to head
Goodbudget vs Credit Karma
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Goodbudget free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history; Credit Karma state tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD
- They diverge on capability: Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Credit Karma covers Free credit score.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Goodbudget and Credit Karma actually diverge.
| Attribute | Goodbudget | Credit Karma |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2007 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Goodbudget
- Envelope budgeting
- Shared budgets
- Receipt scanning
- Expense tracking
- Bank accounts
Only in Credit Karma
- Free credit score
- Credit report monitoring
- Credit card recommendations
- Tax filing
- Credit bureaus
- Financial institutions
Both cover
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Goodbudget
- Envelope method budgetingnot Credit Karma
- Sharing a household budget across a couple's devicesnot Credit Karma
- Tracking debt payoff alongside envelopesnot Credit Karma
Credit Karma
- Monitoring a credit score and the factors affecting it for freenot Goodbudget
- Comparing credit card and loan offers with Approval Oddsnot Goodbudget
- Filing federal tax returns at no chargenot Goodbudget
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Goodbudget
- Free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
- Automatic bank sync is Premium only and works with US banks only
- Premium is limited to 5 devices and 7 years of history
- Free plan gets community support only; email support requires Premium
- Premium costs $10 per month or $80 per year
Credit Karma
- State tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD
- Credit Spark builds score history against TransUnion, and the site states that not all lenders use TransUnion credit reports or scores
- Card and loan listings are advertising placements, disclosed on the site as compensation from third party advertisers
- Send and score update frequency limits are not published on the site
Pricing, plan by plan
Goodbudget
Free- FreeFree
- 10 envelopes
- Basic tracking
- Plus$5.99/month
- Unlimited envelopes
- Advanced reports
- Receipt capture
Credit Karma
Free- FreeFree
- Credit score monitoring
- Credit reports
- Personalized recommendations
Which should you pick?
Choose Goodbudget if
- You need envelope budgeting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want shared budgets.
Choose Credit Karma if
- You need free credit score.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want credit report monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Goodbudget or Credit Karma better?
- Neither clearly leads. Goodbudget starts at Free and Credit Karma at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Goodbudget or Credit Karma?
- Goodbudget starts at Free and Credit Karma at Free.
- Does Goodbudget or Credit Karma run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Goodbudget for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Goodbudget best used for?
- Goodbudget is most often used for envelope method budgeting, sharing a household budget across a couple's devices, tracking debt payoff alongside envelopes. Of those, envelope method budgeting and sharing a household budget across a couple's devices are not what Credit Karma is typically brought in for.
- What can Goodbudget do that Credit Karma cannot?
- Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Receipt scanning, Expense tracking. Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Both handle Web support, IOS support, Android support.