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Personal Finance · head to head

Goodbudget vs Money Manager

Goodbudget logo

Goodbudget

Personal Finance

Digital envelope budgeting app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Money Manager logo

Money Manager

Personal Finance

Personal and household finance tracker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Money Manager databases created by version 1.4.x are not readable by current releases and produce the error MMEX database version 13 doesn't work with this MMEX version, requiring a manual conversion procedure
  • They diverge on capability: Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Money Manager covers Budget tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Goodbudget and Money Manager actually diverge.

Attributes where Goodbudget and Money Manager differ
AttributeGoodbudgetMoney Manager
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
Founded20122005

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
  • Bank accounts
  • Web support

Only in Money Manager

  • Budget tracking
  • Reporting
  • Multi-currency support
  • Import/Export
  • CSV
  • Windows support
  • Mac support
  • Linux support

Both cover

  • Expense tracking
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Goodbudget

  • Envelope method budgetingnot Money Manager
  • Sharing a household budget across a couple's devicesnot Money Manager
  • Tracking debt payoff alongside envelopesnot Money Manager

Money Manager

  • Free desktop personal finance tracking on Windows, macOS and Linuxnot Goodbudget
  • Running a portable personal accounts file from removable media on Windowsnot Goodbudget
  • Categorising spending and reporting on personal accounts without a subscriptionnot 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

Money Manager

  • Databases created by version 1.4.x are not readable by current releases and produce the error MMEX database version 13 doesn't work with this MMEX version, requiring a manual conversion procedure
  • Linux is supported only through Flatpak builds for aarch64 and x86_64
  • The download page states no system requirements, deferring them to a separate compatibility page
  • There is no vendor support contract; the project is distributed as open source with no paid tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Goodbudget

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 envelopes
    • Basic tracking
  • Plus$5.99/month
    • Unlimited envelopes
    • Advanced reports
    • Receipt capture

Money Manager

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Expense tracking
    • Budget management
    • Reports

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.
Goodbudget review

Choose Money Manager if

  • You need budget tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
  • You also want reporting.
Money Manager review

Questions people ask

Is Goodbudget or Money Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. Goodbudget starts at Free and Money Manager at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Goodbudget or Money Manager?
Goodbudget starts at Free and Money Manager at Free.
Does Goodbudget or Money Manager run on more platforms?
Goodbudget runs on Web, IOS, Android. Money Manager runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
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 Money Manager is typically brought in for.
What can Goodbudget do that Money Manager cannot?
Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Receipt scanning, Bank accounts. Money Manager covers Budget tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support, Import/Export. Both handle Expense tracking, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Goodbudget: How much does Goodbudget cost?

Goodbudget pricing details are not available on the main website. The platform offers a free version and a Premium tier, but specific costs and features are not published.

Source
Money Manager: How much does MoneyManager Ex cost?

MoneyManager Ex is completely free and open source software with no charges, subscriptions, or hidden fees of any kind.

Source
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