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Personal Finance · head to head

Lunch Money vs Tiller Money

Lunch Money logo

Lunch Money

Personal Finance

Hosted budgeting app with bank sync, crypto and multi-currency tracking, pay-what-you-want annual pricing

From
$60/year
Rated
-
Tiller Money logo

Tiller Money

Personal Finance

Spreadsheet-based personal finance

From
$79/year
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lunch Money there is no self-hosted or local-first option at all, so your transaction data lives permanently on Lunch Money servers under their terms.; Tiller Money no native mobile app means mobile access limited to Google Sheets or Excel apps
  • They diverge on capability: Lunch Money covers Bank sync, Tiller Money covers Auto-populates financial data.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lunch Money and Tiller Money actually diverge.

Attributes where Lunch Money and Tiller Money differ
AttributeLunch MoneyTiller Money
Starting price$60/year$79/year
Pricing modelPay what you want, annual, above a published minimumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Lunch Money

  • Bank sync
  • Multi-currency support
  • Crypto account tracking
  • Recurring transaction detection
  • Budget rollover rules
  • Pay-what-you-want pricing

Only in Tiller Money

  • Auto-populates financial data
  • Customizable spreadsheets
  • Budget tracking
  • Financial templates
  • Bank accounts
  • Google Sheets
  • Excel
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Lunch Money

  • Someone with bank accounts in more than one currency who wants unified budgeting without manual conversionnot Tiller Money
  • A crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one viewnot Tiller Money
  • A user who wants automatic bank sync and does not want to run or maintain self-hosted softwarenot Tiller Money
  • A YNAB user frustrated by rigid category rollover rules who wants more configurable behaviournot Tiller Money

Tiller Money

  • Budget Managementnot Lunch Money
  • Expense Trackingnot Lunch Money
  • Investment Trackingnot Lunch Money

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Lunch Money

  • There is no self-hosted or local-first option at all, so your transaction data lives permanently on Lunch Money servers under their terms.
  • Bank sync depends on third-party aggregators, and connections to some smaller banks or regional institutions can break and need manual reconnection.
  • Pay-what-you-want pricing means the effective price a new subscriber lands on is not fixed, and legacy discounted pricing available to early adopters is not available to new sign-ups.
  • It has no free tier, only a trial, so anyone wanting a permanently free budgeting tool needs to look at Actual Budget or Firefly III instead.
  • Crypto tracking is basic balance tracking rather than portfolio analysis, so active traders will still want a dedicated crypto tool alongside it.

Tiller Money

  • No native mobile app means mobile access limited to Google Sheets or Excel apps
  • Spreadsheet-based interface can be intimidating for non-technical users unfamiliar with formulas
  • Requires manual customization and setup of templates and formulas for advanced features
  • No built-in investment performance tracking or analysis at the depth some competitors offer
  • Customer support is email and community-based, not real-time chat or phone support

Pricing, plan by plan

Lunch Money

$60/year
  • Lunch Money$60/year
    • Bank sync and manual accounts
    • Multi-currency and crypto tracking
    • Budgets, reports and recurring detection

Tiller Money

$79/year
  • Annual Subscription$79/year
    • Unlimited transaction import
    • Up to 5 connected spreadsheets
    • AutoCat categorization

Which should you pick?

Choose Lunch Money if

  • You need bank sync.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-currency support.

Choose Tiller Money if

  • You need auto-populates financial data.
  • You work on Web, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel.
  • You also want customizable spreadsheets.

Questions people ask

Is Lunch Money or Tiller Money better?
Neither clearly leads. Lunch Money starts at $60/year and Tiller Money at $79/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lunch Money or Tiller Money?
Lunch Money starts at $60/year and Tiller Money at $79/year.
Does Lunch Money or Tiller Money run on more platforms?
Lunch Money runs on Web, iOS, Android. Tiller Money runs on Web, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel.
What is Lunch Money best used for?
Lunch Money is most often used for someone with bank accounts in more than one currency who wants unified budgeting without manual conversion, a crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one view, a user who wants automatic bank sync and does not want to run or maintain self-hosted software, a ynab user frustrated by rigid category rollover rules who wants more configurable behaviour. Of those, someone with bank accounts in more than one currency who wants unified budgeting without manual conversion and a crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one view are not what Tiller Money is typically brought in for.
What can Lunch Money do that Tiller Money cannot?
Lunch Money covers Bank sync, Multi-currency support, Crypto account tracking, Recurring transaction detection. Tiller Money covers Auto-populates financial data, Customizable spreadsheets, Budget tracking, Financial templates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lunch Money: Can I self-host Lunch Money?

No, it is a hosted service only; there is no self-hosted or open source version.

Tiller Money: How much does Tiller Money cost?

Tiller Money costs $79 per year with no free tier. A 30-day free trial is available. The annual subscription includes 5 connected spreadsheets and unlimited categories.

Source
Lunch Money: How does the pay-what-you-want pricing work?

Lunch Money publishes a minimum annual price and lets subscribers choose to pay that or more; existing subscribers can often keep older discounted rates.

Tiller Money: Does Tiller work with Google Sheets and Excel?

Yes. Tiller automatically feeds daily bank transactions and account balances to Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets you own. Your data remains yours permanently.

Source
Lunch Money: Does it handle multiple currencies?

Yes, natively, which is a common reason people choose it over YNAB or Monarch Money for international finances.

Tiller Money: How many banks and financial institutions does Tiller connect to?

Tiller connects to 21,000+ US banks, credit card accounts, brokerages, and loan servicers via Yodlee and MX data providers. New banks are added weekly.

Source
Tiller Money: What is AutoCat in Tiller?

AutoCat is Tiller's 100% customizable automatic categorization feature that learns your spending patterns. You can set rules like 'file all grocery store transactions above $10 as groceries and below $10 as snacks.'

Source
Tiller Money: Does Tiller have a mobile app?

Tiller does not have a dedicated mobile app. Instead, it uses Google Sheets and Excel apps on mobile devices to access your spreadsheets. Mobile access is primarily for viewing, not transaction entry.

Source
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