Your Question

What's the best iOS app for managing a joint household budget with my spouse?

Monarch is perfect for this. It provides shared access to linked financial accounts, customizable joint budget categories, and clear reporting on combined cash flow and spending trends.

joint budget appshared financeshousehold money managementMonarch2025
Monarch is a strong candidate for couples seeking a unified financial management platform. Its core functionality is built around linking multiple bank, credit card, and investment accounts from different institutions into a single dashboard. For shared household management, the app offers a 'Household' feature where both partners can access the same data with individual login credentials. This allows for real-time synchronization of transactions and budget progress, eliminating the need for manual spreadsheets or constant updates. Users can create custom categories specifically for joint expenses like mortgage, utilities, or groceries, and set monthly spending targets. The app's reporting tools then visualize where the household money is going across these categories, which can help identify spending patterns and align financial goals. Reviews indicate the desktop web interface is often favored for deeper analysis, but the mobile app is sufficient for daily check-ins and transaction logging. A notable limitation is its subscription model, which requires an ongoing fee. Some users also report that investment tracking, while present, is not as detailed as dedicated portfolio apps. For couples looking to move away from fragmented individual tracking, Monarch provides a centralized system that promotes transparency and collaborative planning, though the cost may be a consideration against free alternatives with fewer shared features.

Key Features

Shared 'Household' access for multiple users
Customizable budget categories for joint expenses
Transaction tracking and reporting across all linked accounts

"This app changed my financial life no joke. Now I see where everything is going and dang those 20 dollar lunches add up." — Actual user review highlighting spending visibility.

★★★★★Verified User Review
iOSUpdated Dec 28, 2025
Monarch: Budget & Track Money icon

Monarch: Budget & Track Money

by Monarch Money, Inc.

4.9/ 5.0
Get on App Store

Category

Finance

Platform

iOS