Everything linked in one place. Or a budget you write yourself.
Monarch is a polished, all-in-one money app that connects to your accounts and is excellent for couples. Oakfold is a free desktop app where you enter your money yourself and keep it on your computer.
If you want every bank, card and investment account pulled in automatically, with net worth and a partner on the same login, Monarch does that very well. If you want to budget without a subscription and without handing over bank logins, Oakfold is built for that.
| Oakfold | Monarch | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for all budgeting. Core is $4.99 a month for Oak, your household and sync | $14.99 a month, or $99.99 a year |
| Free option | Free for good, with every budgeting tool. No trial to run out | 7-day free trial. Code WELCOME takes 30% off the first year |
| Where it runs | Desktop app for Windows and Mac. No phone app yet | Web, iPhone and Android |
| Bank connection | None, by design. Enter transactions yourself, or scan a statement (PDF, CSV or photo) | The core of the product: your accounts sync automatically |
| Where your data lives | On your computer. Cloud backup and sync are optional, with Core | Monarch's cloud. No ads, and Monarch says it never sells your financial data |
| How you budget | Category and subcategory budgets, 50/30/20 or your own split, fixed and variable | Flexible category budgets, with rollovers or a flex budget |
| AI assistant | Ask Oak, with Core: chat, voice and screen share, 150,000 credits a month | AI Assistant that answers questions from your data, plus a weekly recap |
| Budgeting with a partner | With Core, up to 4 people, each with a profile and PIN, on up to 5 computers | Unlimited household members on one subscription, each with a login |
| If you stop paying | Everything you entered keeps working on Free | Access ends when the trial or subscription does |
Facts about Monarch from its own site, checked November 10, 2026. Prices and plans change, so check before you decide.
What Monarch does well
- The best partner sharing around: your whole household, each with their own login, at no extra cost.
- Very broad account coverage, including investments and net worth.
- Polished on the web, iPhone and Android.
- An AI assistant that answers from your own data.
Why people choose Oakfold
- Budgeting is free for good. Monarch is $99.99 a year; about $300 over three years.
- No bank logins shared with an aggregator, so no broken connections to fix either.
- Your data stays on your computer unless you choose cloud sync.
- Each person in your household can keep a PIN on their own accounts.
Pick the one that fits how you budget
Pick Monarch if
- You want every account, including investments, synced automatically.
- You budget with a partner on phones and the web.
- Net worth tracking matters as much as the monthly budget.
Pick Oakfold if
- You want to see every transaction because you entered it.
- You'd rather not share bank logins or keep your finances in a cloud service.
- You don't want to pay a subscription to budget.
The cost, plainly
What each costs over three years, at the prices listed today.
Oakfold and Monarch, answered
Is entering transactions by hand a lot of work?
It takes a few minutes a week. Paychecks, rent and other regular items post on schedule for you to approve, and you can scan a statement to add anything you missed. Many people find that writing it down is what makes a budget stick.
Does Oakfold have an AI assistant like Monarch?
Yes, with Core. Ask Oak answers questions about your own budget, debts and goals, by chat or by voice, and can see the page you're on if you share your screen. Core includes 150,000 AI credits a month.
Can my partner and I both use Oakfold?
Yes, with Core: up to four people in a household, each with their own profile and optional PIN, on up to five computers. Monarch allows more people and works on phones, so it's the better fit for a bigger household that budgets on the go.
More comparisons
- Oakfold vs YNABZero-based budgeting, two ways
- Oakfold vs CopilotAn Apple app, or a desktop app
- Oakfold vs EveryDollarRamsey's budget, or your own
- Oakfold vs Rocket MoneySubscriptions found, or a plan written
Try it on your own month. It's free.
Every budgeting tool is free for good, with no trial to run out and no card to enter.