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Monarch Money review: Is it worth it in 2026?

By Nicolas Straut
Published 8 min read
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Key takeaways

  • Monarch Money has no free plan. Core costs $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month after a 7-day trial, and Plus costs $199.99 a year.1
  • When deciding whether Monarch Money is worth it, start with the budget you'll run each month. Core covers budgeting, net worth, an AI Assistant, and a free partner seat, and Plus adds a retirement forecast and business tracking.
  • Monarch Money fits a couple or household that budgets together every month. If you mainly want a retirement projection, the Tweed Retirement Calculator is free, and ProjectionLab Premium costs $129 a year.
In this article

Monarch Money is worth it if you'll use its budget every month, because there's no free plan. Core costs $99.99 a year and includes budgeting, net worth, an AI Assistant, and a free partner seat, and Plus costs $199.99 and adds a retirement forecast and business tracking. This review covers both tiers, what it costs to leave, and the alternatives.

What is Monarch Money?

Monarch Money is a paid personal finance app from Monarch Money, Inc. that puts your budget, spending, investments, and net worth in one place, runs on the web, iPhone, iPad, and Android, and earns its revenue from subscriptions, not ads. There are two plans, Core and Plus. Plus launched on April 20, 2026.

Who is Monarch Money for?

Monarch Money is for people who want one budget and one net worth figure for the whole household.

Couples who share a budget

Couples get the most from Monarch Money, because you can add a partner at no extra cost on either plan, and you both work from the same budget, the same categories, and the same weekly summary. One subscription covers two people.

People tracking net worth across many accounts

If your money sits at several banks and brokerages, Monarch connects 13,000+ institutions and adds your home value and crypto. It also tracks equity compensation, so stock from your employer counts toward your net worth. For crypto, property abroad, or private investments, our Kubera review covers a tracker built for more complex assets.

Freelancers and landlords on Plus

Freelancers and landlords are the Plus audience, because Plus tracks an LLC, a rental property, or a side business apart from your personal money. You'll get a P&L for each business and reports ready for tax season.

Monarch Money pros and cons

Monarch Money's pros are the shared budget and broad connections, and its cons all come back to price.

Monarch Money pros

  • You can add a partner at no extra cost, and you both work from one budget.
  • Core connects 13,000+ institutions and pulls your home value from Zillow and your crypto from Coinbase.
  • Every plan includes the AI Assistant and a weekly summary of spending, net worth, and upcoming expenses.
  • If you cancel a plan billed by Monarch, you'll get a refund for the unused time.

Monarch Money cons

  • There's no free plan, and the 7-day trial needs a payment method.
  • The retirement forecast and life-change scenarios cost $100 more a year on Plus.
  • Paying monthly for Core costs $179.88 a year, $79.89 more than annual billing.
  • There's no cheaper solo tier, so one person pays the same $99.99 as a couple.

How Monarch Money budgeting works

Monarch Money budgeting starts from what you already spend, not from a blank page: the first time you build a budget, Monarch fills in each category with your average spending over the last six months, and you can change any amount after that.

You pick one of two budgeting approaches. Category budgeting gives every expense category its own limit, and flex budgeting, the default, tracks your variable spending as one bucket. Monarch sorts transactions into categories automatically, and you can fine-tune them with rules.

Monarch reminds you of subscriptions and upcoming bills and alerts you before you overspend. Savings and debt goals sit inside the budget, and Monarch tells you the monthly contribution each goal needs. To see where your savings stand, compare them with net worth by age.

Monarch Money features

Monarch Money features beyond the budget come down to three things: net worth and investments, the AI Assistant, and account connections.

Net worth and investment tracking

Core tracks your net worth across every account, plus investment performance and diversification. Plus adds unrealized gains and losses and a deeper look at your asset allocation.

AI Assistant

The AI Assistant comes with both plans, and Monarch says its guidance is shaped by financial professionals. You'll also get a weekly email summary of spending, net worth, and upcoming expenses. For apps built around an AI adviser, see the best AI financial advisors.

Account connections

Account connections cover 13,000+ banks and financial institutions on both plans. Zillow supplies your home value, Coinbase your crypto, and receipt scanning itemizes your purchases.

How much does Monarch Money cost?

Monarch Money costs $99.99 a year for Core and $199.99 a year for Plus, and there's no free plan.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
PlanBilled annuallyBilled monthlyFree trial
Core$99.99 ($8.33 a month)$14.997 days, payment method required
Plus$199.99 ($16.67 a month)Not offered7 days, payment method required

Tweed read Monarch's pricing page on October 26, 2026.

Annual Core works out to $8.33 a month, and paying $14.99 monthly costs $179.88 a year. Five years of annual Core at today's price comes to $499.95.

How much does it cost to leave Monarch Money?

It costs nothing to leave Monarch Money if you pay Monarch directly, because it refunds the remaining time on your subscription with no questions asked.2 Plans bought through the Apple App Store are refunded only by Apple.

After a refund your access ends at once, but you can still log in to download your history, restart, or delete your account. Don't delete the account before you request the refund, because Monarch asks you to keep it while the request is processed.

Monarch disconnects your institution connections 30 days after your subscription ends, though your transactions and balance history stay available to download as CSV files on the web, for a spreadsheet or another app. What you lose is the live feed, not the record.

Is Monarch Money worth it in 2026?

Monarch Money is worth it in 2026 if you'll run a budget in it every month, especially as a couple sharing one subscription. Core costs $99.99 a year with the partner seat, the AI Assistant, Zillow, and Coinbase included, so the price buys a household's budget, not one person's.

It doesn't fit a solo user who only wants to see balances, since Empower's dashboard is free, or anyone who'd pay monthly at $179.88 a year. If you're ready to try it, start the 7-day trial on the web, so Monarch bills you directly and you keep the refund option.

Is Monarch Money Plus worth it?

Monarch Money Plus is worth it if you'll use its business tracking or retirement forecast, because it costs $100 more a year than Core. Plus adds a retirement chart with real numbers, scenarios for a new job, a remodel, or kids, business P&L and tax exports, and a will through Trust & Will, which Monarch notes isn't a law firm. For a retirement projection alone, the Tweed Retirement Calculator is free, and dedicated planners cost $129 a year for ProjectionLab Premium and $168 for Boldin PlannerPlus for new subscribers, as our ProjectionLab review and Boldin review explain.

Monarch Money vs the alternatives

Monarch Money vs the alternatives comes down to whether you want a free plan, a stricter budget, or a free net worth dashboard.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
Monarch MoneyYNABRocket MoneyCopilotEmpower
Best forCouples who budget and track net worth togetherBudgeters who want to plan each dollar aheadPeople who want a free plan and help cutting subscriptionsApple users who want a design-led appInvestors who want a free net worth dashboard
Free planNoNoYesNoYes, the dashboard
Paid priceCore $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, Plus $199.99 a year$109 a year or $14.99 a monthPremium on a sliding scale you choose, Premium+ $15 a month$95 a year or $13 a monthAdvice from 0.89% a year, $100,000 minimum
Free trial7 days, payment method required34 days, no card when you sign up directly7 days on PremiumTest drive, then a free trialNone needed for the dashboard

Tweed read each company's pricing page on October 26, 2026, and Empower's figures come from Tweed's Empower review.

For an AI app built for investors, our CFO Silvia review covers its free plan and Pro tier, and CFO Silvia vs Monarch Money compares the two. Quicken Simplifi is the cheaper paid app people weigh against Monarch, and Monarch Money vs Quicken Simplifi covers what it costs after the first year. Our Quicken Simplifi review covers the app on its own.

Monarch Money vs YNAB

Monarch Money vs YNAB is close on price, since YNAB costs $109 a year, $9.01 more than Monarch Core.3 YNAB gives you a 34-day trial with no card and lets up to six people share one subscription, as our YNAB review explains.

Monarch Money vs Rocket Money

Monarch Money vs Rocket Money is paid vs free, because Rocket Money has a free plan and Monarch doesn't.4 Rocket Money Premium is priced on a sliding scale, and Premium+ costs $15 a month. Its bill negotiation service takes 35% to 60% of your first year's savings. Our Rocket Money review covers each of its plans.

Monarch Money vs Copilot

Monarch Money vs Copilot comes down to devices, because Copilot runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web, and Monarch adds Android. Copilot costs $95 a year or $13 a month, and our Copilot Money review covers its refund window and sharing. Both apps track your home value with Zillow.

Monarch Money vs Empower

Monarch Money vs Empower is budget vs dashboard, because Empower gives its net worth dashboard away to bring investors toward paid advice, and Monarch charges for a fuller budget with no advisory service to sell. Empower earns from its advisory service, which charges 0.89% a year with a $100,000 minimum. Our Empower review covers its fees, and Empower alternatives covers other free options.

Before you pay $100 more a year for Plus's forecast, run the Tweed Retirement Calculator to see whether you're on track. Then add up what you own and owe in the Tweed Net Worth Calculator, which counts the same accounts Monarch would track.

Frequently asked questions about Monarch Money

Can you trust Monarch Money?

Yes, you can trust Monarch Money with your account data, because it has read-only permissions and can't access your money. It encrypts your data at rest and in transit and offers two-factor authentication. Monarch says independent auditors have verified its security standards, and it never sells your financial data.

Does Monarch Money sell your data?

No, Monarch Money doesn't sell your data. Its help center says it never makes money selling your financial data and shows no ads, because its revenue comes entirely from subscriptions. That's the reason Monarch gives for offering only paid plans, so you'll pay $99.99 a year for Core instead.

Is there a Monarch Money promo code?

Yes, the Monarch Money promo code WELCOME takes 30% off your first year of annual Core, as of October 26, 2026. It's for new users only and can't be combined with other offers. A friend's referral link gives 50% off the first year of annual Core instead, if you pay Monarch directly rather than through Apple or Google.

Does Monarch Money work on Android?

Yes, Monarch Money works on Android through its Google Play app, as well as on iPhone, iPad, and the web. Pay Monarch directly if you can. Its referral discount applies only to direct billing, and a plan bought through the Apple App Store can be refunded only by Apple.

Can you share Monarch Money with a financial advisor?

Yes, you can share Monarch Money with a financial advisor, because both Core and Plus include read-only access for a financial professional. Your advisor can see your accounts but can't change anything in them. That access is separate from adding a partner, who joins your household at no extra cost.

Does Monarch Money work with Apple Card?

Yes, Monarch Money syncs with Apple Card on both Core and Plus, according to its pricing page. Your Apple Card spending lands in the same budget as your other accounts. Monarch can also scan and itemize receipts, so a single purchase can be split into more detailed categories than one line.

Will Monarch Money raise its price?

Monarch Money can raise its price, but its help center says it will notify you at least 30 days before any price change. All plans are billed in US dollars, plus tax where it applies. Core costs $99.99 a year and Plus costs $199.99 a year as of October 26, 2026.

Sources

  1. https://www.monarch.com/pricing
  2. https://help.monarch.com/hc/en-us/articles/30368325619732-Monarch-s-Money-back-Guarantee
  3. https://www.ynab.com/pricing
  4. https://help.rocketmoney.com/en/articles/2217739-how-much-does-rocket-money-cost
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