MoneyWheel vs. a budget spreadsheet
Keep the control of a spreadsheet, skip the data entry
A spreadsheet is the most flexible budget there is, until the month-end copy, paste and sort. MoneyWheel reads your accounts directly and fills in the rows a spreadsheet makes you type.
Free to start · No card required · Read-only bank connections
Getting the numbers in
In a spreadsheetDownload a CSV from each bank and card, paste it in, and fix the columns that do not line up.
In MoneyWheelBanks and cards connect once through Plaid and sync on their own, every night on Plus and up.
Sorting every row
In a spreadsheetType a category next to each transaction, or keep a lookup table that never quite matches the merchant names.
In MoneyWheelEvery charge is categorized as it arrives. Move one by hand or add a rule, and it stays where you put it.
Finding subscriptions
In a spreadsheetScan months of rows for the same amount, and hope a price change does not hide one.
In MoneyWheelBills and subscriptions are detected from your history, with a calendar of what is due next and a nudge when a price goes up.
The budget itself
In a spreadsheetFormulas that break when a row is inserted, and a total that is only as current as the last paste.
In MoneyWheelA 50/30/20 budget you drag to your own split, suggested from your last 90 days and measured as each charge lands.
Business and personal
In a spreadsheetTwo tabs, or one tab and a column you have to remember to fill in.
In MoneyWheelMark an account or a single charge as business, and read any report personal-only, business-only or both.
Receipts
In a spreadsheetA folder of photos and a filename that tries to say which row it belongs to.
In MoneyWheelThe receipt sits on the charge. Snap it from your phone and it is read and matched to the charge for you.
When a spreadsheet is still the better pick
- You want to write every formula yourself and see exactly how each number is made.
- You would rather not connect a bank to any app at all.
- Your money is mostly cash, so there is little for a bank connection to read.
- Want both? On Business, every transaction exports to CSV, so the spreadsheet can stay as your second copy.
Try it on one account
Connect a single bank, free and with no card, and compare the first month with your spreadsheet.
Get started free