These days, we all need a budget. Not only do budgets help us live within our means, they also help us stay on track with our long term financial goals, whether that’s paying down debt or saving for a down payment on a house.
In light of Mvelopes’ recent announcement that they’ll be closing their doors come year’s end, you might be looking for the best alternative to help you on your budgeting journey. In this article, we’ll cover some of the differences between Goodbudget and Mvelopes to help you decide if Goodbudget is the right solution for you.
What is Goodbudget?
Goodbudget is a budgeting app for iPhone, Android, and the Web. It uses the time-tested and familiar envelope budget method.
With Goodbudget, you’re able to create a budget that works (if you haven’t already!), sync and share that budget across multiple devices, save for big expenses, pay down debt, and more!
Goodbudget vs. Mvelopes
While Mvelopes and Goodbudget both utilize the envelope budget method, there are a few other similarities and differences to be aware of. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the features you might be looking for.
Similarities
Feature | Goodbudget | Mvelopes |
Envelope Budgeting | Y | Y |
Automatic Bank Sync | Y (Premium) | Y |
Share with 2+ Devices | Y | Y |
Upload Transactions via Bank File | Y | Y |
Debt Tracking | Y | Y |
Envelope Progress Bar | Y | Y |
Robust Reporting | Y | Y |
Full Envelope Customization | Y | Y |
Custom Fill / Allocated Spending Plan | Y | Y |
Split Transaction into Multiple Envelopes | Y | Y |
Reconcile Accounts | Y | Y |
Create Scheduled Transactions | Y | Y |
Envelope Transfers | Y | Y |
Account Transfers | Y | Y |
Negative Balance Carryover | Y | Y |
Paid Plan | Y ($10/month, $80/year) | Y |
Differences
Feature | Goodbudget | Mvelopes |
Free Plan | Y | N |
Track Non-Monthly Budgets | Y | N |
Manual Transaction Entry | Y | N |
Investment Tracking | N | Y |
Goal Tracking | Y | N |
PIN / Passcode | N | Y |
Cute Mascot | Y | N |
Who should try Goodbudget?
Goodbudget is a great option for those looking for an Mvelopes alternative because it uses the same envelope method you know and love.
Give Goodbudget a try
Does Goodbudget sound like the program for you? Give it a try now.
19 thoughts on “Looking for an Mvelopes alternative? Try Goodbudget.”
No bank sync is a REALLY BIG DEAL. It make goodbudget a clear “no” on my end. Too bad, because it is in theory closer to mvelopes than other platforms but that is a major feature to not have–I may as well use excel or literal paper money if I have to do it all manually anyways. No thanks!
PLEASE!!!!!!! Sync Bank Accounts and this would be an easy change from Mvelopes!!!!
Goodbudget says that manual entry of bank transactions creates greater awareness of spending, but I disagree. As a 15 year user of Mvelopes, I found that I was plenty aware of my spending just by seeing and assigning every transaction that was automatically synced with my Mvelopes app. Can I at least import bank transactions with Goodbudget? Also, Mvelopes allowed me to plan the exact allocation of each paycheck, funding every envelope according to the plan I laid out each month. Does Goodbudget have a similar function? If so, I may get through my Mvelopes mourning period a little easier… Thanks!
Hi Brooke — you can import transactions in Goodbudget by uploading a file you download from your bank. You can see more about that here: https://goodbudget.com/help/using-accounts/import/
As for planning a paycheck, you can definitely set up detailed allocations to specific Envelopes for each paycheck, as well as save those allocation structures and set them to auto-recur in the future using Scheduled Transactions.
I definitely agree with Amy and Kim. Not being able to sync bank accounts like I did in mVelopes is a huge negative in moving to another app. from mVelopes.
Let me know when you sync bank accounts
I’m not AS fussed about bank sync simply because I only have 2 accounts and if I can do an import, I think that can be manageable.
My question is about paycheck alocation. In Mvelopes you can set up an entire month of paychecks and plan for all expenses in a month down to the last penny. So it’s more than just allocating paychecks, you’re budgeting a month at a time. Does Goodbudget do that?
I’m not entirely clear on how Mvelopes did it, so I can’t say if it’s exactly the same, but I can tell you that in Goodbudget, you can schedule future expenses and paychecks to occur on future dates, so you can plan and see what’s coming in the future. What Goodbudget doesn’t specifically do is separate out discrete months. In other words, this month and last month and next month are all on one “timeline”, so even though you can see and plan for the future, it’s not like…blocked off, or anything.
Also here looking for mvelopes replacement, going to give ynab a try but don’t like it so far. Agree with other commenters, without auto bank and credit card downloads this is a non-starter. 🙁
That is a lot to pay for an app that doesn’t sync bank accounts. I agree with the others. I was excited that it sounded so similiar and would maybe try it if free, but I don’t want to pay that much for an app that doesn’t sync.
So happy I found Goodbudget! I don’t want/need to sync bank accounts……I really just wanted a good bookkeeping app like Mvelopes (I know they sync bank accounts, but I never used that part). I was so comfortable with Mvelopes after using it for many years, but now I actually like Goodbudget better! Glad I found you! Tried EveryDollar, but really didn’t like that they don’t have an “unallocated” line, so it didn’t work for me.
I was a previous Mvelopes user and am considering switching to GB. While I wholeheartedly agree with all the comments above that bank sync for a paid app should be a given, I may be able to manage with importing my transactions. Is this something you would do daily, weekly, etc? Is there a monthly limit to how many times you can import transactions?
Hi Kiersten — there is no limit to how often you can upload/import transactions into Goodbudget. As for how often you would want to do that, that’s more of a personal preference question! Some people record as many transactions as they can remember to do manually, then import once a month to catch mistakes/omissions; some people prefer to only import, maybe weekly; and some people prefer something in between! That part would be totally up to you.
I’ve been using Goodbudget for a few months now. As a former Mvelopes user, Good budget is an actual improvement over Mvelopes. It is true that it does not sync, but the download function is super easy and quick. And Good budget has already learned my categories and spend usage so that assigning my transactions is super easy and efficient. I would highly recommend the budget as an alternative to Mvelopes.
Does GB allow envelopes to remain negative month over month in order to “catch up”? This is my biggest issue with YNAB.
Hi Bryson – You can carry a negative balance in an Envelope from month to month!
As a 15-year Mvelopes user, bank syncing is a MUST-have. That’s what saves all the time and allows the envelope to always be up to date when we need to make a purchasing decision. If I have to download a file from my bank and import it into GB, what is the point of the app? I might as well write my own Mvelope app in Excel. About the only thing that GB provides is a nice interface. But what good is an excellent interface if the data in it is stale?
I have been surprised at how resistant the budgeting apps are to client input! They have their way of doing it and they are not open to accommodating views. They even pretend not to comprehend what I am asking for and assume I don’t understand their app, but when I eventually do understand it, I’ll learn to like it. I have been working with YNAB for a year now and understand it pretty well. The only problem: the more I understand it, the less I like it.
It’s like I am asking them to change their religion! We’re not asking other people to adopt our way; we’d like our way added as an option. But it is quite affirming to see so many other former users of Mvelope have similar sentiments!
Hi there – Thanks for posting, and sorry the post wasn’t clear! While you can use a file to upload many transactions at once, you can also manually record your transactions as they happen.
Yes, you can manually enter transactions, but ProRege’s point still stands. I’ve been using Good Budget for about 9 months now, and manual entry is a pain. Good Budget is okay, and I appreciate having the alternative, but I miss Mvelopes.