Made by Openbox Money. We sell one of the products compared here, so this is not an independent review.
What Monarch Money costs
By Travis Haggar. I build Openbox Money. I'm not a financial adviser.
Drafted with AI help. Prices checked Nov 1, 2026. Updated Nov 1, 2026.
Monarch Core costs $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and the first week is free. New users can take 30% off the first year of annual Core with the code WELCOME, which Monarch says may end at any time. Monarch Plus is $199.99 a year in Monarch's App Store listing. Below are those prices next to YNAB, Copilot Money and Openbox Money, each taken from the company's own page on Nov 1, 2026.
Prices checked Nov 1, 2026
Openbox Money PremiumNot on sale yet
- Monthly
- $7.99
- Yearly
- $79
- Free trial
- None
Monarch Core
- Monthly
- $14.99
- Yearly
- $99.99
- Free trial
- First week free (“Your first week is on us”)
YNAB
- Monthly
- $14.99
- Yearly
- $109
- Free trial
- 34 days; no card needed when you sign up with YNAB directly
Copilot Money
- Monthly
- $18
- Yearly
- $109
- Free trial
- 1 month for new users
US dollars, as each company's page showed them on Nov 1, 2026. Prices and offers change; each company's own page is the final word.
- Openbox Money Premium
- Not on sale yet: Openbox Money is invite-only for now.
- A full refund of the household's first payment if asked for within 14 days, once per household.
- On the web only for now: no iPhone or Android app yet.
- Source: Openbox Money terms of use
- Monarch Core
- Code WELCOME takes 30% off the first year of annual Core, for new users only. Monarch says the code may expire or be deactivated at any time.
- Monarch Plus is $199.99 a year in Monarch's App Store listing. Monarch's pricing page doesn't give a Plus price.
- On the web, iPhone and Android.
- Source: Monarch pricing page, Monarch's App Store listing (In-App Purchases)
- YNAB
- Plus tax where applicable.
- College students can get a free 365-day trial with proof of enrollment.
- Source: YNAB pricing page
- Copilot Money
- Monthly: $18 in Copilot Money's App Store listing, and on its pricing page when billed monthly.
- Yearly: the pricing page shows $9 a month, “$109 billed yearly, instead of $119”, marked as a limited-time offer. The App Store listing shows $109 a year.
- On iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Its pages don't list an Android app.
- Source: Copilot Money pricing page, Copilot Money's App Store listing (In-App Purchases), Copilot Money FAQ
Where Openbox Money is weaker
- It isn't open yet. Openbox Money is invite-only for now, and Premium isn't on sale.
- No free trial, and no free plan. Once Premium is on sale, the only safety net is a refund of the first payment within 14 days.
- No phone apps yet. It runs in a web browser, on a computer or a phone, but there's no iPhone or Android app.
- No way yet to invite a partner into your household.
- Budgets don't carry over. Importing another app's export brings in transactions and accounts, not its budgets, goals or rules.
- It's a young company with a short track record.
Which one fits
Choose Monarch if you want apps on iPhone and Android today, a free first week to try it, or Monarch Plus, which Monarch describes as built for forecasting, several income sources and deeper investment tracking.
Choose YNAB if you want a long look first: 34 days free, with no card needed when you sign up with YNAB directly, or a free 365-day trial if you're a college student with proof of enrollment.
Choose Copilot Money if you live on Apple devices: it runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web, comes as one plan with no tiers, and new users get a month free.
Choose ChatGPT Finances if you already use ChatGPT and want to ask about your money in a chat. OpenAI's release notes say Finances began rolling out to the Free and Go plans in the US on October 2, 2026, on the web, iOS and Android, after starting with Pro and Plus.
Choose Openbox Money if your everyday question is what's safe to spend after this month's bills, and you want bills, a budget and your net worth in one calm place. It never sends your data to an AI service (you can hand an export to your own AI if you like), it doesn't sell your data or use it for advertising, and it encrypts merchant names, descriptions and account names before storing them. Coming from another app? How to bring your history over.
Sources
- Monarch pricing page, checked Nov 1, 2026.
- Monarch's App Store listing (In-App Purchases), checked Nov 1, 2026.
- YNAB pricing page, checked Nov 1, 2026.
- Copilot Money pricing page, checked Nov 1, 2026.
- Copilot Money's App Store listing (In-App Purchases), checked Nov 1, 2026.
- Copilot Money FAQ, checked Nov 1, 2026.
- ChatGPT release notes (entry of October 2, 2026) and OpenAI help center: Finances in ChatGPT, read on Nov 1, 2026.
- Openbox Money: the Openbox Money terms of use (price and refund) and the privacy policy (AI, advertising and encryption).
No company paid for or reviewed this page, and nothing here is an affiliate link.
Monarch, YNAB, Copilot Money, Mint, Credit Karma and ChatGPT are trademarks of their owners; Openbox Money isn't affiliated with them.
This isn't financial advice. Spot a mistake or an out-of-date price? Email support@openboxmoney.com and we'll fix it.