A Monarch Money alternative without bank sync
Straight answer first: Beyond Payday does not connect to your accounts or track transactions, and it is not a category budget. You enter your household’s income, bills, assets and debts, and it shows what is left each month, your net worth, and, on Pro, a retirement plan.
Monarch and Beyond Payday, side by side
The Monarch column says only what Monarch says on its own website and help center, with a link to each source. The Beyond Payday column describes how Beyond Payday works today.
Facts verified Sep 25, 2026 from each company’s own website (or an archived copy of it); features change — check the provider for current details.
The approach
Monarch
- Monarch offers two ways to budget: flex budgeting, its default, and category budgeting, where every expense category gets a budget.
Source: Monarch help: Creating Your Budget (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026 - Monarch describes flex budgeting as grouping your expenses into three buckets: Fixed, Non-monthly and Flex.
Source: Monarch help: Using Flex Budgeting (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
Beyond Payday is not a category budget. It shows your income, your bills (split into needs and wants), what is left each month, your net worth, and retirement.
Linking accounts
Monarch
- Monarch says it connects to your accounts through three third-party data providers.
Source: Monarch help: Data Providers and Connections (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
Beyond Payday does not link to banks or cards, so it never asks for a bank login. Nothing comes in on its own; you keep the numbers current.
Manual accounts
Monarch
- Monarch supports manual accounts, for example for a boat, jewelry or cash that has no online connection.
Source: Monarch help: Manual Accounts (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
Everything is entered by you: type in income, bills, assets and debts, or import bills, assets and debts from a CSV, TSV or XLSX file.
Sharing with family
Monarch
- Monarch says adding household members is free, each member gets their own login, and you can invite a financial advisor or coach.
Source: Monarch help: Add Members (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
One account covers the household: an owner, a spouse and children, with per-feature permissions for each person. Members 13 and older can have their own login. One subscription covers everyone.
Looking ahead
Monarch
- Monarch’s Forecasting, a feature of its Plus tier, projects net worth and cash flow over time, including milestones such as retirement. Monarch says it is not financial advice.
Source: Monarch help: Forecasting (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
On Pro, a retirement plan projects your money month by month to age 95, with Social Security, pensions, taxes and an optional Monte Carlo run. Projections are estimates, not advice.
Goals
Monarch
- Monarch offers savings goals for things like an emergency fund, a vacation or a future home.
Source: Monarch help: Save Up Goals (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
Savings goals and debt-payoff goals, on every plan, with a pace check against your target date.
Apps
Monarch
- Monarch says it works across web, iOS and Android.
Source: monarch.com (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
A web app you can install on your phone or computer from the browser (a PWA). For app-store versions, check the stores for current availability.
Where it works
Monarch
- Monarch says it is currently available in the US and Canada.
Source: Monarch FAQs (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
Built for US households only. Amounts are in US dollars, and taxes and Social Security rules are US-only.
Getting your data out
Monarch
- Monarch’s help center explains how to download an account’s transaction history as a CSV file.
Source: Monarch help: Downloading Transaction History (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
Beyond Payday
The household owner or spouse can export everything as a .zip with a JSON copy and CSV files, on every plan, including Free.
When Monarch may be the better choice
Beyond Payday is not for everyone. Monarch may suit you more if:
- You want your accounts connected rather than typing your numbers in.Source: Monarch help: Data Providers and Connections (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
- You want to budget by category or with flex budgeting.Source: Monarch help: Creating Your Budget (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
- You want native iOS and Android apps today.Source: monarch.com (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
- You live in Canada. Beyond Payday is for US households only.Source: Monarch FAQs (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
- You want to invite a financial advisor or coach into your account.Source: Monarch help: Add Members (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
How switching works
Start with what you have
A spreadsheet, a recent statement, or a list of your bills and account balances. What moves over is your recurring bills and your balances. Individual transactions do not, because Beyond Payday does not track them.
Import bills, assets and debts, or type them in
Upload a CSV, TSV or XLSX file on the Import data page, match its columns to Beyond Payday’s fields, and choose which rows to save. Or type each item in by hand.
How spreadsheet import worksAdd your income
Income is entered by hand, including deductions like 401(k) and health insurance. You can also scan a paystub photo: it fills in an income entry that you then review. The Free plan includes 3 scans in total; Pro and the trial are unlimited.
Take your data with you any time
The household owner or spouse can export everything as a .zip with a JSON copy and CSV files, on every plan, including Free.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Beyond Payday link to my bank?
- No. It never asks for a bank login. You type your numbers in or import them from a spreadsheet, and you keep them current.
- Can Beyond Payday project my retirement?
- Yes, on Pro. It projects your money month by month to age 95, with Social Security, pensions, taxes and an optional Monte Carlo run. Projections are estimates, not guarantees, and not financial advice.
- Can I bring my data over?
- Beyond Payday imports bills, assets and debts from a CSV, TSV or XLSX file, so a spreadsheet of your recurring bills and account balances works well. Monarch’s help center describes downloading an account’s transaction history as a CSV file, but transactions do not carry over, because Beyond Payday does not track individual transactions.Source: Monarch help: Downloading Transaction History (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
- Can my partner and kids use it too?
- Yes. One account covers the household: an owner, a spouse and children, with per-feature permissions for each person. One subscription covers everyone.
- Is there a free plan?
- Yes. The Free plan covers the dashboard, income, bills, assets, debts, net worth, goals, the Scenario Tester, import and export. Pro adds retirement planning, business tracking and Beth, the AI assistant. New accounts start with a 30-day Pro trial with no card needed, and keep the Free plan afterward unless they subscribe.
- Can I use it outside the US?
- Not yet. Beyond Payday is built for US households only: amounts are in US dollars, and taxes and Social Security rules are US-only.
Facts verified Sep 25, 2026 from each company’s own website (or an archived copy of it); features change — check the provider for current details.
Current details from each provider: monarch.com (opens in a new tab).
Monarch Money and Monarch are trademarks of their respective owners. Beyond Payday has no affiliation with or endorsement from them.
Beyond Payday is a planning tool, not a financial advisor. Its figures are estimates based on what you enter, not guarantees.
Plan your household’s money without connecting accounts
Income, bills, what is left each month, net worth and, on Pro, retirement. No bank login.
30 days of Pro free — no card; keep the Free plan after unless you subscribe ($9/mo). After 30 days you keep the Free plan — no charge, no card.