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Comparisons13 min read

Betterment vs Monarch Money: Which to Pick

Pick Monarch Money if you want the budget filled from your spending, goals you can track, receipt line items, and the official connector for Claude or ChatGPT. Pick Betterment if you want the cash, the checking, and the investments themselves: a high-yield cash account, a debit card, and a managed portfolio, with the fee charged as $5 a month or a percent of assets rather than a monthly software bill. The yield and the portfolio are why people open Betterment. The categories, the receipts, and the household dashboard are why they pay for Monarch. FYN (our product) closes this page.

Features and pricing checked . Betterment figures come from betterment.com, the cash page, the pricing page, and the help articles in Sources. Monarch figures come from Monarch's pricing page. FYN's numbers are from our pricing page. If a figure was not on those pages, the cell says Not documented.

This page is the head-to-head: Betterment or Monarch. The method, before either product, is how to make a budget. If the bill is the only question, that is Monarch Money pricing.

Betterment vs Monarch Money

Betterment, Monarch Money, and FYN compared on philosophy, budgets, bank sync, sharing, free tier, price, mobile, receipts, and AI. Checked October 29, 2026. FYN is our product.
TopicBettermentMonarch MoneyFYN (our product)Receipts, Apple Pay, and a household. Bank sync is Pro only.
PhilosophyAccounts you fund: Cash Reserve, Checking, a managed portfolio, and self-directed investing. Goals are targets inside those accounts. A monthly spending budget filled from transactions: Not documented.Monthly cash flow. Flex is the default. Category budgets are the other type. The first budget is a six-month average. An envelope or zero-based style is possible if income equals expenses plus savings. It is not required.An autopilot budget is on Free and Pro. An investment account you fund: Not documented on the pricing page. Our product.
Budgets and goalsA goal has a timeframe and a target amount. Taxable types include an emergency fund, a major purchase, retirement, Cash Reserve, and Checking. A category limit that tracks spending, with rollovers: Not documented.Transactions are categorized for you. You can move money when a category runs over. The pricing page says you can track goals. There is no free plan.The pricing page lists an autopilot budget. Category rollovers and a savings goal: Not documented on the pricing page.
Bank syncExternal accounts link through Plaid, or by hand. Funding accounts are for transfers. Other linked accounts are for net worth and goals. Credit cards are not funding accounts. A count of institutions: Not documented.Plaid, MX, and Finicity. Monarch suggests the provider with the stronger history, and you can switch. Connections can still break. United States and Canada. No free plan.Pro only, via Plaid, up to 15 accounts. A free account does not sync a bank.
Sharing and householdA joint account is two owners, each with a login. You see joint goals, not each other's individual goals. Householding combines balances for minimums. Pairing with an app password is view-only. A third owner: the joint article describes two.One or more people, each with a login, on one subscription. One shared dashboard and one budget. You cannot hide accounts or transactions. Plus covers the household.1 household member on Free. Unlimited on Pro. Owner, member, or view-only.
Free tierNo software plan you can keep at $0. The App Store says the download is free. Cash Reserve and Checking have no account fees. The pricing FAQ says no fee if you have no balance. The managed portfolio still charges once you do.No free plan. 7-day trial. Payment method required.Free plan. It does not expire and does not ask for a card. It does not sync a bank.
PricePricing page: Digital is $5 a month, or 0.25% a year with a $200 monthly deposit or a $24,000 balance. Premium is 0.65% a year, $100,000 minimum. Above $1 million the rate steps down. Cash and checking: no account fee. Self-directed: no commissions, and the management fee does not apply.No free plan. Core $14.99/month or $99.99/year ($8.33/month). Plus $199.99/year ($16.67/month). US dollars, plus tax. 7-day trial. Payment method required.Free plan. Pro is $9.99/month. Bank sync is Pro only. Our product.
MobileBetterment Invest & Save Money on the App Store, iPhone only, iOS 16.0 or later. The same name on Google Play, updated October 26, 2026. A native Mac app: Not documented.Web, iPhone, iPad, and Android. United States and Canada. Plus features are on desktop web.iPhone and Android apps, plus the web app.
ReceiptsCheck images after a deposited check settles. A scan that reads the merchant, the amount, and the line items off a purchase receipt: Not documented.Scan, upload, or forward a receipt email. Line items when the receipt has them.Photo scans and emailed receipts. 20 a month on Free, 200 on Pro, one combined count. Apple Pay and Google Wallet purchases are logged as you pay.
AI and MCPAn official connector for Claude or ChatGPT, with a Betterment server URL: Not documented on the pages checked.Official connector, back on October 21, 2026, on Core and Plus. Read-only unless you allow write. Finicity-linked accounts are left out.Ask FYN, plus a read-only MCP. Monarch also has a connector. FYN is not the only one.
Best forA cash account at a published APY, a checking account, a managed portfolio, self-directed investing, or a Premium advisor. The bill is $5 a month, a percent of assets, or no advisory fee on cash, checking, and self-directed accounts.Categories filled from spending, goals, net worth on the paid plan, receipt line items, and an official connector. Plus if the forecast or the deeper investment tools are the point.A free start, receipt scans, and Apple Pay and Google Wallet purchases logged as you pay. Household members: 1 on Free, unlimited on Pro. Bank sync is Pro only. This is our product.

Disclosure: we build FYN. This page is on FYN's site. The FYN column is the option for a free start, receipt scans, and purchases logged as you pay. Scroll the table sideways on a phone. Prices are US list prices. Monarch recommends checking out on the web rather than in the Apple or Google store. Betterment's advisory fee is a percent of the assets in the investing account, or $5 a month below the threshold, so the dollar amount is not one number for every balance.

Price, free tier, and trial

Betterment does not publish a monthly software subscription you keep at $0. The pricing page, read October 29, 2026, starts Digital investing at $5 a month. You switch to 0.25% a year on the investing balance by setting up recurring monthly deposits or transfers of $200 or more, or by reaching $24,000 or more across Betterment investing accounts. That sentence on the pricing page includes Cash Reserve in the $24,000 line. The fees article, updated June 18, 2026, is the other wording: $5 a month when the household balance is below $24,000 and you do not have at least $200 a month in recurring deposits. At or above $24,000, or with those deposits on, the fee is 0.25% a year. The pricing FAQ says fees come out of the investing account at the end of the month, and that Betterment will not charge a fee if you do not have a balance.

Premium is the advice tier. The pricing page and the Premium page say 0.65% a year on the first $1 million, made of the 0.25% Digital fee plus 0.40% for Premium, with a $100,000 minimum in eligible investments. Above that, both pages step the rate down: 0.15% a year on the portion from $1 million to $2 million, and 0.10% a year on the portion above $2 million. Premium benefits still apply above $1 million. The extra 0.40% does not. The pricing FAQ says balances in an HSA, a 401(k), Cash Reserve, checking, and self-directed investing are excluded from the balance that sets those discounts. The Premium FAQ says the fee itself is calculated on eligible automated investing accounts, and that Checking, Cash Reserve, 401(k), and HSA balances are excluded from that calculation. The same pricing FAQ says the $100,000 Premium minimum can include an IRA, an HSA, a Solo 401(k), and a taxable investing account, and that an employer 401(k), Cash Reserve, self-directed investing, and checking do not count toward it. Read the answer that names the balance you are asking about. Do not add an HSA into both the minimum and the fee.

Two costs sit next to the advisory percent. The fees article says fund expense ratios are charged by the ETFs, Betterment does not keep a share of them, and they are on top of the $5, the 0.25%, or the 0.65%. Betterment Securities charges $75 for each outbound transfer of an investing account. There is no fee to withdraw to a linked checking account, and no extra trading fee inside the diversified portfolios. Self-directed investing is the exception on the percent: the pricing page says you pay no trading commissions and the management fee does not apply. The fees article says the wrap fee is waived on those assets.

The dollar comparison is arithmetic from those rates, not an example Betterment prints. 0.25% of $24,000 is $60 a year, which is $5 a month, the same as the flat fee. 0.25% of $100,000 is $250 a year. 0.65% of $100,000 is $650 a year. Twelve months of the $5 fee is $60.

Monarch has no free plan. On October 29, 2026 the pricing page showed Core at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, displayed as $8.33 a month when billed yearly. Plus was $199.99 a year, displayed as $16.67 a month. Both plan cards say a free 7-day trial, then the plan price, and that a payment method is required. Cancel in settings before the trial ends. The FAQ also offers a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee and does not say how long that window is. The full bill, including the current discount, is on Monarch Money pricing.

On October 29, 2026 the Monarch pricing page showed code WELCOME for 30% off Core for one year. The page says the discount is for new users only, valid for the annual Core plan only, cannot be combined with other offers, and may expire or be deactivated at any time.

Put the two bills next to each other only after you pick the job. Monarch Core is $14.99 a month whether the accounts hold $10,000 or $100,000. Betterment Digital is $5 a month below the threshold, which is less than Core, and $250 a year at a $100,000 balance on the 0.25% rate, which is more than Core's $99.99 year. Cash Reserve, Checking, and self-directed investing are not on that percent. A yearly Monarch price has no Betterment twin: the pricing page does not list a $99 software year.

FYN is free to start, with no card. The pricing page lists Pro at $9.99 a month, and that is the plan with bank sync. On a monthly bill, Pro is under Monarch Core's $14.99. It is over Betterment's $5 Digital fee, and it is under the $250 a year that 0.25% is on a $100,000 balance. It is a software price, not a percent of assets, and it is not an account you fund. FYN's pricing page does not list a yearly price. A free account does not sync a bank.

Cash

This is the product people mean when they compare Betterment with a budget app and feel the mismatch. Cash Reserve is an account. Monarch is a view of accounts you already have.

On October 29, 2026 the cash page, the homepage, and the fees article printed a 3.50% variable APY as of September 21, 2026. The cash page's offer is a 0.75% boost on balances up to $1 million for new clients who open a Cash Reserve and make a qualifying deposit. The navigation dates that boost through February 15, 2027, and calls the stack 4.25%. The App Store listing and the Google Play listing print the same 3.50% date and the extra 0.75%. The disclosure says the $10 minimum deposit is for the base APY, and that if the base APY changes, the boosted APY changes. 3.50 plus 0.75 is 4.25. The cash page's comparison table does not use that number. It prints 4.40% in the Betterment column, and FDIC insurance of up to $2 million.

The insurance lines on that same page do not match the table. The body and the program disclosure say eligible cash is FDIC-insured up to $4 million for an individual and up to $8 million for a joint account, once the funds reach program banks, and that excluding a program bank can lower the coverage. Funds in transit are generally not FDIC-insured. The disclosure says they are covered by SIPC instead. The homepage says SIPC protection for securities is up to $500,000, through Betterment Securities. The App Store prints the $4 million figure, which is the individual line, not the joint line, and not the table's $2 million. The cash page also says the APY is 11 times the national average. The store listings say 11 times in the introduction and 9 times in the Cash Reserve bullets. The cash page's footer dates the national average to September 16, 2026. This post does not pick 4.40%, 4.25%, or 3.50% as the rate on every dollar. Use the line that names the offer you are opening.

Premium is a second boost, not the new-customer one. The Premium page and the fees article say Premium adds 0.25% on Cash Reserve if you keep the $100,000 eligible investing threshold. The fees article prints that 0.25% next to the 3.50% line. It does not say the 0.75% new-customer boost stacks on top of it. This post does not add them together.

The cash products article, updated April 27, 2026, calls Cash Reserve a cash account at 3.50% APY, with no fees on the balance, no minimum balance, no withdrawal limit, and access in 1 to 2 business days. Betterment is not a bank. The account requires a Betterment Securities brokerage account. The fees article says Betterment does not charge an account fee on Cash Reserve and is paid by the program banks. "No account fees" is not a sentence about the investing advisory fee.

A cash account you open inside Monarch, with an APY printed on the pricing page: Not documented on the pages checked. Core already includes net worth. Plus, at $199.99 a year, adds forecasting and advanced investment analysis on the desktop site. If the job is a free net worth dashboard rather than an account you fund, the closer comparison is Empower vs Monarch Money. If you want the same kind of cash and portfolio on a different advisory percent, that comparison is Wealthfront vs Monarch Money. If you want investing, cash, and a planner on a membership price, that comparison is Origin Money vs Monarch Money. If you want checking, savings, and investing inside one bank membership, that comparison is SoFi vs Monarch Money.

Checking

Betterment Checking is the spending account, and it is still an account, not a budget. The page, read October 29, 2026, calls it a mobile-first checking account and a Visa debit card. It says there is no overdraft fee, no minimum balance, and that ATM fees and foreign transaction fees are reimbursed. The disclosure under the help articles is more specific: Betterment Financial LLC reimburses ATM fees and the Visa 1% foreign transaction fee. Checking accounts do not earn APY. They are not part of the cash sweep. FDIC insurance is up to $250,000 per depositor at nbkc bank, with a deposit network that can place funds at other banks. The page says you can pay with the debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a paper check, and lock the card in the app.

The App Store line "manage spending with hassle-free, no-fee checking" is this account. It is not a category limit. A grocery budget that fills from debit-card transactions: Not documented on the pages checked.

Investing and advice

The investing page describes a portfolio Betterment builds and manages, with tax-loss harvesting that can run when the market dips. The tax-loss harvesting article, updated August 8, 2025, says you turn it on in a browser, under Settings, then Accounts, and that it then applies to taxable accounts. It does not apply to IRAs or 401(k)s. Betterment says it can raise your tax bill if your future bracket is higher, if you can take gains at 0%, if taxable investments sit at several brokers, or if you plan a large withdrawal. A stated multiple, such as a claim that the harvest covers the fee a set number of times: Not documented on the pages checked.

The homepage says SIPC protection for securities is up to $500,000, held at Betterment Securities. The App Store says you can start with as little as $10, and it names stock and bond ETFs, portfolios such as Social Impact, Innovative Technology, and Climate Impact, and a bond portfolio. Past performance was not a single figure this post could quote from one agreed page, so this post does not print a return.

Self-directed investing is the account where you pick the stocks and ETFs. The pricing page says there are no trading commissions and the management fee does not apply. The store listings add fractional shares, and mutual funds, and a tax-impact preview before you sell. Crypto is named on the store listings and in the site footer. A separate crypto fee was not on the pricing page or the fees article, so this post does not print one.

Two bonus lines do not match. The site navigation, read October 29, 2026, says you can earn up to $2,000 by opening an individual investing account and making a deposit. The investing page says up to $1,500 for opening an individual investing account, including an IRA, and making a deposit. Both say terms apply, and that the amount depends on how much you invest. This post does not pick a cap.

Premium is the human advice on top of that. The Premium page says you get a group of CFP professionals, salaried and not commissioned, rather than one dedicated advisor. The FAQ lists account choice, a backdoor Roth, a tax-efficient transfer, a retirement plan, and guidance on assets held outside Betterment. It also says Betterment is not a CPA and cannot file your taxes. The page adds a 0.25% Cash Reserve boost, priority support, a securities-backed line of credit from The Bancorp Bank, and 20% off estate planning with Trust & Will. A stated rate for that line of credit was not on the page, so this post does not print one. A price for the will, beyond the 20% off, was not on the page either.

A brokerage you fund inside Monarch was not on the Monarch pages checked. Monarch's paid plans remain the budget, the household, goals, net worth, and, on Plus, the forecast and the investment analysis.

Budgets and goals

This is the split that should decide the page if the portfolio is not the job. Betterment sets a target for money you are saving or investing. Monarch budgets the spending that hits your linked accounts.

The goals article, updated March 13, 2024, says a legal account holds multiple goals, and a goal is a target with its own strategy. The taxable types on that page are Retirement Savings, Retirement Income, Emergency Fund, Major Purchase, General Investing, Cash Reserve, and Betterment Checking. The cash page says you can create multiple savings goals and automate them. That is a savings plan. It is not a budget that says groceries stop at a number. A category budget, rollovers of unspent spending, or a required zero: Not documented on those articles. If a required zero is the method you want, the closer comparison is YNAB vs Monarch Money, and the difference between an envelope and a zero is on zero-based budgeting.

Monarch's budget help, updated October 22, 2026, offers two types. Flex budgeting is the default: one flexible bucket, plus fixed and non-monthly groups. Category budgeting assigns an amount to each category. The first budget is filled from the average of the last six months, and you can recalculate that later. The budget is monthly cash flow: expected income, then expenses and savings. Monarch says you can still follow an envelope or zero-based style if income equals expenses plus savings. It is not required. Transactions are categorized for you, and you can move money between categories when one runs over. The steps, before you pick a product, are in how to make a budget.

Linking accounts

Betterment links accounts so it can fund transfers and see a wider net worth, and it also is the account. The external accounts article, updated September 15, 2026, says an instant link uses Plaid. Betterment does not store the bank login. A manual link uses an account number and a routing number, then two microdeposits, and those balances do not update on their own. Manual linking is not available for Betterment Checking. Funding accounts are the ones you can transfer from. Other linked accounts, such as a brokerage, are for net worth and goals. The goal linking article, updated October 5, 2026, adds outside investment accounts and debt accounts such as mortgages and loans. The troubleshooting article, updated September 28, 2026, says a credit card or a debit card cannot be a funding account. Only a checking or savings account at a U.S. institution can fund deposits and withdrawals. A count of institutions: Not documented on the pages checked.

Monarch's data-provider article, June 9, 2026, names three providers: Plaid, MX, and Finicity. Monarch suggests the provider with the stronger history for that institution, and you can switch. The same article says connections can still break, and that on an OAuth connection the bank login stays at the bank. The download page limits the product to the United States and Canada. There is no free plan, so the feed sits on Core or Plus.

FYN's bank connection is Plaid, up to 15 accounts, and it is on Pro only. A free account does not sync a bank.

Sharing with a partner

The joint account article, updated June 9, 2021, says a joint account is two people, with rights of survivorship. Both can create goals, transfer from the linked checking account, change the allocation, and view the account. The goal display article, updated the same day, says each person logs in with their own email. You see your individual goals next to the joint goals. You cannot see the other person's individual goals. Joint Cash Reserve is available. That article was updated June 7, 2021. The goals article also lists joint checking as an account type.

The householding article, updated September 15, 2026, is three different tools. Householding combines balances so you can meet a plan minimum. A joint Cash Reserve or joint investing account does that on its own, and it also sets a taxpayer relationship, which the tax-loss article says reduces wash-sale risk inside Betterment. Checking balances are excluded from minimums either way. Someone who lives with you, and is not already on a joint account: the article says contact Betterment. Pairing is the third tool. Your spouse generates an app password, you link Betterment as an external account, and you get a view-only balance. You can hide a joint account that would otherwise show twice. A third owner on the same joint account: the joint article describes two people.

Monarch's household article, updated October 20, 2026, invites one or more people onto a single subscription. Each person has a login and can add accounts. The household shares one dashboard and one budget. You cannot hide a bank account or a transaction once someone is invited. Roles are admin (the owner, who manages billing), member, and an optional professional role for an advisor. You cannot invite an email that already has a Monarch account. The Plus article says Plus covers the whole household, the same way Core does.

If the second person must have a login, both products document that. Betterment documents it on a joint account, and the individual goals stay on each login. Monarch documents it on the subscription, with one budget and no hidden accounts, and the invite can be more than one person. The app roundup for that choice is best budget apps for couples. The conversation before you pick a product is how to budget as a couple.

Mobile

The App Store listing, read October 29, 2026, is Betterment Invest & Save Money, for iPhone, requiring iOS 16.0 or later. The listing says it is only for iPhone. The download is marked free. The Google Play listing uses the same name, and the page said it was updated on October 26, 2026. The mobile article, updated April 9, 2021, says Betterment supports iOS and Android. A native Mac app named on its own: Not documented.

Monarch's download page lists web, iPhone, iPad, and Android, in the United States and Canada. The same download page also lists the connector. The Plus article, updated August 31, 2026, says Plus features are on desktop web, with only parts of business tracking on mobile.

Receipts

Monarch's receipt help, updated October 28, 2026, lets you scan or upload a receipt, or forward the email to [email protected]. It reads merchant, amount, and date, and line items when the receipt has them. It can split one receipt across categories. Scanning is documented on the phone, and upload is documented on the web. Those receipts sit inside the paid subscription. There is no free plan to put them on.

Betterment's check receipt article, updated August 24, 2021, shows the front and back of a deposited check after it settles, under Checking, then Recent transactions. A product page or help article that says Betterment reads a purchase receipt, stores a grocery receipt, or pulls line items was not on the pages checked. That cell stays Not documented.

AI and MCP

Monarch's blog post dated October 21, 2026 says the connector is back after a pause. The help article, updated October 22, 2026, is on Core and Plus. Official clients are Claude, ChatGPT on a paid web plan, Cursor, and Gemini CLI. Read-only is the default. Write access is granted only if the tool asks and you approve. You do not share your Monarch password with the tool. Accounts linked through Finicity are left out, which can include some Fidelity brokerage accounts. Plus members get more weekly usage than Core. The server URL on the help page is https://api.monarch.com/mcp.

An official Betterment connector, with a Betterment server URL and an OAuth screen on betterment.com, was not on the pages checked. That cell stays Not documented. Do not treat a third-party server that mentions Betterment as Betterment's connector.

The practical split: Monarch documents a connector you authorize, read-only unless you allow write, and it leaves out Finicity-linked accounts. Betterment's checked pages do not document that path.

Who should pick Monarch, and who should pick Betterment

Pick Monarch if you want the app to categorize spending, goals, receipt line items, or an official connector for Claude or ChatGPT that can see the linked accounts. Core is the right tier for cash flow, a budget seeded from the last six months, goals, net worth, receipts, and a household where nobody hides an account. Pay for Plus only if you want forecasting or the deeper investment tools, and plan to use them on the desktop site. The trial is a week, and the plan card says a payment method is required, so decide before it rolls into $99.99 or $14.99. Whether that price is worth the dashboard is on Is Monarch Money worth it?. The Monarch pages checked do not show a free plan, a brokerage you fund in the app, or a cash APY.

Pick Betterment if the job is the cash, the checking, and the portfolio, not the spending categories. Cash Reserve has no account fee, with a 3.50% base APY as of September 21, 2026. The new-customer boost is 0.75% on up to $1 million through February 15, 2027, which the navigation calls 4.25%. The comparison table's 4.40% and $2 million FDIC line do not match that disclosure. Premium's extra 0.25% is a separate offer and needs the $100,000 investing threshold. Digital is $5 a month, or 0.25% a year once you cross $24,000 or turn on a $200 monthly deposit. Premium is 0.65%, with CFP access. Checking has no APY, reimburses ATM and foreign fees, and is not a category budget. The limits are the ones on Betterment's own pages: there is no spending budget, goals are savings targets, a joint account is two people and hides individual goals, the bonus pages do not match, and an official connector was not on the pages checked.

If neither of these two fits, the wider list is Monarch Money alternatives. The narrower grid, written as FYN next to Monarch, is FYN vs Monarch.

Failure modes

Betterment fails when you wanted a monthly budget filled from spending. Goals are savings targets. Checking is a debit card. Neither page describes a grocery limit. It fails when you wanted one flat software price at every balance. At $5 a month, Digital is under Monarch Core's $14.99. At the 0.25% rate, $100,000 is $250 a year, which is over Core's $99.99, before ETF expense ratios. It fails when you treat 4.25% or 4.40% as the rate on every dollar. The base line is 3.50% as of September 21, 2026. The 0.75% boost is for new clients, capped at $1 million, through February 15, 2027, and it needs a qualifying deposit. The table's 4.40% and $2 million FDIC figure do not match the disclosure's 4.25% stack or the $4 million and $8 million lines. Premium's 0.25% boost is a different offer. It fails when you wanted a partner spending dashboard without a joint account, or when each person needed to see the other's individual goals. It fails if you needed a third owner on that joint account. It fails if you wanted a purchase receipt to become line items, or an official connector for Claude or ChatGPT. It fails if you read "no fees" on checking as "no fees anywhere": the investing account still has $5 or a percent, an outbound transfer is $75, and the checking disclosure is a reimbursement of ATM fees and a 1% foreign fee, on an account that earns no APY.

Monarch fails when you wanted a cash account, a checking account, or a managed portfolio in the same login. There is no free plan. The trial is 7 days, a payment method is required, and then Core is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Flex can look accurate while spending does not change, because the app does not make you fill a category before you spend. Connections can still break, which Monarch's own article says. You cannot hide an account from someone you invited, and you cannot invite an email that already has a Monarch account. Finicity-linked accounts are left out of the connector, so an assistant can miss a brokerage. Plus tools are on the desktop site. And the WELCOME code is annual Core only, for new users, and the page says it can expire.

Where FYN fits

FYN is our product, and it is last because the job is the record of the purchase. A photo of the receipt and an emailed receipt share one monthly count: 20 a month on Free, 200 a month on Pro. Apple Pay and Google Wallet purchases are logged as you pay, on Free and on Pro. The limits below are the ones on the pricing page.

The free plan does not expire and does not ask for a card. It includes 1 household member. Pro is $9.99 a month, with unlimited household members on Pro. Everyone shares the plan's limits. A shared member can be an owner, a member, or view-only. Bank sync is Pro only, via Plaid, up to 15 accounts. A free account does not sync a bank. Ask FYN is 20 questions a month on Free and 500 on Pro. The same page lists read-only MCP calls so assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can read your FYN data. They do not get a bank password. The free plan includes 500 of those calls a day, and Pro includes 10,000. Monarch also publishes a connector. FYN is not the only one.

The pricing page lists an autopilot budget on Free and Pro. An investment account, a cash APY, a checking account, and an advisory fee are not listed there. The household row is: 1 on Free, unlimited on Pro. On a monthly bill, Pro at $9.99 is the plan with bank sync, under Monarch Core's $14.99. It is a software price, not a percent of a portfolio. FYN is free to start.

FAQ

Is Betterment cheaper than Monarch Money?

They do not sell the same kind of bill. On October 29, 2026, Betterment's pricing page starts Digital investing at $5 a month. You move to 0.25% a year by keeping a $200 monthly recurring deposit, or by reaching $24,000 across Betterment investing accounts. The fees article, updated June 18, 2026, says the $5 charge applies when the household balance is below $24,000 and those recurring deposits are not on. Premium is 0.65% a year on the first $1 million, with a $100,000 minimum. Cash Reserve and Checking are not on that percent: the fees article says Betterment does not charge account fees on either. From the published 0.25% rate, $24,000 is $60 a year, which is $5 a month, and $100,000 is $250 a year. From the published 0.65% rate, $100,000 is $650 a year. Betterment's pages do not print those three dollar figures as examples. Monarch has no free plan. Core is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, shown as $8.33 a month when billed yearly. Plus is $199.99 a year, shown as $16.67 a month. Monarch's plan cards say those trials are 7 days and that a payment method is required. At $5 a month, Digital is under Core. At the $100,000 arithmetic, 0.25% is over Core's $99.99 year. Cash and checking are a different comparison, because those pages do not charge the advisory percent. FYN is free to start. FYN Pro, the plan with bank sync, is $9.99 a month.

Does Betterment have a free plan? Does Monarch?

Betterment does not publish a software plan you can keep at $0. The App Store listing says the download is free. The Cash Reserve page and the Checking page say there are no account fees. The pricing FAQ says Betterment will not charge a fee if you do not have a balance. The managed portfolio still charges $5 a month or the advisory percent once you do. Monarch's pricing page lists Core and Plus. It does not list a free plan. The plan cards say a 7-day trial, then the plan price, and that a payment method is required. Cancel in settings before the trial ends. The FAQ also offers a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee and does not say how long that window lasts. FYN has a free plan that does not expire and does not ask for a card. Bank sync is not on it.

Does Betterment budget your spending, and does Monarch?

Betterment's goals article, updated March 13, 2024, describes a goal as a target inside a legal account, with its own timeframe and investment strategy. The taxable goal types on that page are Retirement Savings, Retirement Income, Emergency Fund, Major Purchase, General Investing, Cash Reserve, and Betterment Checking. A spending budget that assigns each category a limit and fills it from transactions: Not documented on the pages checked. Monarch's budget help, updated October 22, 2026, uses flex budgeting as the default and category budgeting as the other type. The first budget comes from a six-month average. The budget is monthly cash flow. Transactions are categorized for you, and you can move money when a category runs over. FYN's pricing page lists an autopilot budget on Free and Pro. Category rollovers and a savings goal with a target date: Not documented on the pricing page.

Which is better for couples, Betterment or Monarch Money?

Both can put a second person on a login. Betterment's joint account article, updated June 9, 2021, says a joint account is two people with rights of survivorship. Both can create goals, transfer funds, change the allocation, and view the account. The goal display article, also updated June 9, 2021, says each person logs in with their own email, sees their own goals next to the joint goals, and cannot see the other person's individual goals. The householding article, updated September 15, 2026, combines balances for plan minimums. A joint account does that automatically. Pairing through an app password is view-only. A third owner on the same joint account: the joint article describes two people. Monarch's household help, updated October 20, 2026, invites one or more people onto one subscription. Everyone sees the same dashboard and the same budget. You cannot hide a bank account or a transaction. You cannot invite an email that already has a Monarch account. The pricing page lists 1 household member on Free and unlimited household members on Pro. Everyone shares the plan's limits. A shared member can be an owner, a member, or view-only.

Do Betterment and Monarch Money connect to Claude or ChatGPT?

Monarch does, with an official connector. Its blog dated October 21, 2026 says the connector is back after a pause. The help article, updated October 22, 2026, is on Core and Plus for Claude, ChatGPT on a paid web plan, Cursor, and Gemini CLI. It is read-only unless you allow write, and Finicity-linked accounts are left out. The server URL on that help page is https://api.monarch.com/mcp. An official Betterment connector, with a Betterment server URL: Not documented on the pages checked. FYN's pricing page lists Ask FYN (20 questions a month on Free, 500 on Pro) and read-only agent calls for Claude and ChatGPT (500 a day on Free, 10,000 a day on Pro). Monarch also publishes a connector. FYN is not the only one.

What cash rate does Betterment pay, and does Monarch?

On October 29, 2026 the Betterment cash page, the homepage, and the fees article printed a 3.50% variable APY as of September 21, 2026. The cash page adds a 0.75% boost on balances up to $1 million for new clients with a qualifying deposit, through February 15, 2027. The same page's navigation calls that stack 4.25%. The App Store listing prints both 3.50% and an extra 0.75%. The cash page's comparison table prints 4.40% and FDIC insurance of up to $2 million. The disclosure on that page prints up to $4 million for an individual and up to $8 million for a joint account, once the funds reach program banks. Those lines do not match. Premium's page adds a separate 0.25% boost if you keep a $100,000 eligible investing balance. The fees article does not say the 0.75% and the 0.25% stack. A high-yield cash account you open inside Monarch: Not documented on the pages checked. A cash APY on FYN: Not documented on the pricing page. The pricing page does list an autopilot budget on Free and Pro.

Sources

Checked . Vendor claims in the table and the FAQ point at these pages. A cell that says Not documented was not on the pages that loaded that day. Betterment's cash page does not match its own comparison table, and the investing bonus is not the same number on every page. Both are listed.

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