# Honeydue vs Monarch for couples: price, sharing and who owes whom

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/alternatives/honeydue-vs-monarch
Updated: 2026-10-06

EvenOut's free plan covers splitting shared costs with a partner, with no daily expense limit and no ads, and it keeps one running balance of who owes whom. As of October 2026, Honeydue is free per its site and Monarch Core costs $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month. Both are built around your accounts and budgets.

Key points:
- EvenOut's free plan has no daily expense limit and no ads, and charts, search and repeating expenses are free. Pro covers receipt scanning and the assistant.
- EvenOut keeps one running balance with your partner and splits each cost five ways: equally, by exact amounts, by percent, by shares or by item.
- Honeydue's site says it is a free mobile app, and each partner picks what the other sees. Monarch Core is $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, and both partners see all accounts and transactions.
- Billed monthly, Monarch or YNAB costs $179.88 a year. Yearly billing is cheaper from month 7 on Monarch and month 8 on YNAB.
- YNAB is $109 a year with a 34-day trial. Up to six people share one subscription, and the Group Manager sees all budgets.

## What is the difference between Honeydue and Monarch?

EvenOut's free plan splits shared costs at no charge, Honeydue's site calls it a free mobile app, and Monarch charges $99.99 a year for Core and puts both partners in one shared view. As of October 2026, here is how they line up, with YNAB alongside (prices in US dollars):

| App | Price | Sharing between two people | Fits when |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvenOut | Free plan with no daily expense limit and no ads. Pro is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year | One running balance with your partner, split equally, by exact amounts, by percent, by shares or by item | You share rent, groceries or dinners and want to know who owes whom |
| Honeydue | Free per its site. One listing shows "Monthly Tip" purchases of $0.99 to $9.99 and another shows a "Contains ads" label | Per account: balances and transactions, balances only, or nothing | You want bank sync and a say in what your partner sees |
| Monarch | Core $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, 7-day trial | Both partners see all accounts and transactions | You want one shared view of all accounts |
| YNAB | $109 a year or $14.99 a month, 34-day trial | Up to six people on one subscription. The Group Manager sees all budgets | One of you runs the budget for both |

Monarch's maker is Monarch Money, Inc., so you may see the app called Monarch Money too. This page calls it Monarch.

## Where does splitting a shared cost fit?

A budget app records where money goes. Splitting records who owes whom for a cost two people share, and YNAB's own guide pairs its budget with a splitting app for that second job. EvenOut does that second job. You add your partner as a friend by scanning their code or opening your invite link, enter each expense yourself (or scan a receipt with Pro), and say who paid and how to split it: equally, by exact amounts, by percent, by shares or by item.

Say you pay a $2,000 rent and split it 60/40 by percent. Your share is $1,200, your partner's is $800, and the friend page shows that your partner owes you $800. Set the rent to repeat monthly and EvenOut adds each later one for you, around 9:00 in your time zone. When your partner pays you back, "Settle up" records the payment. EvenOut only records it and does not move money. [How to split rent based on income](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-rent-based-on-income) works through the percentages.

The free plan has no daily expense limit and no ads, and charts, search and repeating expenses are free. You can add and edit expenses offline and they sync when you are back online. Pro covers receipt scanning and the assistant.

## Honeydue: free, with a say in what your partner sees

Honeydue's site says "Honeydue is a free mobile app." One app listing shows ten in-app "Monthly Tip" purchases from $0.99 to $9.99, and another carries a "Contains ads" label.

Sharing is set per account, and the owner picks "Share both balances and transactions", "Share balances only" or "Nothing at all", and can hide single transactions. Bank sync covers "over 20,000 financial institutions across 5 countries". The first listing also mentions bill reminders, category spending limits and partner chat, and says "Divvy up expenses, and square up with your partner when the time is right." Test how a split works with one real expense before you rely on it.

## Monarch: one subscription, one shared view

Monarch sells Core at $99.99 a year, shown as $8.33 a month billed annually, or $14.99 a month. Plus is shown at $199.99 a year ($16.67 a month). The pricing page offers a free 7-day trial, then $99.99 a year, with a payment method required.

One subscription covers the household. Monarch says you can "invite one or more members of your household" under a single subscription. Shared Views, announced on 22 October 2025, lets you label accounts and transactions as mine, theirs or ours and filter by owner. Monarch's couples page says both partners see all accounts and transactions, so if one of you wants an account kept private, talk about it before you sign up.

## YNAB: a similar price, with one manager

YNAB is $109 a year (shown as $9.08 a month) or $14.99 a month, "plus tax where applicable". Its trial runs 34 days with no credit card when you sign up directly, and nothing is charged unless you subscribe. Up to six people share "the price of a single subscription". The Group Manager is billed, can invite and remove members, and "all budgets are always shared with the Group Manager".

Its help guide "Splitwise and YNAB" says the options it describes "work with all bill-splitting apps, including Venmo Groups", using a "Splitting" category and split transactions. YNAB records the money, and the splitting app tracks who owes whom.

## What does each cost for two people over a year?

EvenOut's free plan costs nothing for two people, and Honeydue's site calls its app free. Billed monthly, Monarch or YNAB costs the pair $179.88 for 12 months. Billed yearly, Monarch Core is about $50 each and YNAB is $54.50 each.

| App | 12 months, billed monthly | Billed yearly | Each partner, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvenOut (free plan) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Monarch Core | $179.88 | $99.99 | About $50 |
| YNAB | $179.88 | $109.00 | $54.50 |

The yearly plan saves $79.89 on Monarch and $70.88 on YNAB over a full year. Monthly billing at $14.99 reaches $89.94 after 6 months and $104.93 after 7, so Monarch's $99.99 yearly price is cheaper from month 7. On YNAB, 7 months of monthly billing is $104.93, still under $109, and 8 months is $119.92, so yearly is cheaper from month 8. If you are not sure you will keep either one that long, the trial is where to find out: 34 days is almost five weeks, against one week on Monarch.

Neither charge grows with a second partner. Monarch says it costs nothing to add other members to your household, and YNAB covers up to six people on one subscription. EvenOut Pro, which adds receipt scanning and the assistant, is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, and splitting does not need it.

## How do you choose between them?

- **Your arguments are about rent, groceries and dinners.** That is a splitting question, and EvenOut's free plan keeps one balance with your partner, with no daily expense limit and no ads. [Budget app or expense splitter for couples](https://www.evenoutapp.com/alternatives/budget-app-or-expense-splitter-for-couples) explains how to tell the two jobs apart, and [how to split bills as a couple](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-bills-as-a-couple) covers the methods.
- **You want bank sync and a budget.** That is outside what EvenOut does. Honeydue lets each partner choose what the other sees per account, Monarch puts both partners in one view with mine, theirs and ours labels, and YNAB's Group Manager sees all budgets.

Prices and plans change, so check each app's own pricing page before you pay.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Monarch let two partners keep separate budgets?

Not today. Monarch's own post announcing Shared Views says "We don't currently offer a way to budget separately and apart." It lets you label accounts and transactions as mine, theirs or ours, and filter by owner, but the budget is shared.

### Do both partners need their own login?

On Monarch, yes: each household member has their own login, and adding members costs nothing extra under the one subscription. On YNAB each of the up to six people also has their own login, and the Group Manager is the one who is billed.

### Can I sign up for Honeydue's Joint Cash today?

Honeydue's Joint Cash page is a waitlist page that says "Reserve your cards and join the waitlist", and its footer reads 2024. Treat it as something to watch, not something to plan around.

### Do these prices include tax?

YNAB lists its prices in US dollars "plus tax where applicable", so a final charge can be higher than $109 a year. Check the total at checkout for any of these apps.

### Can a couple use Honeydue and EvenOut together?

They do different jobs, and nothing stops you using both. Record each shared expense in one place only, so it is not counted twice, and pick the one whose balance you will both trust.

## Sources

- Honeydue: home page
- Honeydue: how it works
- Honeydue: how to change what my partner can see
- Honeydue: Joint Cash
- Honeydue: app listing (US)
- Honeydue: app listing
- Monarch: pricing
- Monarch: for couples
- Monarch: Shared Views
- YNAB: pricing
- YNAB: Together terms
- YNAB: Splitwise and YNAB guide