Monarch tracks your accounts. Mitten runs your budget.
Upload the statement your bank already gives you. Penny names and sorts every line, and everyone at home works from one budget and one debt plan. No bank connection, no list of supported countries, one price for up to five people.
Free for 14 days, no card needed.
An example statement in euros, read by Penny for Aoife and Marc. The line VDP-HARBOUR KITCHEN 2204 becomes Harbour Kitchen, 24 euros 50, which Penny suggests moving from Other to Dining Out at 91 percent confidence, with a confirm waiting beside it. POS TESCO STORES 3330 becomes Tesco under Groceries, and DD ELECTRIC IRELAND 0071 becomes Electric Ireland under Utilities.
Five reasons households pick Mitten over Monarch.
Nothing is connected to your bank.
Mitten never links to a bank and never asks for a bank password. Someone at home downloads the statement for the accounts and months you choose, and Mitten sees only what you upload or type in yourself.
Monarch: Accounts connect through one of three main data providers: Plaid, Mastercard Data Connect or MX.
It works wherever you bank.
A household in Madrid, Manchester or Melbourne gets the same Mitten as one in Minneapolis. Spending in another currency is converted into your household's currency at that day's rate, so a week away in another currency still lands in one budget.
Monarch: Available in the US and Canada only. It recommends connecting USD or CAD accounts, and does not convert between currencies.
Penny reads the statement for you.
Drop in a PDF or CSV and Penny turns ‘VDP-HARBOUR KITCHEN 2204’ into Harbour Kitchen, files it under Dining Out, and asks about any line she isn't sure of. Up to ten PDFs a day, and CSV files have no daily cap.
Monarch: Files come in as CSV imports, on the web only, not in the mobile app.
The whole household for less.
$89 a year covers up to five people, each with their own login, on one ledger, one set of envelopes and one debt plan. Penny and the debt planner are in that price, with no higher tier to unlock.
Monarch: Core is $99.99 a year for the household, billed in US dollars, plus tax where it applies. Plus is $199.99 a year.
A debt plan from the payments you already make.
When your first statement comes in, Penny points out the card and loan payments she sees and asks which ones are debts. Add the balance and the rate, and Mitten works out an avalanche or snowball order and the month you would be debt-free.
Mitten is $12 a month or $89 a year for the whole household, up to five people. Monarch Core is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. That is $10.99 a year less, with Penny and the debt planner included.
What the plan includesMitten and Monarch, row by row.
- Price for the household
Mitten
$12 a month or $89 a year, for up to five peopleMonarch
Core: $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Plus: $199.99 a year. Billed in US dollars, plus tax where it applies.- How transactions get in
Mitten
Upload a PDF or CSV statement. Penny names each line and suggests a category, and asks about the ones she is unsure of.Monarch
Synced from connected accounts, added to manual accounts, or imported from a CSV on the web- Bank login needed
Mitten
Never. Mitten has no bank connection.Monarch
To connect an account, through Plaid, Mastercard Data Connect or MX- Where it works
Mitten
Any country, with no list of supported banksMonarch
The US and Canada- Currencies
Mitten
Spending in another currency is converted into your household's currency at that day's rateMonarch
Not converted. USD or CAD accounts are recommended.- People on one plan
Mitten
Up to five, each with their own login, in one shared householdMonarch
Household members join free, each with their own login- Budgeting
Mitten
Zero-based, 50/30/20 or your own split, with starting amounts from your past monthsMonarch
Flex budgeting by default, or category budgets, with starting amounts from your last six months- Net worth and investments
Mitten
Left out on purpose. Mitten keeps to spending, budgets and debt.Monarch
Net worth across your accounts, with investment tracking
| What you are comparing | Mitten | Monarch |
|---|---|---|
| Price for the household | $12 a month or $89 a year, for up to five people | Core: $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Plus: $199.99 a year. Billed in US dollars, plus tax where it applies. |
| How transactions get in | Upload a PDF or CSV statement. Penny names each line and suggests a category, and asks about the ones she is unsure of. | Synced from connected accounts, added to manual accounts, or imported from a CSV on the web |
| Bank login needed | Never. Mitten has no bank connection. | To connect an account, through Plaid, Mastercard Data Connect or MX |
| Where it works | Any country, with no list of supported banks | The US and Canada |
| Currencies | Spending in another currency is converted into your household's currency at that day's rate | Not converted. USD or CAD accounts are recommended. |
| People on one plan | Up to five, each with their own login, in one shared household | Household members join free, each with their own login |
| Budgeting | Zero-based, 50/30/20 or your own split, with starting amounts from your past months | Flex budgeting by default, or category budgets, with starting amounts from your last six months |
| Net worth and investments | Left out on purpose. Mitten keeps to spending, budgets and debt. | Net worth across your accounts, with investment tracking |
What households ask before switching.
- Can I use Monarch outside the US and Canada?
- Monarch's help center says it is only available in the US and Canada, and recommends connecting USD or CAD accounts. Mitten works wherever you can download a statement. Our guide to budgeting without bank sync shows how a month runs from statements.
- Does Mitten track net worth or investments?
- No. Mitten keeps to the household's spending, budget and debt. If net worth is the number you watch most, Monarch is the better fit.
- Is there a Monarch alternative for couples that needs no bank login?
- Mitten is built that way. You upload a PDF or CSV statement you downloaded yourself, both of you sign in as yourselves, and Penny files the lines she is sure of and asks about the rest. Our guide to joint and separate accounts helps you decide what goes in.
Sources
Every Monarch detail on this page comes from these pages, read on . Prices and features change, so their site has the final word.
- Monarch pricing (monarch.com/pricing) (external site)
- Pricing, help center (help.monarch.com) (external site)
- Monarch FAQs (help.monarch.com) (external site)
- Guide to connecting your accounts (help.monarch.com) (external site)
- International accounts and currency (help.monarch.com) (external site)
- Importing transactions manually (help.monarch.com) (external site)
- Add members to an existing account (help.monarch.com) (external site)
- Creating your budget in Monarch (help.monarch.com) (external site)
Bring one month's statement.
Free for 14 days, no card needed.