PocketGuard review

PocketGuard is built around one number: how much is left over after bills, goals and budgets. You can use that leftover strategy or set a custom one, with unlimited category budgets, rollover, custom categories and both automatic and manual goals. A debt payoff plan, recurring bill tracking and help with canceling subscriptions or lowering bills round out the money tools. Accounts include unlimited bank accounts, cash accounts and Apple Card, with connectivity in the US and Canada, and transactions can be imported, exported, filtered and handled with rules. Pricing is simple and published in US dollars: $74.99 a year, which works out to $6.25 a month, $12.99 billed monthly, or $149.99 once for lifetime access, each after a 7-day free trial. That lifetime plan is rare in this category. The trade-off is depth: investment tracking and forecasting are thinner than in Monarch or Simplifi, and there is no free plan.

Who it is for

People who want a quick answer to how much they can spend, and the option to pay once.

Price

$74.99 per year (about $6.25 per month), $12.99 monthly or $149.99 lifetime, after a 7-day free trial.

$6.25 /month Save $81/year Billed $74.99 yearly All prices in US Dollars
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Leftover or custom budgeting strategy with unlimited category budgets and rollover
• Recurring and upcoming bills, subscription tracking and bill lowering
• Debt payoff plan and custom savings goals
• Unlimited bank accounts, cash accounts and Apple Card (US and Canada)
• Transaction rules, import and export, and advanced categorization

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Lowest yearly price among the paid apps here
• Strength: $149.99 lifetime option avoids ongoing fees
• Strength: Priority human support and AI chat included
• Weakness: No free plan, only a 7-day trial
• Weakness: Bank connectivity covers the US and Canada
• Weakness: Fewer investment and planning tools than Monarch or Simplifi

Key facts

• Free trial: 7 days
• Lifetime: $149.99 one-time
• Coverage: US and Canada

Where it ranks

PocketGuard is No. 5 in our Best Budgeting Apps verdict.