Budget CollabWhat a shared budget should do
- Let everyone add spending from their own phone without passing one around.
- Show the same balance to everyone, a moment after anything changes.
- Handle the regular stuff on its own: rent, utilities, school fees and subscriptions on a schedule.
- Make goals visible so saving for the holiday or the new washing machine is a shared effort.
- Keep working without signal, because spending happens in basements, on trains and abroad.
How a household uses Budget Collab
Families
Parents share the household budget with accounts for the joint card, cash and savings. Groceries, school costs and activities each get a category and, where it helps, a monthly spending limit. Bills like electricity and internet go on a schedule, and a reminder arrives before each due date.
Roommates
Set up one budget for shared costs only: rent, utilities, internet and the cleaning supplies everyone forgets to replace. Each person logs what they pay for, and Analytics (with Personal Premium) shows who paid what this month. Everyone keeps their personal spending in their own personal budget.
Small teams and side businesses
A business budget keeps company money apart from personal money, with members, roles and, on business plans, an employee list with salary schedules and payslips. More on business budgets and payroll.
Shared budget or bill-splitting app?
They solve different problems, and many households use both.
| Shared budget (Budget Collab) | Bill-splitting app | |
|---|---|---|
| Main question | Where is our money going, and what’s left? | Who owes whom? |
| Best for | Couples, families, households with shared accounts | Trips and friends settling up |
| Plans ahead | Spending limits, scheduled bills, savings goals | Mostly records the past |
| Accounts | Tracks balances of cash, cards and savings | Tracks debts between people |
Who can do what
Every shared budget has an owner. Members can be admins, who can manage the budget and invite people, or regular members, who add and see transactions. Everyone sees the same accounts, categories and history.
Offline first, on purpose
Budget Collab saves every change on the phone first, then syncs. If you log a coffee on the underground, it’s there immediately on your phone and appears for everyone else as soon as you reconnect. Nothing is lost if the connection drops halfway.
Questions
How many people can share a budget?
Business budgets allow up to 5 members on Business Basic and up to 25 on Business Pro. Shared household budgets have their own member limits shown in the app when you invite someone.
Can members use different phones?
Yes. iPhone and Android users can share the same budget and see the same data in real time.
Can we use different currencies?
Yes. Each budget can use any of more than 150 currencies, which is handy for a travel fund next to the home budget.
Is our data private?
Budget Collab never asks for bank logins. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and you can lock the app with Face ID or a fingerprint. Only invited members can see a shared budget.