vokse vs the field

Where we win.
Row by row, dated.

Against the apps you’d shortlist and the spreadsheet you already keep. Every row is dated and checkable on their own sites.

Start free · 34 days

Connect your bank or import your history. Every transaction categorised, every envelope up to date.

Read-only bank accessNo card to startEU-hosted

Next to YNAB, PocketSmith and Actual Budget.

Row by row against the apps you would shortlist. Every cell about them is dated and something you can check on their own site.

Price
vokse
$14.99/mo, one plan, free for the first 34 days
YNAB
$14.99 a month, or $109 a year
PocketSmith
Three USD tiers from $14.95 to $39.95 a month, a Free plan without bank feeds, no free trial.
Actual Budget
Free and open source; the machine you run it on is yours to pay for
Budgeting method
vokse
Envelopes, zero-based
YNAB
Envelopes, zero-based
PocketSmith
Amounts per category on a forecasting calendar, with carry-over rollover still labelled a beta.
Actual Budget
Envelopes, zero-based
Bank connections
vokse
10,076 banks in 2 countries, read-only
YNAB
The US and Canada, plus some European and UK banks
PocketSmith
Feeds from over 12,000 institutions in 49 countries on paid plans only, capped at 6 or 18 banks below Fortune.
Actual Budget
Optional, through a service you sign up for yourself
More than one currency
vokse
41 currencies, each at its own day's rate
YNAB
One currency per budget
PocketSmith
Multi-currency on every plan, 175 currencies in its list, converted to a base currency at daily rates.
Actual Budget
One currency per file
Assistant
vokse
Built in: ask anything about your money, on the same audited tools as the app
YNAB
None built in
PocketSmith
No assistant of its own; its AI page says you bring your own AI subscription and connect it over MCP.
Actual Budget
None built in
Claude and ChatGPT
vokse
Built in, read only or allowed to act, per household
YNAB
Nothing official
PocketSmith
A remote MCP server since April 2026, 66 tools with full access or 40 that only read, OAuth with PKCE.
Actual Budget
Nothing official
Your own tools
vokse
Keys with the permissions you choose
YNAB
Public API
PocketSmith
A free public REST API v2 with personal developer keys, OAuth for third-party apps and an OpenAPI 3 spec.
Actual Budget
A code library, no hosted service
Bringing your data in
vokse
Files from your bank, or a whole YNAB budget
YNAB
Files from your bank
PocketSmith
OFX, QFX, QIF and CSV bank files, plus an Express Migration importer for Mint, YNAB, Quicken and others.
Actual Budget
Files from your bank, and YNAB migration
Sharing it
vokse
Owner, editor and viewer, every change recorded
YNAB
Share the subscription with up to six people
PocketSmith
Collaborators get full permissions with no roles, need their own account, and cannot manage it from mobile.
Actual Budget
Users on your own server
Forecasting
vokse
Next month, from six months of your history
YNAB
Targets, no projection
PocketSmith
Daily balances projected from scheduled budget events, 6 months on Free and up to 60 years on Fortune.
Actual Budget
Scheduled items, no projection
Where your data lives
vokse
The European Union
YNAB
The United States
PocketSmith
Not stated on their site; data is encrypted at rest and the company is registered in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Actual Budget
Wherever you run it
Leaving
vokse
Everything in one file, deleted 30 days after you ask
YNAB
Export your plan as a file
PocketSmith
Transactions export to CSV or XLSX on any plan; backups leave out budgets, filters and attachments.
Actual Budget
The file is already yours
Running it yourself
vokse
No
YNAB
No
PocketSmith
Not stated on their site; sold as a hosted service with a beta desktop wrapper and no self-hosted edition.
Actual Budget
Yes, on your own machine

Next to YNAB, PocketSmith and Actual Budget.
Next to YNAB, PocketSmith and Actual Budget.	vokse	YNAB	PocketSmith	Actual Budget
Price	$14.99/mo, one plan, free for the first 34 days	$14.99 a month, or $109 a year	Three USD tiers from $14.95 to $39.95 a month, a Free plan without bank feeds, no free trial.	Free and open source; the machine you run it on is yours to pay for
Budgeting method	Envelopes, zero-based	Envelopes, zero-based	Amounts per category on a forecasting calendar, with carry-over rollover still labelled a beta.	Envelopes, zero-based
Bank connections	10,076 banks in 2 countries, read-only	The US and Canada, plus some European and UK banks	Feeds from over 12,000 institutions in 49 countries on paid plans only, capped at 6 or 18 banks below Fortune.	Optional, through a service you sign up for yourself
More than one currency	41 currencies, each at its own day's rate	One currency per budget	Multi-currency on every plan, 175 currencies in its list, converted to a base currency at daily rates.	One currency per file
Assistant	Built in: ask anything about your money, on the same audited tools as the app	None built in	No assistant of its own; its AI page says you bring your own AI subscription and connect it over MCP.	None built in
Claude and ChatGPT	Built in, read only or allowed to act, per household	Nothing official	A remote MCP server since April 2026, 66 tools with full access or 40 that only read, OAuth with PKCE.	Nothing official
Your own tools	Keys with the permissions you choose	Public API	A free public REST API v2 with personal developer keys, OAuth for third-party apps and an OpenAPI 3 spec.	A code library, no hosted service
Bringing your data in	Files from your bank, or a whole YNAB budget	Files from your bank	OFX, QFX, QIF and CSV bank files, plus an Express Migration importer for Mint, YNAB, Quicken and others.	Files from your bank, and YNAB migration
Sharing it	Owner, editor and viewer, every change recorded	Share the subscription with up to six people	Collaborators get full permissions with no roles, need their own account, and cannot manage it from mobile.	Users on your own server
Forecasting	Next month, from six months of your history	Targets, no projection	Daily balances projected from scheduled budget events, 6 months on Free and up to 60 years on Fortune.	Scheduled items, no projection
Where your data lives	The European Union	The United States	Not stated on their site; data is encrypted at rest and the company is registered in Dunedin, New Zealand.	Wherever you run it
Leaving	Everything in one file, deleted 30 days after you ask	Export your plan as a file	Transactions export to CSV or XLSX on any plan; backups leave out budgets, filters and attachments.	The file is already yours
Running it yourself	No	No	Not stated on their site; sold as a hosted service with a beta desktop wrapper and no self-hosted edition.	Yes, on your own machine

Competitor columns, prices included, read off their own sites on September 13, 2026; prices are in US dollars and can change, so check their pricing pages before you decide.

Read the full comparison

And against the spreadsheet you already have.

Less about features, more about the work: what each one asks of you in a normal week.

Getting transactions in
vokse
Your banks sync on their own, up to three times a day plus once on demand
Your spreadsheet
Download a file from each bank, paste it in, fix the columns
Categorising
vokse
Suggested from your own history · you confirm, it learns · rules for the rest
Your spreadsheet
By hand, row by row
Receipts and voice memos
vokse
Photograph a receipt or record a memo · a draft transaction appears for you to confirm
Your spreadsheet
Type it in, keep the paper somewhere
Upcoming bills
vokse
A calendar of what is due, recurring charges detected on their own
Your spreadsheet
A column you remember to update
Who changed what
vokse
Every change logged, with undo and redo
Your spreadsheet
Version history, if you go digging
Charts and reports
vokse
Net worth, cash flow, spending by category and more · exported as CSV, PDF or XLSX
Your spreadsheet
Pivot tables you build and rebuild
Flexibility
vokse
A fixed structure: accounts, envelopes, goals
Your spreadsheet
Any layout you can imagine, and every formula is yours to maintain

And against the spreadsheet you already have.
And against the spreadsheet you already have.	vokse	Your spreadsheet
Getting transactions in	Your banks sync on their own, up to three times a day plus once on demand	Download a file from each bank, paste it in, fix the columns
Categorising	Suggested from your own history · you confirm, it learns · rules for the rest	By hand, row by row
Receipts and voice memos	Photograph a receipt or record a memo · a draft transaction appears for you to confirm	Type it in, keep the paper somewhere
Upcoming bills	A calendar of what is due, recurring charges detected on their own	A column you remember to update
Who changed what	Every change logged, with undo and redo	Version history, if you go digging
Charts and reports	Net worth, cash flow, spending by category and more · exported as CSV, PDF or XLSX	Pivot tables you build and rebuild
Flexibility	A fixed structure: accounts, envelopes, goals	Any layout you can imagine, and every formula is yours to maintain

Bring your history with you.

Import CSV, OFX or JSON from any bank or tool, or migrate a whole YNAB budget with payees, categories and transfers intact. You review the prepared import before a single row lands.

How import works

Keep exploring

Bring your spreadsheet.

Drop a CSV, OFX or JSON file. We map the columns, flag the duplicates and keep your history, and you review the prepared import before a single row lands.

Import CSV

Where we win.Row by row, dated.

Next to YNAB, PocketSmith and Actual Budget.

Price

Budgeting method

Bank connections

More than one currency

Assistant

Claude and ChatGPT

Your own tools

Bringing your data in

Sharing it

Forecasting

Where your data lives

Leaving

Running it yourself

Read the full comparison

And against the spreadsheet you already have.

Getting transactions in

Categorising

Receipts and voice memos

Upcoming bills

Who changed what

Charts and reports

Flexibility

Bring your history with you.

Keep exploring

Bring your spreadsheet.

Where we win.
Row by row, dated.