Wallyo vs a spreadsheet

Honestly, a spreadsheet is a fine budget. It is free, private and does exactly what you tell it. It just does not fit in a checkout line.

Rival details as publicly listed in September 2026. Prices and features change; check their site before deciding.

Wallyo

a spreadsheet

Budget period

✓Budgets run on your pay cycle: monthly, bi-weekly, every 15 days or custom.

–Anything you can formula. You maintain it.

Method

✓Envelopes with rings, or 50/30/20 bands. Switch any time.

–Any method, if you build it.

Adding expenses

–Manual, fast keypad with merchant and category memory. No bank sync.

×Typing into a grid on your phone. Most people stop by week three.

Privacy

✓Data lives on your phone. No account, no servers. Optional backup to your own iCloud or Drive.

–Depends where the file lives; Google Sheets means Google.

Offline

✓Fully offline.

–Usually, with caveats.

Price

✓Free tier with 3 envelopes and 4 cycles. Pro is a one-time purchase.

✓Free.

Bills

✓Bills draw from envelopes so the held amount is already out of "left to spend".

×Manual rows and reminders elsewhere.

End-of-cycle review

✓A short end-of-cycle retro every cycle.

–Whatever charts you make.

Platforms

–iOS and Android. No web app yet.

✓Everywhere.

✓Strong–Partial×Missing

Pick Wallyo if

You want the budget to survive contact with real life: quick entry at the till, rings instead of formulas, and a nudge when a bill is close.

Pick a spreadsheet if

You enjoy the tinkering and already keep it up to date.

Try it for one pay cycle.

Free, offline, nothing to connect. If it doesn't stick, export your data and go.