How Pay Plan compares.
Pay Plan answers one question: what is safe to spend until the next pay? Here is how that compares with budgeting apps New Zealanders use.
| Feature | Pay PlanPay-cycle budgeting | SortMeNZ, on Akahu | PocketSmithNZ, on Akahu | YNABUnited States | MonarchUnited States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget period | Your pay cycle: weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly | Does this. Weekly, fortnightly or monthly, reset when pay arrives | Partly. Calendar and forecast led, period set per budget | Does not. Calendar month, every dollar assigned a job | Does not. Calendar month |
| Safe to spend as one number | The figure on the home screen | Does this. Yes | Does not. No | Partly. Something close | Partly. Something close |
| NZ bank feeds | ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, Westpac and TSB through Akahu, on Plus | Does this. Through Akahu, SBS included | Does this. Through Akahu, on paid plans | Does not. No NZ bank: type in or import a CSV | Does not. No NZ bank: type in or import a CSV |
| Shared households | Up to six people; each chooses which of their accounts the budget sees | Partly. Household sharing, no private accounts | Partly. Accounts shared between users | Partly. Up to six people, the budget shared whole | Does this. Partners choose which accounts to share |
| Price | Free plan. Plus NZD 7.99 a month | No free tier. From NZD 29 a month or 99 a year | Free plan with manual imports only. Bank feeds from NZD 14.95 a month, or 9.99 a month billed annually | USD 14.99 a month or 109 a year, 34-day trial | USD 14.99 a month or 99.99 a year, 7-day trial |
| AI | Penny proposes changes; nothing changes until you confirm | Auto-categorisation, “about 98%” claimed | Opt-in tools; provider categories plus rules | None; you categorise | An assistant that answers questions about your money |
Where the difference shows.
Saving for a goal
A holiday in March, a fortnight at a time.
Give the goal an amount and a date. Pay Plan works out what to set aside each pay, takes it off before safe to spend, and shows the goal as progress rather than as money you still have. Goals are on Plus.
Rarotonga, March$2,400.00$840.00 saved · $156.00 set aside each fortnight
Overspent mid-cycle
Over is information, not a verdict.
When safe to spend goes below zero, the home screen names the line that is over and says what it means. You can leave it, move money from another category, or change the plan for next pay.
Groceries is $84 over.
That $84 has come out of what was safe to spend. You can leave it, move money from another category, or change the plan for next pay.
Change the planFirst job or student
A first pay, planned from day one.
Weekly wages from a first job, on whatever day they arrive. Start on Free with manual accounts and one budget, and add bank feeds with Plus when you want them.
- Pay this week, Mon 12 Oct
- $412.00
- Rent
- −$195.00
- Phone and transport
- −$58.00
- Groceries planned
- −$62.60
- Safe to spend until Mon 19 Oct
- $96.40
Switching from a spreadsheet
Keep the thinking. Drop the formulas.
Your spreadsheet already knows your pay day and your bills. Enter them once, connect a bank with Plus if you want the feed, and the figure keeps itself up to date. Every report and export is on Free, so your data can go back to a spreadsheet whenever you like.
Before=B2+B3-SUM(C4:C19)-D2After$1,779.79
Example figures.
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