Monarch Money vs SmartFolio
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Monarch Money is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.5. Monarch Money wins on 3 of the 5 scores, SmartFolio on 2.
Couples and families who want one shared view of all their money
Dividend and long-term investors who want a private, free portfolio view
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Monarch Money | SmartFolio |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Money & Investing | Money & Investing |
| Category rank | #1 of 10 | #6 of 10 |
| Developer | Monarch Money, Inc. | The Big Head |
| Pricing | Subscription | Free |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Strengths and weaknesses
Monarch Money
- Budgets, investments and net worth live in one place
- Invite a partner at no extra cost
- Clean, fast apps on web and mobile
- No free tier once the trial ends
- Bank sync hiccups need occasional manual fixes
Monarch Money is the most complete money app for most households. It pulls in bank, card, loan and investment accounts, then gives you flexible budgets, cash-flow reports, goals and a clear net worth view. You can invite a partner at no extra cost, which makes it ideal for couples. The catch is there is no free plan, and bank connections still break now and then.
Full Monarch Money review
SmartFolio
- Free with no ads, no account and no in-app purchases
- Your data never leaves your iPhone or iPad
- Clear history of every trade, even after you sell
- No automatic broker sync, so updates mean re-importing
- iPhone and iPad only
SmartFolio is a portfolio tracker that keeps everything on your device. You import trade history from a long list of brokers or a spreadsheet, then see every buy, sale and dividend per holding, time-weighted returns and expected income. There is no account and no bank connection, which is great for privacy but means imports are manual. For dividend investors who want a free, private overview, it is a strong pick.
Full SmartFolio review
