Casharchy vs Monarch: a Monarch alternative with a free plan
Monarch brings a household’s accounts together with two styles of budget and a broad set of connections. Casharchy brings them together around a day-by-day checking forecast. Here is how they compare, using Monarch’s own pages.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Casharchy | Monarch |
|---|---|---|
| How you budget | Monthly category budgets in Spending. Bills you have forecast count as Projected, so the month’s total is complete before it ends. | Flex Budgeting (fixed, non-monthly and flexible) or Category Budgeting, switchable (source) |
| Bank connections | Read-only connections through Plaid on the paid plan ($8 a month). Every tab also works with figures you enter or import. | Plaid, MX and Mastercard Data Connect, 13,000+ institutions in the US and Canada, plus Zillow and vehicle values (source) |
| Investments | Holdings across every brokerage, retirement and HSA account, combined by position and category and measured against targets you set. | Holdings from connected accounts, performance, allocation and an S&P 500 comparison (source) |
| Checking balance forecast | A day-by-day checking ledger: rows after today are your forecast, and the running balance shows what you expect to have on every future date. | A recurring-bills calendar and a cash flow report; Plus adds Forecasting of net worth and yearly cash flow (source) |
| Debt payoff | A payoff schedule for each mortgage, loan and card from your payment and any extra principal. | Pay Down goals with a payoff projection and debt-free date (source) |
| Net worth | A balance sheet of every account, asset and debt, with saved snapshots over time. | Yes, across all accounts, with home and vehicle values (source) |
| Tax estimate | A federal tax worksheet from the paychecks and income you enter (a planning estimate, not tax advice). | Not offered |
| Platforms | Web, in any browser, including on a phone. No native app. | Web, mobile and iPad (source) |
| Sharing with a partner | One sign-in for the household’s workspace; no charge per person. | Add a partner free on the same subscription, each with their own login (source) |
| Price and trial | Free by hand. $8 a month or $80 a year (2 months free) adds bank connections and the AI tools. | Core $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year; Plus $199.99 a year; 7-day trial with a payment method (source) |
Monarch facts checked October 19, 2026 on Monarch’s own pages, linked in each row. Products change; follow each link for the current detail.
Who should pick Monarch
- You want the widest set of connections, including home and vehicle values, and an app on every device.
- You like Flex Budgeting’s one number for flexible spending.
- You want each person in the household on their own login, or an advisor with read-only access.
Who should pick Casharchy
- You want the balance on each date ahead in checking, not only a list of upcoming bills.
- You set your own allocation targets and want every account measured against them, held as one portfolio.
- You want a free plan with every tab and no card to start, and a federal tax estimate in the same place.
Read more about the cash flow forecast, budgets, brokerage targets, debt payoff and net worth.
Moving from Monarch to Casharchy
- In Monarch on the web, open Settings, then Data, then Download Transactions for every account (or open one account, press Edit and Download transactions). Monarch’s guide has the details (source).
- In Casharchy, open Spending and press Add Transaction, then choose Paste CSV (bulk import).
- Paste the file’s contents or choose the file. Dates, descriptions, amounts, categories and account names are read from the header row.
- Check the preview: money out shows as negative. Rows that match a transaction you already have (same amount within two days) are skipped, and any category Casharchy doesn’t know gets a picker.
- Press Import. The whole file is saved at once as one step you can Undo.
Monarch’s Merchant, Category and Account columns map to Casharchy’s description, category and account. Balance history is a separate download and isn’t needed: set each Cash account’s beginning balance instead.
Questions from Monarch users
Is Casharchy’s forecast the same as Monarch’s Forecasting?
No. Monarch’s Plus Forecasting projects net worth and yearly cash flow. Casharchy’s Cash tab forecasts checking day by day: every bill and paycheck you expect is a dated row, so you can see the lowest balance ahead and the date it happens, on the free plan.
Does Casharchy pull home and car values?
Not automatically. Add a home, car or other asset in Net Worth with the value you choose, and a mortgage or loan in Debt; Net Worth then shows equity and loan-to-value. Monarch fills those values in for you from Zillow and vehicle data.
How do allocation targets work?
In Brokerage you set a target percentage for each category or position, for all accounts together or for one account type such as retirement. Each row then shows how far you are over or under, in points and dollars. Casharchy measures the gap; it never suggests trades.
What Casharchy costs
Free when you enter figures by hand. Bank connections through Plaid and the AI tools are $8 a month, or $80 a year (2 months free). There is no trial clock: the free plan has every tab and stays free.
Monarch is a trademark of its owner, named here only to identify the product. Casharchy is not affiliated with it.
Try it with your own numbers
Free when you enter figures by hand. Bank connections through Plaid and the AI tools are $8 a month, or $80 a year (2 months free). No card needed to start.