Premium Plans Comparison

Balance offers two Premium plans: Monthly and Annual. This guide will help you choose the best option for your budgeting needs.

Plans at a Glance

Premium Monthly

Details

Cost: $5.99 per month
Billed: Monthly ($5.99 charged every month)
Annual Cost: $71.88/year
Commitment: None - cancel anytime

Best For

Premium Monthly is ideal if you:

• Want to try Premium without long commitment
• Prefer monthly budgeting for subscriptions
• Might cancel within the year
• Want flexibility

Example scenario:

Sarah and Mike want to try Balance but aren't sure 
if they'll stick with it. They choose Monthly so they 
can cancel anytime if it doesn't work for them.

Pros

✅ Flexibility

• Cancel anytime
• No long-term commitment
• Month-to-month billing

✅ Lower upfront cost

• Only $5.99 to start
• No large annual payment

✅ Test longer term

• Already had 30-day trial
• Try a few months to be sure

Cons

❌ Higher annual cost

• $71.88/year vs $59.99/year
• $11.89 more than Annual plan
• 20% more expensive

❌ More frequent billing

• Charged every month
• 12 transactions per year vs 1

❌ Easy to forget

• Monthly charge may get lost in other bills

Premium Annual

Details

Cost: $4.99 per month
Billed: Annually ($59.99 charged once per year)
Annual Cost: $59.99/year
Commitment: 1 year
Savings: $11.89/year vs Monthly

Best For

Premium Annual is ideal if you:

• Know you’ll use Balance long-term
• Want the best value
• Prefer fewer transactions
• Don’t mind annual billing

Example scenario:

John and Lisa completed the 30-day trial and love 
Balance. They know they'll use it for years, so they 
choose Annual to save $11.89/year.

Pros

✅ Best value

• $4.99/month ($59.99/year)
• Save $11.89/year
• 17% discount

✅ One payment per year

• Set it and forget it
• Only one transaction
• Less mental overhead

✅ Locked-in rate

• Rate guaranteed for the year
• Price increases don’t affect you until renewal

Cons

❌ Higher upfront cost

• $59.99 due at once
• More than Monthly’s $5.99

❌ Less flexibility

• Commit to full year
• No refunds for unused months
• Can’t cancel mid-year for refund

❌ If you cancel early

• Lose remaining value
• No prorated refunds

Cost Comparison

Monthly Cost

Premium Monthly:

$5.99 × 12 months = $71.88/year

Premium Annual:

$59.99 ÷ 12 months = $4.99/month

Savings with Annual:

$71.88 - $59.99 = $11.89 saved per year

Multi-Year Comparison

Over 2 years:

Monthly: $5.99 × 24 = $143.76
Annual: $59.99 × 2 = $119.98
Savings: $23.78

Over 3 years:

Monthly: $5.99 × 36 = $215.64
Annual: $59.99 × 3 = $179.97
Savings: $35.67

Over 5 years:

Monthly: $5.99 × 60 = $359.40
Annual: $59.99 × 5 = $299.95
Savings: $59.45

The longer you use Balance, the more you save with Annual!

Which Plan Should You Choose?

Choose Premium Monthly If:

✅ You’re still evaluating

• Just finished trial
• Not 100% sure yet
• Want a few more months to decide

✅ Budget is tight

• $5.99 easier to budget monthly
• $59.99 feels like a lot at once

✅ Life is uncertain

• Might move soon
• Financial situation changing
• Want flexibility

✅ You prefer monthly budgeting

• Everything else is monthly
• Easier to track in budget
• Prefer consistent bills

Choose Premium Annual If:

✅ You’re committed

• Love Balance after trial
• Plan to use long-term
• See the value clearly

✅ You want the best deal

• Save $11.89/year
• Value conscious
• Why pay more?

✅ You want simplicity

• One payment per year
• Don’t think about it monthly
• Fewer transactions to track

✅ You have the budget

• $59.99 once isn’t a problem
• Can afford upfront cost

Switching Plans

Monthly → Annual

You can upgrade anytime:

1. First, cancel your Monthly subscription (via Plan & Subscription in settings menu)
2. Then go to Pricing page or Subscribe button
3. Choose Premium Annual
4. Enter payment information
5. Complete checkout
6. Annual subscription begins after Monthly expires

Note: You’ll pay the full $59.99 for Annual. Previous monthly payments are not credited. You must cancel Monthly first to avoid duplicate subscriptions.

Annual → Monthly

You can downgrade at renewal:

1. Your annual plan expires
2. Choose not to renew Annual
3. Switch to Monthly
4. Start new month-to-month billing

Cannot switch mid-year - must wait for annual renewal.

Both Plans Include

All Premium Features

✅ Bank Account Connections:

• Connect up to 10 accounts
• Checking, savings, credit cards
• All major US banks supported

✅ Automatic Transaction Syncing:

• 1-2 times daily
• Pull-to-refresh for immediate sync
• Up to 90 days history on connection

✅ Unlimited Budget Categories:

• Income categories
• Expense categories
• Savings categories
• Custom categories

✅ Partner Profiles:

• Multiple user profiles
• Shared real-time data
• Individual profile views

✅ Progress Tracking:

• Real-time budget updates
• Visual progress bars
• Spending alerts

✅ Mobile & Web Access:

• iOS app
• Android app
• Web browser
• Sync across all devices

✅ Priority Customer Support:

• Email support
• Faster response times
• Priority queue

✅ Future Features:

• All new features included
• No additional cost
• Automatic updates

Premium is Premium - whether Monthly or Annual!

Free Plan

What’s Included (Free Forever)

$0/month:

• Manual transaction entry
• Unlimited budget categories
• Partner profiles
• Budget tracking
• Progress monitoring
• Mobile & web access
• All your data preserved

Perfect for:

• Manual budgeters
• Those who don’t want auto-sync
• Budget-conscious users

Limitation:

• Cannot connect bank accounts
• No automatic transaction syncing
• Must enter transactions manually

Free plan is always available if you don’t need bank sync!

Frequently Asked Questions

“Can I try both plans?”

Yes! With the trial:

• 30-day trial gives you full Premium experience
• Choose Monthly or Annual after trial
• Switch from Monthly to Annual anytime

“What if I cancel Premium?”

You revert to Free plan:

• Keep all your data
• Bank accounts disconnect
• Switch to manual entry
• Can resubscribe anytime

“Are there family or couple discounts?”

No separate plans needed! One Premium subscription covers:

• Both partners
• Multiple profiles
• Shared budget
• All devices

One subscription, whole household!

“Do prices ever increase?”

They might in the future:

• We’ll notify you 30 days before any increase
• Annual subscribers locked-in for their year
• Monthly adjusts at next billing
• Early adopters often get grandfathered rates

“Is there a lifetime plan?”

Not currently. Only Monthly and Annual subscriptions available now.

Making Your Decision

Decision Framework

Answer these questions:

1. Will I use Balance for 12+ months?

• Yes → Consider Annual
• No → Choose Monthly
• Not sure → Start with Monthly

2. Is $59.99 upfront okay?

• Yes → Annual is great value
• No → Monthly works fine

3. Do I value flexibility?

• Yes → Monthly gives you options
• No → Annual saves money

4. Do I want the best deal?

• Yes → Annual is 17% cheaper
• Don’t care → Either works

Our Recommendation

For most couples:

After the trial:

• Start with Monthly for 1-2 months
• Make sure you love it
• Switch to Annual to save money

If you’re confident:

• Go Annual immediately after trial
• Save $11.89/year
• Lock in your rate

If money is tight:

• Use Free plan temporarily
• Subscribe when budget allows
• Your data will be waiting!

Next Steps

Ready to choose your plan?

1. Starting Your Free Trial - Try Premium free for 30 days
2. Managing Your Subscription - Access settings and change plans
3. Upgrading Your Plan - Switch from Monthly to Annual
4. Account Limits - Understand what each plan includes

Questions? Contact our support team - we’re here to help!