Bank balance widgets compared: Above Water, Monarch, Copilot, YNAB and Rocket Money
If all you want is your bank balance on your iPhone's Home Screen or Lock Screen, most money apps are more than you need, and several don't have a balance widget at all. This page compares five apps on widgets alone. It doesn't rate budgeting, investment tracking or anything else these apps do.
The short version
Above Water is the only app here with a confirmed Lock Screen balance widget, and it costs the least.
| App | Balance widget | Several accounts, one number | On the Lock Screen | No budget needed | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Above Water | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr |
| Copilot Money | Yes | Net worth only | Not confirmed | Yes | $18/mo or $109/yr |
| Monarch | No | No | No | No | $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr |
| YNAB | No | No | No | No | $14.99/mo or $109/yr |
| Rocket Money | No | No | No | Yes | Premium, about $7–$14/mo |
Every fact about another app comes from that app's own website, help center or App Store listing, linked in its section below. Apps change, so check the source before you decide. If a vendor's widget page doesn't mention something, the cell says Not confirmed rather than guessing.
Monarch
Monarch's help center lists four iPhone widgets: Budget, Transactions, Investments and Receipts. None of them shows a bank account balance. The Budget widget compares spending with a category's budget, so it needs a budget set up first. Monarch costs $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Sources: Monarch widgets help, pricing.
Copilot Money
Copilot has three widgets built around balances: an Account widget showing one account's balance and net change, a Credit Card widget with balance and utilization, and a Net Worth widget. Its other widgets track spending against budgets. Its widget article doesn't mention the Lock Screen. Copilot costs $18 a month or $109 a year. Sources: Copilot widgets help, pricing.
YNAB
YNAB's widget shows your favorite budget categories and lets you enter a transaction from the Home Screen. It is built around YNAB's budgeting method, so it isn't a way to see an account balance. YNAB costs $14.99 a month or $109 a year, after a 34-day free trial. Sources: YNAB widget guide, pricing.
Rocket Money
Rocket Money's four iOS widgets need a Premium subscription: Safe to Spend, Upcoming Bills, Recent Transactions and Spending. None shows an account balance on its own. The free plan has no iOS widgets. You choose your own Premium price, typically $7 to $14 a month. Sources: Rocket Money widgets help, pricing.
Above Water
Above Water turns checking at one bank and savings at another into a single number on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Connect your banks through Plaid, then add widgets: a Balance widget shows one account or adds several together, and an Accounts widget lists several balances with a net total.
Each widget can round its figure or hide it until you tap, so a balance isn't readable over your shoulder. There's no budget to set up and nothing to categorize. At $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, it costs less than half what Copilot or Monarch charge. How it works has the details.
Which one to choose
If you want to budget, pick a budgeting app; Copilot is the only one here with an account balance widget. If you want every bank in one number, on the Lock Screen as well as the Home Screen, choose Above Water.