Monarch Money vs Rocket Money: The Complete 2026 Comparison

If you're searching for a financial management app in 2026, two names keep coming up: Monarch Money and Rocket Money. Both promise to help you track spending, manage subscriptions, and take control of your finances—but they take very different approaches to get there.

So which one is right for you? After testing both apps extensively, we're breaking down everything you need to know: pricing, features, strengths, weaknesses, and ultimately, which app wins for different use cases.

Quick Verdict: Which Should You Choose?

Choose Monarch Money if: You want comprehensive financial planning with detailed investment tracking, flexible budgeting styles, and you're willing to pay a flat monthly fee for a premium experience.

Choose Rocket Money if: You want bill negotiation services, prefer a "pay what you want" pricing model, and prioritize subscription cancellation assistance over detailed budgeting.

Choose SubBuddy if: You want a focused, beautifully designed tool specifically for subscription management without the complexity of full financial planning—at a fraction of the price.

Pricing Comparison: What You'll Actually Pay

Let's start with the bottom line—what these apps cost in 2026:

Monarch Money Pricing

• Monthly: $14.99/month
• Annual: $99.99/year (~$8.33/month)
• Free trial: 7 days
• Current promo: 50% off first year with code (expires Feb 1, 2026) = ~$50 first year

Monarch Money has no free tier—it's a paid subscription from day one. You get the same features regardless of which plan you choose; the only difference is the billing cycle.

Rocket Money Pricing

• Free tier: Yes—basic account linking, balance alerts, subscription tracking
• Premium: $6-14/month (you choose your price)
• Annual option: Available at lower monthly equivalent
• Bill negotiation fee: 35-60% of first year's savings (you choose the percentage)
• Free trial: 7 days for Premium

Rocket Money's "pay what you want" model is unique. All Premium users get the same features regardless of the price they choose—so if you're comfortable paying $6/month, you're getting the same experience as someone paying $14/month.

Pricing Winner

🏆 Rocket Money wins on pricing. The free tier and flexible pricing make it more accessible. However, if you use bill negotiation heavily, those 35-60% fees can add up fast. Monarch's flat pricing is more predictable.

Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

Now let's compare what you actually get with each app:

Account Aggregation & Syncing

Feature	Monarch Money	Rocket Money
Bank account linking	✅ 14,000+ institutions	✅ 12,000+ institutions
Credit cards	✅	✅
Investment accounts	✅ Detailed tracking	✅ Basic tracking
Crypto (Coinbase)	✅	❌
Real estate (Zillow)	✅	❌
Real-time syncing	✅	✅ Premium only

Winner: Monarch Money. More institution connections and better support for investments, crypto, and real estate tracking.

Budgeting Tools

Feature	Monarch Money	Rocket Money
Category budgeting	✅ Fully customizable	✅ Premium only
Flex budgeting	✅ Unique feature	❌
Custom categories	✅ Unlimited	✅ Premium only
Rollover budgets	✅	❌
Goals tracking	✅	✅ Premium only

Monarch offers two budgeting styles: traditional category budgeting (assign specific amounts to categories) and flex budgeting (group expenses into fixed, flexible, and non-monthly categories). This flexibility is unique and powerful.

Winner: Monarch Money. More sophisticated budgeting options with the unique flex budgeting system.

Subscription Management

Feature	Monarch Money	Rocket Money
Auto-detect subscriptions	✅	✅
Calendar view	✅	❌
Cancellation assistance	❌	✅ Premium only
Bill negotiation	❌	✅ 35-60% of savings
Renewal reminders	✅	✅

This is where Rocket Money shines. Their bill negotiation service can lower your cable, internet, phone, and other bills on your behalf. If successful, they take 35-60% of the first year's savings. The cancellation assistance feature (Premium only) helps you cancel unwanted subscriptions without navigating confusing cancellation flows yourself.

Winner: Rocket Money. The bill negotiation and cancellation assistance features are genuinely useful for subscription management.

Investment Tracking

Feature	Monarch Money	Rocket Money
Portfolio overview	✅ Detailed	✅ Basic
Performance tracking	✅	Limited
Holdings breakdown	✅	Limited
Transaction import	✅ Beta	❌
Net worth tracking	✅	✅ Premium only

Winner: Monarch Money. If you have significant investments, Monarch's detailed investment tracking is far superior.

Credit & Financial Health

Feature	Monarch Money	Rocket Money
Credit score monitoring	❌	✅ Premium only
Full credit reports	❌	✅ Premium only (Experian)
Debt payoff planning	✅	❌

Winner: Rocket Money for credit monitoring, Monarch Money for debt payoff planning. Depends on your priorities.

Collaboration Features

Feature	Monarch Money	Rocket Money
Shared access	✅ Unlimited collaborators	✅ Premium only
Designed for couples/families	✅ Core feature	Limited

Winner: Monarch Money. Built from the ground up for couples and families to manage finances together.

Unique Features: What Sets Each Apart

Monarch Money's Standout Features

• Flex Budgeting: A unique approach that groups spending into fixed expenses (rent, insurance), flexible spending (dining, entertainment), and non-monthly expenses (annual subscriptions, holidays). This is more intuitive for many users than traditional category budgets.
• AI Insights: Real-time suggestions based on your spending patterns, learning your behavior over time to flag irregular expenses.
• Unlimited Collaborators: Add your spouse, partner, financial advisor, or family members at no extra cost.
• Subscription Calendar: Visual calendar view of all your upcoming subscription renewals.
• Advanced Reporting: Create custom reports to analyze spending trends over time.

Rocket Money's Standout Features

• Bill Negotiation: Rocket Money's team will negotiate lower rates on your bills (cable, internet, phone, medical, etc.). You only pay if they succeed—35-60% of the first year's savings.
• Cancellation Concierge: Premium users can request Rocket Money to cancel subscriptions on their behalf, avoiding confusing cancellation flows.
• Smart Savings: Automated savings feature that transfers money to savings based on your spending patterns.
• Credit Score Monitoring: Full Experian credit reports and monitoring included with Premium.
• Pay What You Want: Unique pricing model where you choose your monthly Premium price.

User Interface & Experience

Monarch Money

Monarch's interface is clean and modern, with a focus on data visualization. The dashboard presents your financial picture clearly, with easy navigation between accounts, budgets, investments, and reports. The learning curve is slightly higher than Rocket Money, but the payoff is more powerful features.

Rocket Money

Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) has a simpler, more action-oriented interface. It's designed to surface quick wins—subscriptions to cancel, bills to negotiate—rather than deep financial analysis. Great for users who want to "set it and forget it."

Winner: Subjective. Monarch for power users, Rocket Money for simplicity seekers.

Privacy & Security

Monarch Money

• Bank-level 256-bit encryption
• No ads, ever
• Does not sell user data
• Revenue comes solely from subscriptions
• Uses Plaid for secure bank connections

Rocket Money

• Bank-level encryption
• No ads in the app
• States they don't sell personal data
• May analyze data to offer financial products
• Uses Plaid for bank connections

Winner: Monarch Money. Their explicit commitment to never selling data and relying solely on subscription revenue gives them the edge on privacy.

Pros and Cons Summary

Monarch Money Pros

• ✅ Comprehensive investment tracking
• ✅ Flexible budgeting with unique "flex budget" option
• ✅ Unlimited collaborators for couples/families
• ✅ Beautiful subscription calendar view
• ✅ Stronger privacy commitment
• ✅ AI-powered spending insights
• ✅ No upsells or hidden fees

Monarch Money Cons

• ❌ No free tier—paid subscription required
• ❌ No bill negotiation service
• ❌ No cancellation assistance
• ❌ No credit score monitoring
• ❌ Higher learning curve

Rocket Money Pros

• ✅ Free tier available
• ✅ "Pay what you want" premium pricing
• ✅ Bill negotiation can save real money
• ✅ Cancellation assistance for subscriptions
• ✅ Credit score monitoring included
• ✅ Simpler, more action-oriented interface

Rocket Money Cons

• ❌ Bill negotiation fees (35-60%) can be steep
• ❌ Investment tracking is basic
• ❌ Limited budgeting options vs. Monarch
• ❌ Many features locked behind Premium
• ❌ Less suited for couples/families

Who Should Choose Which?

Choose Monarch Money If You:

• Want detailed investment and net worth tracking
• Prefer flexible, sophisticated budgeting
• Manage finances with a partner or family
• Value privacy and a clean, ad-free experience
• Want to see all your subscriptions in a calendar view
• Don't mind paying $8-15/month for premium features

Choose Rocket Money If You:

• Want help negotiating lower bills
• Need assistance canceling stubborn subscriptions
• Want a free tier for basic tracking
• Prefer simpler, action-oriented financial tools
• Want credit score monitoring built in
• Prefer flexible "pay what you want" pricing

A Simpler Alternative: SubBuddy

Here's the truth: both Monarch Money and Rocket Money try to be everything to everyone. They're full-featured financial management platforms with dozens of features you may never use. And that complexity comes at a cost—both in dollars and in time spent learning the platform.

If your main goal is subscription management—tracking what you're paying, when renewals hit, and making sure you're not wasting money on forgotten services—you might not need all that complexity.

That's exactly why we built SubBuddy.

SubBuddy vs. Monarch Money vs. Rocket Money

Feature	SubBuddy	Monarch	Rocket
Subscription tracking	✅ Core focus	✅	✅
Visual calendar	✅	✅	❌
Renewal alerts	✅	✅	✅
Spending analytics	✅	✅	✅
Bank linking required	❌ Optional	✅	✅
Simple, focused UI	✅	❌	✅
Lifetime deal option	✅	❌	❌
Free trial	✅ 1 month	7 days	7 days

SubBuddy is designed to do one thing exceptionally well: help you track, visualize, and optimize your subscriptions. No bloated features, no confusing dashboards, no bank linking required (though we support it). Just clarity and control over your recurring expenses.

Plus, we offer a lifetime deal—pay once, own it forever. No more subscription fatigue from your subscription management app.

Try SubBuddy Free: Start your 1-month free trial and see all your subscriptions in one beautiful dashboard. No credit card required to start.

Final Verdict

Best for Comprehensive Financial Management: Monarch Money

If you want one app to rule them all—budgeting, investments, net worth, subscriptions, and shared finances—Monarch Money is the more powerful choice. The $99.99/year price is justified by its depth of features.

Best for Saving Money on Bills: Rocket Money

If your primary goal is to cut costs through bill negotiation and easy subscription cancellation, Rocket Money's unique services can pay for themselves. Just watch out for those negotiation fees adding up.

Best for Focused Subscription Management: SubBuddy

If you specifically want to master your subscriptions without the complexity of a full financial platform, SubBuddy offers the clearest, most focused experience at a lower price point—with a lifetime deal option that eliminates recurring costs entirely.

Whichever you choose, the most important thing is that you choose something. The average American wastes $273/month on subscriptions they don't fully use. Whether it's Monarch, Rocket, or SubBuddy, getting visibility into your recurring charges is the first step to taking back control.

For more comparisons, check out our Top 7 Alternatives to Rocket Money and learn How the Average American Wastes $273/Month on Subscriptions.