Zero-Knowledge Encryption

Your Budget is None of Our BusinessZero-knowledge encrypted budgeting

Most encrypted budgeting apps store your data in plaintext on their servers. Budgero encrypts everything on your device before it ever leaves. We cannot read your budget, your transactions, or your account names.

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14 days free. No credit card. Encrypted from day one.

What Zero-Knowledge Means

  • Your data is encrypted with a key derived from your master password. We never see this password.
  • Encryption happens in your browser or app before data is sent to our servers. We receive ciphertext, not your finances.
  • We store encrypted blobs. We cannot decrypt them. We do not have your key. Our engineers cannot look up your transactions.
  • If you forget your master password, we cannot recover your data. That is the trade-off, and it is intentional.

This is not marketing speak. This is how the system is architected.

How It Works

1

You Enter Data

Transactions, accounts, budgets. All entered in your browser or app on your device.

2

Your Device Encrypts

AES-256-GCM encryption runs client-side using a key derived from your master password. Data is encrypted before it touches the network.

3

We Store Ciphertext

Our servers receive and store encrypted blobs. We sync them across your devices. We cannot read them.

Why This Matters

Your budget contains some of the most sensitive data about your life. Income, spending habits, debts, savings goals. It paints a complete picture of your financial situation, your priorities, and your vulnerabilities.

Most budgeting apps can access this data. They use it for features like AI categorization and analytics. Some share anonymized data with partners. Even apps that advertise "bank-level encryption" encrypt data in transit but store it decrypted on their servers. Their employees can access it. A breach exposes everything.

Zero-knowledge encryption means there is nothing useful to breach. Even if our servers were compromised, attackers would get encrypted data they cannot read without your master password. The encryption key never leaves your device.

Privacy Compared

How budgeting apps handle your data

FeatureBudgeroYNABMonarch
Data encrypted at rest on server
Zero-knowledge
Standard
Standard
Provider can read your data
Encryption method
AES-256-GCM (client-side)
TLS + server-side
TLS + server-side
Bank connection required
By design
Optional
Self-host option

The Trade-off

Zero-knowledge encryption is not free. Here's what you give up.

  • No automatic bank sync. Your bank would need to send data through us, which would break zero-knowledge.
  • No server-side AI categorization. We cannot read your transactions to categorize them. Budgero uses local autofill rules and smart payees instead.
  • Password recovery is impossible. We do not have your encryption key. If you lose your master password, your data is gone.
  • Manual entry required. Budgero has autofill rules and smart payees to make this fast, but you do enter transactions yourself.

These are intentional design decisions, not missing features. Every budgeting app chooses a point on the convenience-privacy spectrum. Budgero sits at the privacy end.

Real Users, Real Budgets

What Budgero Users Are Saying

People who switched from YNAB and other tools share their experience.

I used YNAB for years and love zero-based budgeting. Budgero nails the same methodology with a design I actually enjoy using. I keep coming back because I'm a budget geek. The SQL Explorer is a dream if you have a technical background.

D
Developer & self-described budget geekSwitched from YNAB
Ex-YNAB

I started with YNAB and then tried a bunch of different tools over the past year. Budgero is the closest to perfect for my use case while also matching what I want visually. Transaction entry is fast, the savings goals with sub-sections are exactly what I need, and the whole experience just feels right.

S
Savings-focused budgeterTried 5+ apps before Budgero
Ex-YNAB

The app is really advanced in both functionality and UI. I was impressed by how polished the whole experience feels. This is a serious budgeting tool with a design that competes with anything on the market.

B
Personal finance enthusiastEvaluated multiple budgeting tools

The latest update made a noticeable difference. Animations are smoother, everything feels faster. Nice to see a budgeting tool where the developer actually cares about performance.

M
Long-time Budgero userSelf-hosted
168
Currencies supported
100%
Zero-knowledge encrypted
$9.99
/mo for Cloud
0
Third parties see your data

Try zero-knowledge budgeting free for 14 days

No credit card required. Your data is encrypted from the moment you create your first transaction.

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Want full control? Self-host Budgero on your own infrastructure.