Zero-based budgeting

Give every dollar
a job.

A budget you keep by hand, for iPhone and Mac. Plan the month, write down what you spend, and watch the figure at the top of the screen come down to exactly $0.00.

Download on the App Store
One purchase covers
iPhone and Mac.
No bank connection No account to create Nothing collected
‹
September 2026
The plan
›
Left to budget
$0.00
$6,650.00 in
$6,650.00 assigned
✓ Balanced. Every dollar has a job.
Income 6,485 / 6,650
CategoryPlannedReceived
Paycheck 1 3,200.00 3,200.00
Other Income 250.00 85.00
Food 851 / 870
Groceries 650.00 38.13
Restaurants 220.00 −18.65
Month
Budget
Activity
Debts
Settings
How a zero-based month works
01

Plan the income

Put in what you expect to be paid this month, then assign it down to the last dollar.

02

Write down what you spend

Ten seconds a purchase, on the keypad or from a receipt. Entering it is the moment you notice it.

03

Get to $0.00

Planned income minus everything assigned reaches zero. Nothing is left drifting.

Cancel
Expense Income
Save
$64.18
Groceries · $38.13 left
Where Trader Joe's 21 Sep
Kroger 92.06 Shell 48.92 Split · Tags · Note
1 2 3 Split 4 5 6 7 8 9 . 0 00
Fast to enter

Ten seconds, and you know whether it fits.

The keypad opens on the amount, because the amount is the thing you always know. The category you are about to pick shows what is left in it before you commit — so you find out a purchase does not fit while you can still do something about it.

1 Shops you have used before come back with their usual amount and category, in a single tap.
2 Point the camera at a receipt and Tally reads the total, date and shop — on your device. The photo is never stored or sent.
3 One purchase, several categories. You set the total and the parts are made to add up to it, so a split never invents money or loses any.
See where the month is going

Being ahead of the month is something you can see.

A pace chart draws what you have actually spent against an even burn of the plan. Categories close to their limit are called out while there is still time to change course; the ones already over are named with the figure.

Spent so far
$6,412.01
26% ahead of pace
Planned
$6,650.00
$237.99 left
TODAY
Actual Even pace
Needs attention 3 categories
Restaurants
$238.65 of $220.00 · $18.65 over 108%
Fun Money
$172.00 of $180.00 · $8.00 left 96%
Groceries
$611.87 of $650.00 · $38.13 left 94%

Six and twelve month trends show income against spending, which categories moved most against your own average, and any single category over time.

Get out of debt

A date on being clear of it.

List what you owe and Tally puts a date on the last payment. Order the payoff by snowball or avalanche, and see how much sooner an extra amount each month would get you there.

Debt-free
March 2029
$26,440.55
remaining
1 Car loan $2,840.55 of $4,582.55
2 Credit card $9,120.00 of $12,000.00
3 Student loan $14,480.00 of $18,400.00
Recurring, without surprises

Nothing is written that you did not confirm.

Rent, paychecks and subscriptions are set up once. Tally tells you what is due and waiting; posting it is a tap. Not on a schedule, not in the background, not ever.

2 recurring items are waiting for September Post
Mortgage
Day 1 · Mortgage / Rent−1,850.00
Paycheck
Every 2 weeks · Paycheck 1+3,200.00
Netflix
Day 18 · Subscriptions−22.99
On your iPhone and your Mac

A real Mac app, not a phone screen in a box.

One purchase covers both. Multiple windows, a full menu bar, keyboard shortcuts, and entry you can complete without touching the mouse.

Download on the App Store
Widgets

What you have spent and what is still unassigned, on the Home Screen.

Siri & Shortcuts

Add a transaction by asking, or from the Shortcuts app.

Face ID lock

An optional lock in front of the budget, so it is not visible in the app switcher.

Light and dark

Both, plus six accent colours to pick from.

Your money stays yours

Nothing is collected.

Your budget lives on your device and, if you turn on iCloud, in your own iCloud account. There is no server, no account to create, no analytics, no advertising, and no third-party code of any kind. The developer cannot see your budget and has no way to ask for it.

You can export the whole thing as JSON or CSV whenever you want. It is your data and it should be portable.

Read the full privacy policy →
SERVER None. There is nothing in the middle.
ANALYTICS None. No SDKs, no trackers.
RECEIPTS Read on device. Photos are never stored.
EXPORT Full JSON, or transactions as CSV.

Start the month with a plan.

Tally is made by one person, for people who would rather keep their own books.

Download on the App Store Read the support guide