Two apps
We still run a free budgeting app that stores data only on your device.
It’s called Good Steward Local, the first app we built, and it’s still running. Most companies talk about privacy. We would rather just keep the proof running.
Local only and free. No account needed to try the demo
Why we keep it
We keep it so you can choose privacy, not just take our word for it.
Good Steward Local keeps your budget on your own device. We can’t see it, sell it or hand it to anyone if asked, because we never have it.
That’s how we started, and we refuse to drop it just because we built a cloud app. So Local stays, it stays free, and it stays supported.
Being straight with you: the new work is happening in the cloud app. Local is kept running and stable rather than growing new features every month. If that trade suits you, it is yours to use.
Side by side
Which one is right for you
The apps have different trade-offs. Try them out and see which suits you best.
| FreeGood Steward Local | SubscriptionGood Steward Money | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your data lives | On your own device | In our secure cloud environment, encrypted |
| Bank connections | Available as a paid add-on | On the Connect plans, with auto-categorization |
| Works across devices | One device at a time. Move to another device only by data export. | Every device, always up to date |
| Automatic categorization | Rules you create in the app | Rules + auto-categorization as transactions are synced |
| Year-ahead planning | Yes | Yes, with advanced templates & projections |
| Cost | Free. Bank sync from $4/mo | From $2/mo. Bank sync from $5/mo |
| What’s next | Kept running and stable | Where new features are added |
Pick Local if…
- You’d rather your financial data never left your device
- You mostly budget from one computer
- You’re happy entering transactions or importing files yourself
- Free matters more to you than convenience
Pick Money if…
- You want your transactions to arrive on their own
- You budget from a phone as well as a laptop
- You share a budget with someone else
- You want more tools to plan ahead and visualize your finances
Good Steward Local pricing
Free, unless you want bank sync
The app itself is free. Bank sync costs us money for each connection you make, so it is paid and priced by the number of institutions you connect.
Budgeting on your own device.
Bank sync, up to 5 institutions.
Bank sync, up to 15 institutions.
Bank sync, up to 25 institutions.
Good Steward Money has its own pricing. See Money pricing.
Questions
Common questions
It stays, as long as people want to use it. New features are going into the cloud app, but Local is kept running, supported and stable. If that ever changes, we’ll tell you directly in advance and make sure you can export your data to take elsewhere.
Start with whichever fits.
Both apps are built by the same people, on the same idea: money is worth looking after, and you shouldn’t have to give up your privacy to do it.