MonoBudget Guide

Step-by-step instructions for the things you'll do most in MonoBudget.

Income & expenses

Add an income or expense

  1. Open the Income or Expenses tab.
  2. Tap the + button (labeled "Add Income Source" or "Add Fixed Cost").
  3. Enter a name, the net amount, the person it belongs to, and a category.
  4. Choose how often it repeats. New sources start out Monthly. Switch to None, Quarterly, Semi-annually, Yearly, or Custom if you need to, then set a start date and, optionally, an end date.
  5. For yearly, quarterly, or semi-annual expenses, choose whether it should apply only in its due month or be split evenly across the months in between.
  6. Tap the checkmark to save. MonoBudget generates the matching entries automatically.

Edit an entry or its source

  1. Tap any entry in the Income or Expense overview.
  2. Choose "This month only" to change just that occurrence, or "Edit income source"/"Edit Expense Source" to change the recurring source itself (name, amount, person, category, recurrence).
  3. If you edit the source, choose whether the change applies to future occurrences only or also updates past ones.

Delete an entry or a source

  1. To delete a single occurrence, open it and tap the trash icon, then confirm "Delete Entry".
  2. To delete an entire recurring source, open it from the overview, tap the trash icon, and choose whether to remove future occurrences only or all of them, past and future.

Categories

Add a category

  1. Open the More tab → Data Management, then "Manage Income Categories" or "Manage Expense Categories".
  2. Tap the + button.
  3. Enter a name and pick a color from the palette.
  4. Tap the checkmark to save.

Edit a category

  1. Tap any category in the list.
  2. Change its name or color.
  3. Tap the checkmark to save.

Delete a category

  1. Open the category and tap the trash icon. (Built-in default categories can't be deleted.)
  2. If the category isn't used anywhere, it's removed immediately.
  3. If it's in use, choose to reassign its entries to another category first, or delete the category together with everything assigned to it.

People

Add a person

  1. Open the More tab → Data Management → "Manage People", then tap "Add Person".
  2. Enter a name and pick a color.
  3. Tap the checkmark to save.
  4. The free plan includes 1 person; MonoBudget Pro unlocks a 2nd.

Edit a person

  1. Tap a person in the list.
  2. Change their name or color and tap the checkmark to save.

Delete a person

  1. Tap the trash icon on their row.
  2. Confirm. This also deletes all of their income sources, expense sources, and entries, so make sure that's what you want first.

Import & export

Export your data

  1. Open the More tab → Data Management.
  2. Tap "Export Data".
  3. Choose whether to protect the file with a passphrase or export plain, unprotected JSON.
  4. If you choose to encrypt, enter a passphrase twice. Save it somewhere safe. MonoBudget can't recover it, and without it an encrypted export can never be opened again.
  5. MonoBudget creates a file with everything: people, categories, sources, and entries. It then opens your device's share sheet so you can save or send it.

Import a backup

  1. Open the More tab → Data Management and tap "Import Data".
  2. Confirm that you want to continue, then pick a MonoBudget export file (.json or encrypted .mbbackup).
  3. If the file is encrypted, enter the passphrase you used when exporting it.
  4. If your database already has data, confirm the overwrite. Importing replaces all existing data with the backup's contents.
  5. MonoBudget shows a summary of everything it restored.

App lock

Uses your device's own Face ID, fingerprint, or passcode. Nothing is sent anywhere, and MonoBudget never stores a separate password.

Turn on the app lock

  1. Open the More tab → Backup & Security.
  2. Switch on "Require authentication to open the app".
  3. Authenticate once to confirm. The setting only takes effect after that succeeds, so you can't lock yourself out by accident.
  4. If your phone has no Face ID, fingerprint, or passcode set up yet, MonoBudget will say so and leave the switch off. Add one in your phone's settings first.

What happens once it's on

  1. MonoBudget asks for Face ID, your fingerprint, or your device passcode every time it starts, and again whenever you return to it after switching to another app.
  2. Until you authenticate, a lock screen covers everything. No balances, entries, or charts are visible.
  3. If you dismiss or cancel the system prompt, tap "Unlock" to try again.
  4. Unlocking brings you back to exactly the screen you left, so the lock never interrupts what you were doing.
  5. To switch it off, open More → Backup & Security and turn the switch off again. No authentication is needed, since you're already inside the app.

If you can no longer unlock

  1. The app lock relies entirely on your device's authentication. If you remove Face ID, fingerprint, and the passcode from your phone's settings while the lock is on, MonoBudget can no longer let you in. It has no separate password of its own.
  2. To recover, set up a passcode or a biometric again in your phone's settings, then tap "Unlock" in MonoBudget.

Pro guides

Fair Split calculator

Requires exactly two people to be set up, with recurring income or expenses assigned to them. Adjustments can only be booked or reset from the current calendar month onward.

Work out a fair split between two people

  1. Open the Analytics tab (Pro) and find "Fixed Cost Split".
  2. Tap "Open Fair Split" on the summary card. The calculator has its own full screen.
  3. Choose a split mode: 50 / 50, Income-based (proportional to each person's actual recurring income), or Custom (set your own percentage).
  4. Under "Current period", review the total fixed costs, the target split, what each person has paid so far, and the recommended monthly adjustment.
  5. Switch to "Next-year preview" to see what the same mode would mean for a full year ahead. It's a preview, calculated independently, so you can compare before committing.

Book, update, or reset the adjustment

  1. Tap "Book adjustment". MonoBudget first shows exactly what it will create: who pays whom, the monthly amount, and the months it covers.
  2. Confirm, and it books a matching pair of recurring monthly transfers so the split balances out without changing anyone's totals.
  3. If your split mode, income, or fixed costs change, open Fair Split again and tap "Update adjustment". The replacement transfer applies from the new start month and is divided across the months left in the period; earlier months stay exactly as they were.
  4. Tap "Reset adjustment" to end the active transfers from the current period onward. Nothing new is created, and bookings from earlier periods remain untouched.

Automatic Backup

Turn on automatic encrypted backups

  1. Open the More tab → Backup & Security → "Automatic Backup".
  2. Enter a backup passphrase twice. Save it somewhere safe. MonoBudget can't recover it if you lose it, and without it a backup can never be opened again.
  3. Choose a destination: this device only, an iCloud Drive folder (iOS), or a folder you pick on Android.
  4. Confirm, and MonoBudget creates your first encrypted snapshot immediately.
  5. From then on, a new snapshot is created automatically about once every 24 hours whenever you open the app. You can also tap "Backup now" to trigger one manually.
  6. To restore, pick a snapshot from the list, enter your passphrase, and confirm. Restoring always replaces the data currently on your device.