Compare the best budgeting apps
in New Zealand.

See how Fireball, PocketSmith, YNAB, BudgetBuddie, SortMe and Spendle compare for bank connections, budgeting, shared finances, Markets and financial independence.

Read the full guide to the best budgeting apps in New Zealand, or compare net worth trackers and apps for couples.

Choose an app to compare its features with Fireball.

FeatureFireballPocketSmith

NZ money picture

Built around NZ money
banks, KiwiSaver, local habits
NZ + FIRE
Available
Bank + KiwiSaver sync
open banking connection
Available
Available
Net worth beyond bank accounts
property, assets, debts, FX
Deep
Available

FIRE planning

FIRE number + years to FIRE
not just a spending report
FIRE focusedCash flow
Retirement market stress test
standard FIRE across possible market outcomes
5,000 outcomesCash flow scenarios
FIRE styles and assumptions
Lean, Fat, Coast, Barista
Available
Not available
NZ Super + withdrawal planning
retirement income modelling
Available
Not available
Home aware FIRE net worth
separates investable wealth
Available
Manual
Post FIRE mode
portfolio buffer, withdrawal rate and supported spending
Available
Not stated

Daily control

Safe to spend + savings rate
today and long term in one view
Available
Safe balance
Upcoming payments & income
detected or scheduled recurring activity
Detected + manualCalendar
Balance and cash flow forecasts
account projections or a wider cash flow outlook
3 to 30 daysLong range scenarios
Switch budgeting styles
Single, Category and Flex, with zero based Category budgets
3 modes + optional zero basedCategory + periods
Budget rollover
unspent money carries into the next period
Chosen per budgetBeta
Savings and debt reserved in budgets
goal reserves, investing targets and chosen debt payments
Available
Not available
Rich transaction records
notes, attachments, splits and refund matching
Files + splits + refundsNotes + files + split
Refund and payback matching
money coming back lowers spending, not income
Matched to purchasesCategory offset
Pay in 4 instalment plans
schedules found from bank activity
Afterpay + KlarnaNot stated
Nested categories
categories inside categories
Several levelsSeveral levels

Insights and monitoring

Financial highlights + trends
FIRE, cash flow, savings and net worth
Highlights + trendsDashboards
Long term history & trends
retained activity powers charts that grow over time
While account activeRetained
Category, merchant and tag monitors
history or from now tracking with exact matches
History + from nowSaved searches
Configurable financial notifications
budget, transaction, account health, projected balance
Push + inboxNot stated

Automation and AI

Transaction automation rules
rename, categorise, split, tag or link goals
Multiple actionsFilters + rules
Categorisation assistance
suggest, review and automate
AI reviewAuto + rules
AI chat with money context
budgets, FIRE, accounts, merchants
Available
Your own AI via MCP
CSV import, duplicate review + undo
recover from messy real world data
Review + undoCSV

Sharing and mobile

Shared finances with separate logins
invite trusted people to your financial picture
Viewer or EditorFull access on web
One bill for several people
a family or group plan on one subscription
Family, up to 5Discounted separate plans
Joint account share
count only your part of a joint account
Set your shareManual workaround
Native home screen widgets
progress without opening the app
9 iOS + Android widgets
Not available

Markets

Market indexes and investment watchlists
follow instruments alongside your plan
Indexes + watchlist
Not available
Investment price alerts
personal targets with periodic price checks
Above or below target
Not available
Advertised mortgage rates
compare published lender rates
Rate comparison
Not available

Value

Price and billing currency
$0 Free plan
Paid from $10.99/mo or $99/yr NZD, 30% off the first year for eligible new web customers
$119.88 to $319.92/yr
NZD, paid plans
Trial or free access
Free plan
14 day paid plan trial for eligible new customers
Free plan

Fireball features and plans updated 5 October 2026. Family plans, joint accounts, rollover, refunds, instalment plans, nested categories and retirement planning checked 5 October 2026. Other Spendle details checked 13 September 2026. Sharing, widgets, Markets and other pricing sources checked 7 September 2026; remaining comparison details were reviewed in August and September 2026. “Not stated” means the reviewed sources do not confirm the feature. Native widgets are distinct from widgets inside an app dashboard. FIRE stress tests model standard FIRE and provide estimates. Market prices refresh periodically; mortgage rates are advertised, not personalised. History retention starts after import, and initial bank history depends on the institution and provider. Prices use the stated currency; check each provider for current local pricing, taxes and offers.

See Fireball plans→The Fireball Pays for Itself Guarantee. Refunds within 30 days of your first web payment. No proof required.

Switching from PocketSmith? Keep your history.

Upload your PocketSmith export and Fireball sets up years of history for you. Review everything before it is saved, and undo it later if you change your mind.

See how the switch works

What you can bring across

  • Accounts, transactions, notes and labels from one export
  • Your category rules, ready to keep sorting
  • Older history joined to your live bank feed
  • Duplicates reviewed first, and undo anytime

Common questions