Why you might be leaving Monarch
Monarch is one of the best-engineered personal finance tools on the market. The team came out of the original Mint and built something genuinely better: cleaner design, better bank sync, real collaboration for couples, a proper net-worth dashboard. We are not going to pretend it is bad.
The reason people leave is the same reason people leave YNAB: the product optimizes for full-life budgeting, and sometimes the job you need done is narrower. If you opened Monarch every day but only actually cared about the debt pane, you were paying $14.99 a month for one module. A dedicated debt tool does that specific job better for less.
Here is what you will do
Five steps. Ten minutes. Monarch does not need to be open for most of it.
- Step 1 (1 min): Export your Monarch data. In Monarch, go to Settings, then Data, and pick Export Data. You get CSVs for accounts, transactions, and categories.
- Step 2 (1 min): Open Unburden. Go to app.unburden.money or install from Google Play. No account needed.
- Step 3 (5 min): Add your debts. For each debt in your Monarch export, create a debt in Unburden with balance, APR, and minimum payment.
- Step 4 (1 min): Set your monthly amount. Pick the total you can commit each month. Unburden generates the plan and shows your debt-free date.
- Step 5 (2 min): Cancel Monarch. Log in at monarchmoney.com, open Settings, Billing, and cancel. Your access stays live until the end of your billing period.
What carries over vs. what doesn't
Carries over
- Your debt balances, APRs, and minimums. Four fields per debt, re-entered in Unburden.
- Your monthly debt commitment. The amount you were directing at debt in Monarch becomes your Unburden monthly amount.
- The habit of checking in. If Monarch trained you to look at your finances weekly, Unburden rewards that habit with visible Burden Score movement.
Doesn't carry over
- Net-worth tracking. Unburden does not track assets. If total net worth is the number you care about, keep Monarch or use a dedicated investment tracker.
- Categorized spending. No category budgets. Unburden assumes you have a monthly number and builds the plan around it.
- Bank sync. Unburden is local-first by design. You update balances manually, usually once a month.
- Couples collaboration. Unburden has Spaces for separate debt tracking, but it is not real-time shared budgeting like Monarch's. Different problem shape.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Unburden | Monarch |
|---|---|---|
| Debt tracking | Purpose-built: snowball, avalanche, Momentum, Burden Score | One module inside a broader tool; no strategy comparison |
| Budgeting | No full budgeter | Category budgets, goals, cashflow forecasting |
| Bank sync | None; privacy by design | Strong; multiple aggregators and manual fallback |
| Mobile experience | Capacitor-native, ADHD-friendly, short decision paths | Excellent; one of the best in the category |
| Price | Free up to 3 debts; Pro $6.45/mo or $149.99 lifetime | $14.99/month or $99.99/year |
Monarch wins on breadth and sync. Unburden wins on debt-specific depth, privacy, and price. Bank sync matters if you want automatic transaction import; it does not matter if you update balances monthly.
How to export your data from Monarch
In Monarch web, click your profile in the top-right, pick Settings, then Data, then Export Data. You get CSVs for accounts, transactions, categories, and cashflow. The export can take a few minutes if you have a lot of history; Monarch emails you when it is ready. Official support docs: help.monarchmoney.com.
How to cancel your Monarch subscription
Log in at app.monarchmoney.com, click your profile, go to Settings, then Billing, and choose Cancel Subscription. You stay on the paid tier until your billing period ends. If you subscribed through Apple or Google, you cancel through the App Store or Play Store. Monarch offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on annual plans; request it through support if you are within that window.
Why Unburden works for ex-Monarch users
Three specific reasons:
- It is narrower on purpose. Monarch is broad. Unburden is deep on one thing. If debt was the thing you actually opened Monarch for, Unburden gives you more tool per dollar on that specific job.
- The Burden Score replaces the net-worth number. Monarch made net worth visible. The Burden Score makes debt stress visible. When balances are ugly, net worth can stall for years; the Burden Score moves every time you do the right thing.
- Privacy without tradeoffs. Monarch's sync is good, but it still requires handing over bank credentials to an aggregator. Unburden never touches your bank. For people who care about that, it is the only option in this category.
FAQ
What happens to my Monarch history?
Your Monarch account stays accessible until your billing period ends, and your exported CSVs are yours to keep. Unburden does not import category or transaction history because it tracks debt balances over time, not every transaction.
Can I import Monarch data into Unburden?
No automated import. You re-enter debt balances, APRs, and minimums manually. For most people that is a few minutes. The tradeoff keeps Unburden private with no bank or third-party connections.
Is Unburden cheaper than Monarch?
Yes. Monarch is $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Unburden is free for up to three debts, with Pro at $6.45 per month, $49.99 per year, or $149.99 one-time for life. A lifetime Unburden license costs less than one and a half years of Monarch.
What if Unburden does not have net-worth tracking?
It does not. Monarch's net-worth dashboard is great if total wealth is your focus. If debt is what you actually need to attack, Unburden replaces the net-worth number with the Burden Score, which measures debt stress on your life rather than total assets minus liabilities.
Do I get a refund from Monarch?
Monarch offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on annual plans. For monthly subscriptions, contact Monarch support through the app to request a prorated refund. If you paid through Apple or Google, use their refund process.
Ready to switch?
Start free at app.unburden.money. No credit card, no sign-up, five minutes to your first debt-free date.
Find your Burden ScoreIf you are still comparing options, the full breakdown is at Unburden vs Monarch. If you were also eyeing YNAB, see switching from YNAB.