Zero-based budgeting
Pensum is the budgeting app for the budget-wise. Assign the money you have to the things that matter, track what you spend, and see clearly where it went.
Sign in with the Google account your invitation was sent to, and you’ll go straight to the budget.
How it works
It was a portion of wool, weighed out on a scale: exactly the amount for the day's work. That's budgeting the old way, and still the best way: allocating each portion to its task.
Enter each checking, savings, credit card, and cash balance as it stands today.
Give the money you have a category until nothing is left to assign. That’s the zero in zero-based.
Log or import what you spend. When life changes the plan, move money between categories and keep going.
Features
Enter transactions by hand, import using the files your bank already offers, or sync automatically via SimpleFin. Pensum never asks for your bank login.
One shopping run can be groceries, household, and toiletries. Split a transaction across as many categories as you need.
Choose, category by category, how to handle leftover money or overspending.
Am I living within my means? What changed this month? Is my plan realistic? Who am I paying every month without noticing?
Share a budget with a partner as an editor, or give someone view-only access.
Check what’s left in a category or log a purchase at the register. Your budget updates the moment you save.
Privacy and security
Pensum never stores a password. Google handles your login and two-step verification.
Your name, email, and your budget. Nothing else is collected, and nothing is sold or used for ads.
Every budget is walled off from every other, and the database is encrypted at rest.
Download a copy any time. Delete your account and every budget you own is removed, along with its history.
Questions
You assign all the money you have right now to categories (rent, groceries, savings, that trip in June) until nothing is left to assign. Your budget then balances to zero, and every dollar has a purpose. When you overspend somewhere, you move money from another category, so the plan always matches reality. More on zero-based budgeting.
Pensum is free during early access and aims to be the most affordable option on the market. You’ll get at least 30 days notice before paid subscriptions begin, and you’ll never be charged unless you choose a paid plan. You can export or delete your data at any time.
No. Enter transactions by hand, or import the files your bank already offers (CSV, OFX, QFX, or QIF). If you’d like automatic updates, you can connect through SimpleFIN, a separate service with its own small fee. Either way, Pensum never sees your bank login.
Yes. Export your budget from YNAB (or YNAB 4) and choose the file during setup. Pensum brings over your accounts, categories, transactions, and what you assigned each month. See how Pensum compares with YNAB, EveryDollar, and others.
Yes. Invite them as an editor to budget together, or give someone view-only access. Everyone signs in with their own Google account.
Yes, without an app store: Pensum has a progressive web app (PWA) that looks and acts just like an app. Install it from your browser and it gets its own icon and opens in its own window, like any other app. It’s always up to date, and everything you change shows up on all your devices the moment you save.
More in the help center: your first budget, category types, credit cards, and more.
Setup walks you through your accounts and your first month. Coming from YNAB? Import your budget during setup.
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