Budgeting
Budgeting for people who gave up on budgeting apps
Most budgeting apps want every coffee sorted into a category. Zeno starts with the money that leaves on a schedule, your subscriptions and recurring bills, and gives you one monthly number to stay under.
Why most budgets don't last
The usual budgeting app asks for a bank connection, pulls in hundreds of transactions, and gives you the job of sorting them. It works for a week or two. Then the categories drift, the sync breaks, and the app becomes one more thing you feel bad about opening.
There is a smaller job that is easier to keep up: knowing how much of the month is already spoken for before it starts. Recurring charges are the part of that you can change with a single decision, so they are a good place to begin.
How it works in Zeno
- Set a monthly cap. Zeno suggests one from your renewals, or you type your own. Nothing needs importing to start.
- Watch three numbers: what has been charged so far this month, what is still to renew, and where the month is forecast to end.
- Read last month's recap, which shows how your spending tracked against the cap, so the next cap can be a realistic one.
- Add your income if you want to, and see your recurring spend as a share of it.
An example month
Say your renewals come to $86 a month: streaming, music, cloud storage, a gym and a few apps. You set a cap of $90. Halfway through the month, Zeno shows $51 charged, $35 still to renew, and a forecast of $86, inside the cap with a little room.
Now say a yearly plan you had forgotten renews this month at $60. Because it falls in this month, it is already in the forecast, which reads $146 against your $90 cap well before the charge lands. That is the moment to decide whether to keep it, not after.
More control with Pro
Pro adds category budgets, so streaming and software can each have their own limit, and envelope budgeting, for people who like to give every dollar a job before the month begins. You fund an envelope at the start of the month and log what you spend from it, with nothing to import. Both are optional. The monthly cap works on its own and stays free.
Compared with full budgeting apps
Apps like YNAB and Monarch Money are built for complete budgeting, transaction by transaction, and they are good at it. Monarch connects to your bank accounts to bring transactions in. YNAB costs $109 a year.
Zeno is narrower on purpose. It tracks what renews, budgets around it, and works without a bank connection. If you want every purchase in a category, a full budgeting app is the better tool. If you want to stop being surprised by charges you already agreed to, Zeno is built for that.
What it costs
The monthly cap, the forecast and the recap are free, for up to 10 subscriptions. Pro is $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year, or a single $79.99 payment with Lifetime, and adds category budgets, envelope budgeting and unlimited subscriptions.
Questions
Do I have to connect my bank to budget with Zeno?
No. The cap and the forecast are built from the subscriptions and bills you track. You can import a statement CSV if you want past charges included.
Does Zeno track every purchase?
No. It tracks recurring charges: subscriptions, memberships and bills that renew. For day-to-day spending, a full budgeting app or a notebook will serve you better.
What's free, and what needs Pro?
The monthly cap, the forecast and last month's recap are free. Category budgets and envelope budgeting are part of Pro, at $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year, or $79.99 once with Lifetime.
Can I change my cap later?
Yes, at any time. Last month's recap is there to help: if you went over, either raise the cap to something honest or cancel a subscription, rather than keeping a number you will never hit.
Can my household use it together?
Yes, with the Family plan: $6.99 a month for up to five people. Members see the household's totals, never each other's lists.
Budget around the charges you already know are coming
Zeno is pre-launch — join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s available.