Within Means

Best budget app for couples. Works for singles too. Try here.

Why budget planning?

Money influence happiness. People who have a sense of control over their life are happier. Financial cushion allows you to have more choices how to live your life.

Budget in the app you both already use

Within Means works as a Telegram bot so that you have a familiar interface on every platform. It provides sane defaults so often you only need to send it the amount spent.

Use a group chat with your partner and within means so that you both are aware of your plans and spendings.

As easy as clicking /start.

me /start

Within Means This is an app to help you with your budget. Click /help for a list of commands.

Within Means Let's create you an account for a start. Please enter a currency and name.
Example: USD Savings

me EUR Main

Within Means Updated. Your balance is €0.00.

me +2000

me 20

me 600 rent

me /balance

Within Means Your balance is €1 380.00.

Have some privacy

Use a different chat for money you allocated just for you. Be it subscriptions, flowers and tiny surprises for your partner, or anything that is only your business. Pocket money are good for mental health.

me /create_account

Within Means Please enter currency and name. Example: USD Savings

me EUR Pocket

Within Means Updated. Your balance is €0.00.

me +500

me 20

me 50 flowers

me 17 subscriptions

me /balance

Within Means Your balance is €413.00.

Go on a trip with friends

You got it. Another chat, another plan. In the end you'll see who spent how much and could redistribute money so that you are even.

Add @within_means_bot to a chat, plan and record your expenses together. Within Means will show money spent per category and per person. Only one person in a chat needs to have a subscription. Use as many chats as you need.

Try adding to a group here.

service You created the group Trip

me 87.75 * 4 House

me 220 Car

service You invited Elena

Elena 280 Flight

me 50 food

Elena 60 Fuel

Elena 80 food

me 10 food

Elena /stat

Within Means Your balance is -€1 051.00.

Within Means Here is how you spend money:
House €351.00 Flight €280.00 Car €220.00 Food €140.00 Fuel €60.00

By person:
@my_username €631.00 @elena_username €420.00

Multiple Currencies

Whether you're on a trip or generally use more than one currency, Within Means got you covered. Create and close as many accounts as you want, permanent and disposable.

me /create_account

Within Means Please enter currency and name. Example: USD Savings

me AED Trip

Within Means Updated. Here is your new balance:

Main* €1 380.00 Trip AED0.00

me +4000 AED

me 1200 AED Hotel

me /balance

Within Means Here is your balance:

Main* €1 380.00 Trip AED2 800.00

Automatic Categories

Add comments to your expenses, Within Means will categorize them automatically. Ease of use over configurability.

me 40 gym

me /stat

Within Means Here is your balance:

Main* €1 340.00 Trip AED2 800.00

Within Means Here is how you spend money:
Hotel AED1 200.00 Rent €600.00 Gym €40.00 No category €20.00

Plan your budget together

Switch to planning mode and both add what you remember you're going to spend money on. Or check one after another that nothing is forgotten. Holidays, for one, feel much nicer when money stress is not involved.

Assigning every dollar only scratches your anxiety. Let some of your money lay unassigned. Within Means tracks how much is spent unplanned so you know you're still comfortable with your finances.

me /plan

Within Means Please choose a plan or enter a name for a new one

me October 2025

Within Means You have entered planning mode. All the usual commands still work, but the result is stored separately as planned. Later, your plans can be compared to the reality.
/normal to return to normal mode.

me 600 rent

me 800 food

me 50 USD subscriptions

me 150 health

me /normal

Within Means You are back in normal mode.

me /start_financial_period

me 580 rent

me /stat

Within Means Your balance is €1 420.00.

Within Means Here is how you spend money:
Category Plan Fact Rent €600 €580 Food €800 0 Health €150 0 Subscriptions $50 0

See what's overbudget

A leaky budget is rarely leaky because of a single category. It's usually a death by a thousand papercuts. Within means is to help you identify and calibrate your expectations about every one of them. Use it as a starting point to a dialog how to correct your plans or spendings.

me 580 rent

me 80 birthday gift

me $30 pets

me 100 health

me 260 cosmetics

me 40 health

me $40 pets

me 100 health

me /overbudget

Within Means Here is money you spent that is overbudget:
Health €150.00 Cosmetics €120.00 Birthday gift €80.00 Pets $50.00

And so much more

Start with observation. Make use of Hawthorne Effect. Invent your own scenarios. Try here.

me /help

Within Means Quick commands
20 USD food - Spend $20 on the category named Food
+200 - Record $200 of income.

Statistics
/balance - Show balance
/stat - Show statistics
/overbudget - Show overbudget statistics
/yet_to_spend - Show what's left to spend
/stat_past - Show statistics for previous financial periods
/stat_year - Show statistics for a whole year
/export - Export expenses data

Money Tracking
/spend - Record expenses
/income - Record income
/set_default_category - Change default spending category
/set_balance - Update balance
/currency_exchange - Currency exchange

Account Management
/create_account - Create account
/update_account - Update account
/close_account - Close account
/set_default - Change default account. Useful on a trip
/set_default_for_currency - Set default account, but only for a currency
/set_convertible - Set account to use on all foreign currencies

Split
Track who should send whom money so that spendings are even.
/split - Show how to redistribute money
/together - Be in the same bucket with someone when splitting money

Planning and Budgeting
/plan - Planning mode
/normal - Normal mode (default)
/start_financial_period - Choose a plan and follow it

Subscription
/upgrade - Manage your subscription
/unsubscribe - Unsubscribe

Settings
/set_currency_rate - Set manual currency rate
/toggle_ignore - Ignore messages that are not commands. Respond with an error message by default.
/help - Show this message

Get your budget under control

Track your expenses
Make a plan
See what's good and what to improve
Repeat until satisfied

Start now