SproutAICleo alternatives
Cleo alternatives: AI money chat without the cash advances
Cleo made talking to your money feel normal, and its chat is still a lot of fun. These six alternatives let you ask about your spending, and none of them is a cash-advance app.
Quick pick
Sprout AI is the best Cleo alternative if the chat is what you liked. Ask about your spending in plain English and get answers with the transactions behind them, read-only, with no advances, loans, or credit products. It works in the US and Canada. ChatGPT Finances is a free option for US users, and Monarch suits people who want AI answers inside a full budget.
| App | Best for | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sprout AI | Read-only AI money chat in the US and Canada | US$99.99/yr or US$9.99/wk; CA$129.99/yr in Canada (as of Oct 2026) | iPhone, iPad, Mac, web; Claude connector |
| 2. ChatGPT Finances | Free AI chat over your US accounts | Free on ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro (as of Oct 2026) | Web, iOS, Android (US only) |
| 3. Monarch Money | AI questions inside a full budgeting app | US$99.99/yr or US$14.99/mo; 7-day trial (as of Oct 2026) | Web, iPhone, iPad, Android |
| 4. Copilot Money | Apple-first design with an AI assistant in beta (US) | US$95/yr or US$13/mo; 1-month trial (as of Oct 2026) | iPhone, iPad, Mac, web |
| 5. Quicken Simplifi | An AI chat beta plus a spending plan, in the US or Canada | US$84.99/yr or US$9.99/mo on the App Store; web from US$3.99/mo billed annually, first year only (as of Oct 2026) | Web, iPhone, iPad, Android |
| 6. Rocket Money | Help cancelling subscriptions and lowering bills (US) | Free tier; Premium is pay-what-you-want; Premium+ US$15/mo; 7-day Premium trial (as of Oct 2026) | iPhone, Android, web for Premium members |
1Sprout AI
Sprout is the closest thing to Cleo's chat with the lending taken out. Ask what you spent on food delivery this month, which subscriptions renewed, or if you're spending faster than usual, and Sprout answers from your connected accounts with the receipts attached. The fun is still there: a Spending Roast quotes your real numbers, Money Wrapped recaps each week and month, and a Sprout pet grows with your daily check-in streak. Sprout can't move money, offer advances, or make credit decisions. It works with eligible US and Canadian institutions through Plaid.
Strengths
- Chat answers name the accounts and dates behind every number
- Spending Roast, Money Wrapped, and streaks keep it fun
- Works with Canadian banks as well as US ones
Trade-offs
- Can't help with short-term cash: no advances, by design
- Cleo Plus (US$5.99/mo) costs less than Sprout's annual plan, which works out to about US$8.33/mo
- 3-day free trial on iPhone, and no Android version
2ChatGPT Finances
If you're in the US and already use ChatGPT, its built-in Finances feature is the cheapest way to keep a money chat. It connects accounts read-only through Plaid, can add an Experian credit score as a separate connection, and shows widgets for spending, subscriptions, and upcoming bills. OpenAI's sample prompts include "Where did I spend the most money this month?" ChatGPT can't move money, pay bills, or make trades. OpenAI also warns that breakdowns may count transfers or duplicate pending items as spending, so double-check totals before you act on them.
Strengths
- Free on every ChatGPT plan in the US
- Read-only, and can't move money
- Lives where you already chat
Trade-offs
- US only as of October 2026
- Totals can include transfers or pending duplicates, per OpenAI
3Monarch Money
Monarch is a full budgeting app with three AI features: an AI Assistant for natural-language questions about your data, AI-powered Insights, and a Weekly Recap. It uses models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Monarch is read-only, so there's no way for your money to move through it, and it works in the US and Canada. If you want real budgets with rollovers alongside the chat, this is the step up. Monarch's official MCP connector for outside AI tools has been paused since June 2026.
Strengths
- AI Assistant plus Insights and a Weekly Recap
- Read-only, with full budgets and rollovers
- Works in the US and Canada
Trade-offs
- More setup than a chat-first app
- No native Mac app, and billing is in USD
4Copilot Money
Copilot says it doesn't hold your money, issue cards, or process payments, which makes it a clean break from Cleo's banking products. Its Money Assistant, in public beta through a waitlist since April 2026, sends daily briefings and anomaly alerts and can edit categories, budgets, and transactions after asking for your approval. Copilot also runs a read-only MCP beta for tools like Claude and ChatGPT. The design is polished on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It works with US-based accounts only, and the AI features aren't open to everyone yet.
Strengths
- No cards, payments, or held funds
- Native apps on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- A full month to try it free
Trade-offs
- AI assistant and MCP are waitlisted betas
- US-based accounts only
5Quicken Simplifi
Simplifi's Spending Plan shows what's left to spend after bills, income, and savings, and projects your cash flow forward. Quicken AI, a chat assistant in beta, uses your data plus web search, can recategorize transactions and create goals or rules with your approval, and can't move money. It doesn't remember past sessions. Simplifi has no bill pay and works with US and Canadian accounts in USD or CAD, one currency at a time. There's no free trial, though quicken.com purchases come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Strengths
- Low first-year web price
- AI chat that can't move money
- US and Canadian accounts
Trade-offs
- Quicken AI is a beta with no memory between sessions
- No free trial
6Rocket Money
Rocket Money is the pick if you liked having an app do things on your behalf. The free tier covers basic tracking. Premium adds a subscription cancellation concierge, and Premium+ adds Rowan, a text-message AI agent rolling out to select members that can start cancellations and negotiations, request refunds, and set up savings transfers. From November 2, 2026, bill negotiation is a Premium+ feature only. Rocket Money moves money for its automated savings, so it isn't read-only, and it serves US users with US banks.
Strengths
- Free tier for basic tracking
- Cancellation concierge and bill negotiation handled for you on paid plans
- More than 10 million members, per Rocket Money
Trade-offs
- US only
- Moves money for automated savings, so it isn't read-only
- Bill negotiation becomes Premium+ only on November 2, 2026
What you give up, and keep, when you leave Cleo
Cleo is a chat-first money coach with two-way voice, and its personality is a big part of the appeal. Its paid plans also bundle financial products. Plus (US$5.99/mo) includes cash advances up to US$250, Pro (US$8.99/mo) adds a high-yield savings account, and Builder (US$14.99/mo) adds the Cleo Card for building credit and advances up to US$500.
If you mostly used the chat, every app on this list covers that part without a cash-advance product attached. You keep the questions and the answers, and you lose access to short-term cash. If you rely on advances to cover the gap between paychecks, plan for that before you cancel, because none of these apps will fill it.
Read-only AI: what these apps can and can't do
Sprout connects through Plaid with read-only access. It can read transactions and balances, and it can't move money, pay bills, place trades, make credit decisions, or offer advances or loans. Plaid runs the bank sign-in, so Sprout never sees your password. Read-only isn't rare, though: Monarch, Copilot, and ChatGPT Finances are read-only too.
Agents that act are heading the other way. Rocket Money's Rowan can start cancellations and set up savings transfers, Copilot's assistant can edit budgets and transactions after asking, and Quicken AI can recategorize with approval. Decide how much you want a money app to do, then pick accordingly. Our security page explains Sprout's approach.
If you live in Canada
Cleo's US terms require you to be a legal resident of the United States, and its website offers US and UK versions only. Its UK service relaunched in February 2026 without lending. Among the alternatives here, Sprout, Monarch, and Quicken Simplifi work with Canadian accounts, while ChatGPT Finances, Copilot, and Rocket Money are US-only.
In Canada, Sprout keeps CAD in CAD and USD in USD, and Sprout Plus costs CA$129.99 per year or CA$12.99 per week. Our roundup of budget apps that connect to Canadian banks compares every option, and the Sprout for Canada page shows what you can ask.
How we picked
We looked for apps that let you talk to your own money the way Cleo does. We scored five things: chat as the main way you use the app, answers built from your connected accounts, read-only access with no lending products, availability outside the US, and native apps on the devices you use. Sprout ranks first because chat is the center of the app, and it adds Canada plus native iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps.
Disclosure: Sprout AI is our product, made by MindCrafters LLC, so weigh our ranking with that in mind. We don't use affiliate links and earn nothing if you pick another app. Prices and features come from each company's public pages, checked on October 13, 2026. They change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you pay.
Common questions
Straight answers.
Is there an app like Cleo without cash advances?
Yes. Sprout AI gives you Cleo-style chat about your spending with read-only access and no lending products. ChatGPT Finances answers spending questions for free in the US. Monarch, Copilot, and Quicken Simplifi add AI assistants to full budgeting apps. None of them is a cash-advance app.
Does Cleo work in Canada?
Cleo's terms require US legal residence for its US service, and its website offers US and UK versions only. Canadians who want AI money chat can use Sprout, which connects eligible Canadian institutions through Plaid and keeps Canadian dollar amounts in CAD.
What happened with Cleo and the FTC?
In March 2025, Cleo agreed to pay US$17 million to resolve an FTC lawsuit. The FTC alleged that Cleo misled consumers about how much they could get in cash advances and how fast, and made subscriptions hard to cancel. In October 2026, the FTC announced more than US$15.8 million in refunds to Cleo customers.
Can Sprout give me a cash advance?
No. Sprout is read-only and informational. It can't lend money, move money, or make credit decisions. It can show you where your money went last pay period and which recurring charges are due next, so a tight week is easier to see coming.
Is Sprout cheaper than Cleo?
Not always. Cleo Plus costs US$5.99 per month, and Cleo has free features. Sprout Plus costs US$99.99 per year, about US$8.33 a month, or US$9.99 per week, with a 3-day free trial for eligible Apple accounts on iPhone. Sprout's price pays for the app itself, with no financial products attached.
Which Cleo alternative is free?
ChatGPT Finances is free on every ChatGPT plan in the US. Rocket Money has a free tier focused on tracking. Sprout, Monarch, Copilot, and Quicken Simplifi are paid, with trials or money-back terms that vary by app.
More comparisons
Go deeper on each app.
- ComparisonSprout AI vs CleoBoth chat about your money. Cleo adds cash advances and banking products; Sprout sticks to read-only answers with receipts.
- FeatureAsk your money anything. Get answers you can check.Ask anything about your money in plain English and get answers with the accounts and dates behind them.
- FeatureLet Sprout roast your spending. Every burn comes with receipts.Sprout's honest, funny take on your last 30 days, with a real number in every line.
- AlternativesThe best AI budgeting apps in 2026AI budgeting apps that actually read your own transactions, with each AI feature's real status.
- Who it's forThe budget app that speaks Canadian dollars.An AI budget app for Canadians: connect eligible Canadian accounts through Plaid, keep CAD in CAD, and ask anything.
- SecurityHow Sprout keeps your money safeRead-only by design, Plaid sign-in, no money movement, delete everything in one tap.
Ask Sprout where your money went.
Connect your accounts read-only, ask in plain English, and get the number with the receipts. 3 days free on iPhone if eligible.
