Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started
Do I have to connect my bank?
No — and you can't. There's no bank connection anywhere in the app. You enter your income, bills, and debts, and mark bills complete as you pay them. See Data & Privacy.
How long does setup take?
About fifteen minutes if you have your loan and card statements handy. Gathering the debt figures is the slow part; the app itself is quick.
Can I use it without an account?
You can look around as a Guest, but saving a budget requires an account.
Why does it keep asking about paychecks instead of months?
Because bills come out of specific paychecks, not out of an abstract month. A month can balance perfectly and still leave you short on the 12th. See How Paycheck Budgeting Works.
Budgets and plans
How many plans do I get?
Usually five, from Minimum Effort through Maximum Effort. Fewer when your situation doesn't support the full range — and a single plan (The Only Way with debts, The Plan without) when there's only one workable path.
Which plan should I pick?
The most aggressive one you can sustain for its full duration — which is usually a tier below your first instinct. A Maximum Effort plan you quit in March is worth less than a Minimum Effort plan you finish. See Understanding Your Results.
I only got one plan. Is something wrong?
No. It means your income and obligations leave little room to maneuver, so there's no meaningful choice to offer.
Can I have more than one budget?
Yes, and every budget you build stays in the Archive. One is active at a time. Keeping multiple budgets for comparison is a Thrive feature.
How often should I rebuild?
When your inputs actually change — income, housing, a new or cleared debt. Not after a single bad month. See Editing & Rebuilding a Budget.
Where does my mortgage go?
Under Housing, not Debts. To model paying it off early, use Early Mortgage Payoff.
Should I enter gross or take-home income?
Take-home — what actually arrives. If you don't know it, work it out with the Paycheck Calculator first.
Tracking
Do I have to log every purchase?
No. You mark bills complete — the committed costs in your plan. There's no transaction logging and no categorizing your day-to-day spending.
What if I forget for a few weeks?
Don't try to reconstruct it. Mark the current paycheck accurately and carry on from there.
A bill came in higher than planned. Can I change it?
Yes, tap it and correct the amount for that period — a Thrive feature. If it's consistently different, fix it in the Builder and rebuild instead.
I didn't pay a bill. Should I mark it complete anyway?
No. Leave it in Upcoming. The list is only useful if it's true.
Plans and billing
Is Free actually usable?
Yes. Build budgets, track paycheck by paycheck, use all nine calculators, keep your history — with no trial clock. See Free vs. Thrive.
What exactly does Thrive unlock?
All of it is listed in one place: What's Included with Thrive.
I paid but the app still shows Free.
Use Restore on Settings → Subscription. That resolves most cases.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
Nothing is deleted. Budgets, history, and canvases are all preserved; canvases are locked until you resubscribe.
Is there a family plan?
Not currently. Each account carries its own subscription.
Everything else
Which countries are supported?
Thirty-six. The full list is on Region & Currency.
My country isn't listed. Can I still use it?
Partly. The tax-based calculators won't work, but the Budget Builder, paycheck tracking, and all the loan calculators will.
Are the calculators accurate enough to sign against?
They're estimates — good for deciding whether something is in the right range and for comparing options, not for use as a quoted figure.
Can I use it on more than one device?
Yes. Budgets are tied to your account, so signing in elsewhere brings them with you.