The budget app that works as well on iPad

The dashboard expands to use the iPad's wider screen — the income/expenses summary tiles spread across the top, the transaction list takes the left column, and the category breakdown chart sits on the right. In landscape on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, you can see roughly a week of transactions plus the monthly chart without scrolling. Adding a transaction opens in a sheet so you don't lose context of the screen you were on. The voice and receipt capture flows work the same as on iPhone, just centered in a readable column rather than stretched edge-to-edge. The app supports both portrait and landscape orientations, and Stage Manager.

iCloud sync is a premium feature. The free tier keeps each device's data local, so iPhone and iPad would have separate transaction lists if you used both. Premium ($4.99/month or $29.99/year) enables CloudKit sync, which uses your personal iCloud storage — your transactions never touch our servers. After upgrading, your existing local data migrates to your iCloud automatically. Most iPad users who care about cross-device review subscribe to premium specifically for this; if you're an iPad-only user, the free tier works fine. Family Sharing extends premium to up to five household members on one subscription, so a couple using iPhone and iPad doesn't need two plans.

Mint's iPad app was a stretched iPhone screen and was retired with the rest of Mint in 2024. YNAB has a web-based iPad experience that works but never felt native — the touch targets and gestures don't match iPadOS conventions. Copilot Money is iOS-only and Monarch's iPad app is essentially the iPhone UI scaled up. Cash Compass uses iPadOS-native readable-content widths, so layouts feel composed rather than blown up. You also get system-level integrations like Slide Over, Split View, and quick-look that web-first apps generally don't support. The trade-off is the same as on iPhone: no bank linking, so you log entries yourself.

Yes. When an external keyboard is attached, you can tab between fields in the manual entry form and use return to save, which speeds up data entry significantly. Apple Pencil isn't used for any specific feature, but it works for general navigation and text selection like any iPadOS app. The numeric amount field accepts keyboard input directly, so a Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio makes month-end review faster than tapping. Stage Manager and external-display support work as expected — you can keep Cash Compass open alongside a spreadsheet or budgeting note. There's no specialized desktop-style toolbar; the layout is touch-first with keyboard enhancements rather than the reverse.