Cash Compass runs on Apple Silicon Macs via the Designed-for-iPad runtime, sharing the same iCloud-synced data with your iPhone and iPad.
Apple-native · No bank logins · iCloud sync
On Macs with M1, M2, M3, or M4 chips, Cash Compass installs directly from the Mac App Store as a Designed-for-iPad app. It runs natively on Apple Silicon — not under Rosetta — and shares your iCloud data with iPhone and iPad. No separate subscription, no extra download. Intel Macs aren't supported, which is the trade-off of being all-Apple-Silicon-native.
Premium iCloud sync uses CloudKit, so a transaction logged on your phone at lunch appears in Cash Compass on your Mac when you sit down after work. You're not running two separate apps with two separate datasets — it's one logical account stored in your iCloud. Web-based apps need an internet connection and a server fetch; Cash Compass on Mac works offline against the local cache.
iPhone is for capture, iPad and Mac are for review. The wider display gives you room to see the full transaction list, the income-vs-expenses chart, and category breakdowns at once. Most budget apps that target Mac are either web apps in a wrapper (Monarch, Copilot's web view) or aging Intel-only Cocoa apps. Cash Compass uses a modern SwiftUI layout that adapts to the Mac window without feeling like a phone screen.
Voice, photo of a receipt, or 3-tap manual entry — every method takes under 5 seconds.
Cash Compass picks the category automatically. Override once and it learns your pattern.
Weekly chart shows where money went. Adjust caps before the month is over, not after.
Cash Compass uses the Designed-for-iPad runtime on Apple Silicon Macs, which means the iPad app runs natively on M-series Macs through the Mac App Store. You install it from the App Store like any Mac app and it appears in /Applications. The interface is the iPad layout adapted for a windowed environment — you can resize the window, use the trackpad and keyboard, and copy/paste between Cash Compass and other Mac apps. Some iPad-specific UI conventions remain (touch targets are larger than a native Mac app's), but most users adapt within a session. Intel Macs are not supported because the Designed-for-iPad runtime requires Apple Silicon. There's no separate macOS-Catalyst build.
No. Cash Compass is a single universal app across iPhone, iPad, and Mac under one Apple ID. If you've subscribed to premium on your iPhone, your Mac install picks up the same entitlement automatically through StoreKit. Apple Family Sharing extends premium across the household, so a family of five on one subscription can use Cash Compass on every Mac, iPad, and iPhone they own. The free tier also works the same on Mac — manual entry is unlimited, plus three voice and three receipt scans, and seven days of chart access. Premium ($2.99/week or $29.99/year) is what unlocks iCloud sync between your Mac and your other devices.
Copilot Money is iOS and iPadOS only — no Mac support at all. Monarch Money runs on Mac via a web app in Safari, which is functional but isn't native and depends on a stable internet connection. YNAB also uses a web app for desktop access. Quicken Simplifi has a Mac version that's broadly considered slow and dated. Cash Compass on Mac is a native Apple Silicon app from the Mac App Store, so it launches fast, works offline, and respects system features like dark mode and notifications. The honest gap: Cash Compass on Mac uses the iPad layout, so it's not a fully bespoke Mac UI with menu bar shortcuts and resizable columns.
Cash Compass isn't available on Intel Macs because the Designed-for-iPad runtime requires Apple Silicon (M1 or later). If you're on an Intel MacBook or iMac and want to use Cash Compass, the practical options are: use the iPhone or iPad version on your phone/tablet alongside the Intel Mac, or wait until your next Mac upgrade. iCloud sync still works across iPhone and iPad without a Mac in the mix. If you absolutely need a Mac-running budget app on Intel today, Monarch's web app and YNAB's web app are the realistic alternatives — they run in any browser. We're not planning a Mac Catalyst or Intel build because Apple Silicon coverage gets better every quarter and a separate Mac codebase would slow feature work.
Built native for iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud sync. Works offline.
No bank logins, no Plaid, no data sales. All data lives in your iCloud.
Manual entry, charts, category tracking — all free, forever. Premium is optional.
Native Mac install via the Mac App Store. Same iCloud-synced data as your iPhone and iPad with premium.
Download Cash Compass on the App Store