The short version
Zerosum is cheaper, and if you want a strict zero-based method in one currency it is a good choice. If your money is in two currencies and you want one picture of it, with what each transfer between them cost, that is what Orbiq does.
Where Zerosum stops
Zerosum says “every budget has its own currency” (zerosumapp.com). Money in two currencies therefore lives in two budgets: two plans, two sets of totals, and no single figure in your home currency for both. A transfer from one to the other shows up as money leaving one budget and money arriving in the other, with nothing measuring what the conversion cost.
What Orbiq does differently
- One ledger for every currency you live in. CAD, USD, INR, GBP, EUR, AUD and nine more sit together; each row keeps the amount and currency the bank wrote.
- The rate from each transaction’s own day. Totals in your home currency are converted row by row, not at one rate for the month.
- What a transfer really cost. Orbiq pairs the two legs of a transfer between your countries and prices it against the mid-market rate on the day it left.
- Import from anywhere. Screenshots, PDF statements, CSV, XLSX and OFX, from any bank in any country, with no bank login. Canadian and US banks can also sync on Orbiq Connect, through Plaid.
- Leave whenever you like. Export everything as documented JSON, or as CSV files YNAB and Actual Budget import, and read an export offline with the open-source viewer.
Who might stay on Zerosum
If your money is in one currency, you want every dollar given a job, and price is the deciding factor, Zerosum is hard to beat. Orbiq has budgets, goals and tags, but it is not a strict zero-based method.
Side by side
| Capability | Zerosum | Orbiq |
|---|---|---|
| More than one currency in one ledger | One currency per budget | Yes — 15 currencies |
| What a transfer between currencies cost | — | Yes, against mid-market on the day |
| Zero-based method | Yes, the whole method | Budgets and goals, not strict zero-based |
| Import without a bank login | CSV, OFX, QFX and QIF files; YNAB and Actual Budget | CSV, XLSX, OFX, QFX and QBO files; YNAB and Lunch Money |
| Import a screenshot or a PDF statement | — | Yes, from any bank |
| Bank sync | Pro: Plaid in the US and Canada, Lunch Flow elsewhere, listed as part of Pro. Plus: your own SimpleFIN or Lunch Flow account | Canada / US on Connect; 40+ countries with your own LunchFlow account, billed separately Your own key |
| Price | Basic USD $30/yr (≈ CAD $43)Plus USD $50/yr (≈ CAD $71)Pro USD $75/yr (≈ CAD $107), with bank sync | Core CAD $79/yr (≈ USD $55) or CAD $9/mo (≈ USD $6)Connect CAD $129/yr (≈ USD $90) or CAD $15/mo (≈ USD $11), with Canadian and US bank sync |
Zerosum’s details from zerosumapp.com. Something changed? Tell us at [email protected] and we’ll fix the page.
Compared October 2026. Zerosum is a trademark of its owner; Orbiq is not affiliated with Zerosum.
FAQ
Can Zerosum combine two currencies in one budget?
Zerosum gives every budget its own currency, so two currencies means two budgets. Orbiq keeps both in one ledger and shows the totals in your home currency, converted at each transaction’s own rate.
Is Orbiq more expensive than Zerosum?
Yes. Zerosum starts at USD $30 a year (≈ CAD $43); Orbiq Core is CAD $79/yr (≈ USD $55). Orbiq’s price buys the multi-currency ledger, transfer costs and import from any bank in any country.
Is Orbiq zero-based budgeting?
No. Orbiq has budgets, goals and tags, but it is not a strict give-every-dollar-a-job method.
Try it on your own money.
Free for 18 days, no card. Export everything whenever you like.