Tiller Budgeting Review
- Fee
- $79 per year
Our verdict
An automated budget for all the spreadsheet lovers out there.
Tiller Money is best for all the spreadsheet enthusiasts out there who don’t want to take the time to learn a new budgeting software. It connects with over 21,000 financial institutions to automatically import your transactions and is chock full of customizable templates to help you create a budget that’s unique to you. It costs $79 per year, but that's still slightly less expensive than some top budgeting apps. But there’s no mobile app, and some customers say there’s a learning curve if you’re not comfortable with spreadsheets.
Pros
-
Try before you buy
-
Flexible budgeting templates
-
Auto-categorize transactions
Cons
-
No mobile app
-
Limited Excel version
-
Doesn’t connect with non-US banks
Who is Tiller best for?
Tiller isn’t your typical budgeting app – it’s designed for those who prefer to budget with spreadsheets. It’s jam packed with tons of customizable templates to help you budget and pay off debt.
But there’s no mobile app. If you’re on the go, you’ll have to either manage your budget using Google Sheets or wait until you can hop on a computer.
How Tiller works
Tiller uses Google Sheets and Excel to automate your budget. You’ll start by signing in to Google and connecting to your financial accounts. Then, you’ll use Tiller’s foundation budgeting template to set up your budget. You can customize the template as much as you’d like and add additional templates for specific goals like debt payoff, quarterly estimated taxes, year-to-date spending and more.
Each day, Tiller imports all of your transactions and dumps them into a spreadsheet. You can then manually categorize the transactions or set up automatic categorization rules to have the system do it for you. You’ll also get an email each day detailing your latest transactions and balances.
Tiller uses Yodlee, a financial aggregation service, to connect to 21,000 financial institutions.
What we like about Tiller
Tiller isn’t free, but it does cost slightly less than some top budgeting apps. It costs $79 per year, which breaks down to $6.58 per month. For comparison, You Need A Budget (YNAB) costs $99 per year, which shakes out to around $8.25 per month.
Tiller also offers a free trial, so you can try before you buy. Additionally, students can get Tiller for free for one year by filling out the form on its website.
Tracking and custom templates
Tiller lets you auto-categorize transactions. With the AutoCat feature, you can create automatic customization rules for transactions. For example, you could set a rule that says “Any transaction containing ‘McDonalds’ should be categorized as ‘Dining Out.'” That way you never have to categorize those transactions again.
It also has flexible budgeting templates. Modify any part of your budgeting template, including categories, transactions, fonts, colors and more. Explore Tiller’s free library of add-on templates and reports to build a custom dashboard to tackle all your financial goals.
On top of all that, Tiller has a real-time collaboration feature in Google Sheets that allows you to share your spreadsheet with a spouse, financial advisor, accountant or bookkeeper.
Safety features
Tiller protects your data using 256-bit AES bank-grade encryption. The company uses read-only data, which means it doesn’t view or store your bank account information. For added security, you’ll be asked to set up two-step verification when signing in with Google. Plus, Tiller has a 60-day money-back guarantee that lets you get a full refund if the service doesn’t help you better manage your finances.
Where it falls short
Tiller isn’t perfect for everyone. For staters, it doesn’t connect with non-US banks. And this is a big one: there’s no mobile app. You can edit transactions using the Google Sheets app on your phone, but rummaging through all those cells won’t be as easy as it would be with a regular budgeting app.
Compare Tiller with other budgeting software
Compare other popular budgeting tools based on their fees and supported platforms.
Tiller reviews and complaints
Tiller doesn’t have a Better Business Bureau or Trustpilot profile. It also doesn’t have a mobile app, so there are very few places left to look for customer feedback. So we went to the old reliable – Reddit.
After Mint shut down, there was a bit of a scramble for budgeters to find a replacement. About a year ago, a user posted on r/mintuit as users were looking for replacement options, and praised Tiller for its effectiveness, the community, envelope budgeting, rollovers, net worth tracking and more. Other users are lukewarm about Tiller, with someone saying the program is best for those who have patience to sort everything and those who prefer spreadsheet budgeting. Other scattered Reddit threads about Tiller say similar things; it’s best for those who like spreadsheets and custom templates, but it takes work to set up.
How do I open a Tiller account?
Sign up for Tiller in eight steps:
- Select Apply now.
- From the Tiller website, click Free Trial
- Click Sign in with Google
- Sign in to your Google account
- Read and accept the term and conditions and click Start Trial
- Enter your card information and click Start Trial
- Click Start with Google Sheets or Start With Excel
- Click Add New Accounts to connect your financial accounts to Tiller
How do I contact Tiller?
Tiller doesn’t offer phone support, but if you need help with your account, you can contact a specialist in the following ways. Representatives are typically available to respond on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST. Response hours vary on weekends.
- Live chat. Live chat is available via Tiller’s website, but you must be logged into your account.
- Email. Send a message to support@tillerhq.com.
- Social media. Tiller has a presence on Facebook, X (formerlyTwitter), LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.
Frequently asked questions
Your reviews
Cassidy Finder
Writer
Hi there, looking for more information? Ask us a question.
You are about to post a question on finder.com:
- Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank details) as your question will be made public
- finder.com is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or product provider
- We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations
- Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions below to see if yours has already been asked
Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our finder.com Terms of Use and Privacy and Cookies Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
