Verdict at a glance
Pick Cleo if
Pick Cleo if you're a US user who wants a conversational nudge on spending and the option of a small advance before payday.
How we compared: published fees, account types and review scores for each, verified against the provider’s own price pages.
The short version
Plum is stronger on automated saving and has an actual investment product; Cleo is stronger on chat-led nudges and cash advances. Cleo's advance features can push you the wrong way, and neither builds a long-term plan.
Why people compare them
Both are UK AI money apps aimed at younger users who want automation rather than a budget.
Price and fit, side by side
| Feature | Cleo | Plum |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | CleoFree tier, then $1.99 to $5.99 per month | PlumFree tier, then £3.99 per month |
| Free tier | CleoYes | PlumYes |
| Billed in pounds | CleoNo | PlumYes |
| Best for | CleoUS users who want a conversational nudge about spending and occasional access to a small advance | PlumPeople who want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it |
Where Cleo wins
- The chat interface genuinely gets people to open a money app, which most budgeting tools fail at
- Very strong app store ratings, at 4.7 from around 246,000 US ratings
- Cash advances are available on the standard route at no express fee
Where Plum wins
- A genuinely free Basic tier that includes automations, a Cash ISA and a Lifetime ISA
- Automated saving rules work well for people who never get round to transferring money manually
- Investment management fees fall as you move up the tiers, from 0.60% on Basic to 0.15% on Max
Where both fall short
- Both are built US-first, so UK users pay in dollars and work around US assumptions.
- Neither projects far enough forward to answer a long-term question.
If neither is quite right
If what you actually want is the retirement answer rather than a better dashboard, that is the gap Delphina was built for: UK pensions, ISAs and tax, projected to the age you want to stop. It does not do the job Cleo does for us users who want a conversational nudge about spending and occasional access to a small advance, so if that is the real problem, Cleo is still the better buy. Free plan is £0, no card.
See where you actually stand, free
Track your net worth, assets and a five-year forecast built on your real position, not a guess. Free plan, no card.
See where I standDecided? Here’s the next question.
The verdict on the platform is one question. Whether you’re actually saving enough is another, and Delphina answers it from what you already hold and what you pay in each month.
Free. No card required. About two minutes.
Cleo vs Plum: common questions
Cleo is $1.99 to $5.99 per month and Plum is £3.99 per month. Compare the billing period before the number: an annual price and a monthly price are not the same thing.
You can, and some people do, because they solve different halves of the problem. It does mean paying for both, so add the two annual figures together before deciding.
Judge it on billing currency, Open Banking coverage and whether ISAs and pensions are handled. Plum has the edge here, because Cleo bills in a foreign currency.
Cleo suits us users who want a conversational nudge about spending and occasional access to a small advance. Plum suits people who want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it. The one that matches how you already think about money will take less setting up.
Cleo scores 4.7/5 on Apple App Store (US) from 246,000 ratings. Plum scores 4.7/5 on Apple App Store (GB) from 70,838 ratings. Weigh the volume as well as the score.
Delphina covers the gap both leave, which is UK pensions, ISAs and tax projected forward to retirement. The trade-off is that it does not do the job Cleo does for us users who want a conversational nudge about spending and occasional access to a small advance, so if that is the real need, pick one of these two.