Verdict at a glance
Pick Plum if
Pick Plum if you want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it.
How we compared: published fees, account types and review scores for each, verified against the provider’s own price pages.
The short version
Moneybox is stronger on ISAs, Lifetime ISAs and pensions; Plum is stronger on automated saving rules and everyday money. Both charge a monthly fee on top of fund costs, and neither shows you how the pot maps to your actual retirement.
Why people compare them
The two headline UK automatic-saving apps, both of which push you into a Stocks and Shares ISA.
Price and fit, side by side
| Feature | Plum | Moneybox |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | PlumFree tier, then £3.99 per month | Moneybox£1 per month |
| Free tier | PlumYes | MoneyboxNo |
| Billed in pounds | PlumYes | MoneyboxYes |
| Best for | PlumPeople who want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it | MoneyboxPeople starting to invest who want the round-up habit and a Lifetime ISA in the same app |
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 Moneybox wins
- Properly UK: Cash ISA, Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, GIA and pension all in one place
- Round-ups genuinely get people saving who otherwise would not
- Pension accounts carry no monthly subscription fee, and the platform fee tapers above £100,000
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 Plum does for people who want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it, so if that is the real problem, Plum 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.
Plum vs Moneybox: common questions
Plum is £3.99 per month and Moneybox is £1 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. Check each one against those three points, because a tool that scores well elsewhere can still be a poor fit in the UK.
Plum suits people who want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it. Moneybox suits people starting to invest who want the round-up habit and a lifetime isa in the same app. The one that matches how you already think about money will take less setting up.
Plum scores 4.7/5 on Apple App Store (GB) from 70,838 ratings. Moneybox scores 4.8/5 on Apple App Store (GB) from 77,185 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 Plum does for people who want saving to happen automatically without thinking about it, so if that is the real need, pick one of these two.