Headway Budget App for iPhone
Headway is a private, local-first budgeting app for iPhone. It turns transactions, income, bills and savings goals you enter yourself into a daily Safe to Spend estimate.
Headway does not require a bank connection or a Headway account. It is available on the App Store as Spending Tracker – Headway.
Key facts
- Platform: iPhone
- Bank connection: Not required
- Headway account: Not required
- Price: Free; optional Pro features cost £10 per year
- Android: Not currently available
- Website: headwaybudgetapp.com
What does Headway do?
Headway helps you plan from now until your next income. You record your balance, income, spending and upcoming commitments. Headway then estimates what may be safe to spend after allowing for protected payments, savings and a safety buffer.
Because Headway does not require a bank feed, you control what is recorded. Its calculations depend on you keeping your entries current.
Main features
Safe to Spend
Safe to Spend estimates the amount available for flexible spending before your next expected income. It considers your recorded balance, protected payments, planned transfers, savings commitments and safety buffer.
It is a planning estimate, not a bank balance, guarantee or form of financial advice.
Manual spending tracker
Record purchases, income, refunds, transfers and credit-card repayments without connecting a bank. Entries can include an amount, merchant, date, account, category, note and purpose.
Who it was for
Categories show what you bought. Purposes show who or what it was for.
Spending can be assigned to purposes such as:
- Me
- Household
- Children
- Pet
- Gift
- Work
One purchase can be divided between several purposes. For example, a supermarket transaction could be split between personal, household and pet spending.
This helps answer questions such as “How much did the household cost?” or “How much did I spend on myself?”
Money with people
Track money lent to or borrowed from another person. Each entry can record:
- The person
- Whether you lent or borrowed
- The amount
- The reason
- An optional due date
It is useful for shared meals, tickets, household purchases and informal loans. It records who owes what but does not transfer money.
Impulse Pause
Impulse Pause creates a cooling-off period before a possible impulse purchase.
Using Apple’s Screen Time controls, you can temporarily pause selected shopping, delivery, social-media or other apps and websites for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours.
Apple protects the identity of selected apps and websites. Headway does not receive ordinary browsing history through Impulse Pause.
Bills and subscriptions
Record rent, household bills, subscriptions, debt repayments, regular savings and recurring income. Protected upcoming payments can be included in Safe to Spend.
Headway can help you review subscriptions but does not cancel them for you.
Savings goals
Create named goals, set target amounts and track progress towards an emergency fund, holiday, deposit or other purchase.
Accounts, debts and net worth
Track current accounts, savings, cash, credit cards, loans, mortgages, investments and manually valued assets. Headway uses these records to provide a broader view of balances, liabilities and estimated net worth.
Budgets and insights
Headway can show monthly outflow, daily spending pace, category totals, spending by purpose, largest purchases, budget progress, savings progress and cash-flow patterns.
Who is Headway for?
Headway may suit:
- People who do not want to connect their bank
- People paid monthly, weekly or irregularly
- Households tracking who spending was for
- People who lend or borrow money informally
- People trying to reduce impulse spending
- Freelancers with variable income
- People managing bills and subscriptions
- People working towards savings goals
- People who prefer a local-first budgeting app
How does Headway work?
- Add the balances and accounts you want to track.
- Enter your next expected income.
- Record bills, transfers and savings commitments.
- Choose a safety buffer.
- Add transactions as money comes in or goes out.
- Review Safe to Spend, your plan and your insights.
Privacy
Headway is designed as a local-first app. Its core budgeting features do not require a Headway account or bank connection.
See the Headway privacy policy for current information about storage, permissions and optional services.
Pricing and availability
Headway is free to use. Optional Pro features cost £10 per year and are billed annually through Apple’s App Store. Regional prices and availability may vary.
Headway is available for iPhone and is not currently available for Android.
FAQ
Does Headway connect to my bank?
No bank connection is required. Headway can build a plan from information you enter yourself.
Is Safe to Spend my bank balance?
No. It is an estimate after allowing for recorded future commitments and a safety buffer.
What does “who it was for” mean?
It assigns spending to a purpose such as Me, Household, Children, Pet, Gift or Work, separately from its category.
Can Headway track money owed between people?
Yes. It records money lent or borrowed, who was involved and an optional due date. It does not send money.
What is Impulse Pause?
It temporarily shields selected apps or websites to create a cooling-off period before a possible impulse purchase.
Is Headway available on Android?
No. Headway is currently available for iPhone.
Last reviewed: 3 November 2026.
