earmarkIQ is the far more comprehensive app. Plum excels at automated saving — it analyses your spending and moves affordable amounts into savings automatically. But Plum has weak budgeting features, no subscription tracking, no salary allocation, and no AI advisor. earmarkIQ covers saving, budgeting, allocation, subscriptions, AI insights, partner finance, and financial planning in one app. Plum starts at £0 (with £0.45/save fee); earmarkIQ Free includes AI salary allocation at £0. earmarkIQ is an FCA Appointed Representative of Finexer Ltd (FRN 925695).
This comparison is written by earmarkIQ. We’ve been as fair as possible — Plum is a genuinely clever savings app and we say so where it’s true. We’ve noted where Plum is the better choice. But we do have a perspective, and you should factor that in.
Quick Summary
Plum and earmarkIQ are both UK fintech apps that connect to your bank, but they solve very different problems. Both also feature in our wider ranking of the best budgeting apps in the UK for 2026.
Plum is primarily an automated savings app. It analyses your spending patterns, calculates what you can afford to save, and automatically moves that money into a savings pot. It also offers Cash ISAs, stocks & shares ISAs, and interest on balances. Plum is excellent at building the savings habit — but it’s not really a budgeting app. Its spending analytics are basic, it has no subscription tracking, no price creep detection, and no salary allocation.
earmarkIQ is a complete financial operating system. It matches Plum’s goal of helping you save, then adds AI salary allocation (splitting your pay before you spend it), detailed spending analysis, subscription price creep detection, a full AI financial advisor (Ask IQ) with transaction context, partner finance mode, goal tracking, net worth tracking, and 10 pro financial planning tools. Where Plum automates one piece of the puzzle, earmarkIQ manages the whole picture.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Plum | earmarkIQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Banking | |||
| Open Banking connection | ✓ | ✓ | Draw |
| Multi-bank aggregation | ✓ | ✓ | Draw |
| FCA regulated | ✓ | ✓ | Draw |
| Spending Analysis | |||
| Auto transaction categorisation | ✓ Basic | ✓ Advanced | earmarkIQ |
| Spending by category with history | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Payday spike detection | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| 7-type anomaly scanner | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Saving & Investing | |||
| Automated saving / round-ups | ✓ | ✗ | Plum |
| Cash ISA | ✓ | ✗ | Plum |
| Stocks & shares ISA | ✓ | ✗ | Plum |
| Interest on balance | ✓ | ✗ | Plum |
| Subscriptions & Bills | |||
| Subscription tracking | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Price creep detection & alerts | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Duplicate charge detection | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Salary & Budget Planning | |||
| AI salary allocation (payday split) | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Budget categories | ✓ Basic | ✓ Advanced | earmarkIQ |
| Payment Initiation (move money) | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| AI Features | |||
| AI advisor with transaction context | ✗ | ✓ Ask IQ | earmarkIQ |
| AI spending insights | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Weekly AI briefing | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Planning & Lifestyle | |||
| Goal tracking | ✓ Basic | ✓ Advanced | earmarkIQ |
| Net worth tracking | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Partner finance mode | ✗ | ✓ | earmarkIQ |
| Tax optimiser & pro tools | ✗ | ✓ (10 tools) | earmarkIQ |
| Available now | ✓ | Mid-2026 | Plum |
Pricing Comparison
Plum’s free tier charges £0.45 per autosave, which can add up if you save frequently. Plum Pro at £2.99/mo removes the fee and adds pockets; Premium at £4.99/mo adds higher interest rates and investing; Ultra at £9.99/mo adds the highest interest rates and priority support. earmarkIQ Free includes AI salary allocation, spending analysis, subscription tracking, and 5 AI advisor messages per day with no per-transaction fees. earmarkIQ Premium at £4.99/mo unlocks unlimited AI chat, all 10 pro tools, advanced insights, and priority support.
Plum Pro at £2.99/mo is cheaper than earmarkIQ Premium, but Plum is a savings tool — not a financial management app. For the same £4.99/mo, earmarkIQ gives you salary allocation, subscription tracking, price creep alerts, an AI advisor, partner finance, and 10 pro planning tools that Plum doesn’t offer at any price.
Where Plum Genuinely Wins
Automated saving is genuinely clever. Plum’s core feature analyses your spending patterns and automatically moves affordable amounts into savings. It’s a set-and-forget approach that works particularly well for people who struggle to save consistently. The algorithm gets smarter over time and adjusts to your spending habits.
Investment options built in. Plum offers stocks & shares ISAs, Cash ISAs, and interest on balances directly within the app. You can invest spare change into diversified funds without leaving the app. earmarkIQ’s marketplace recommends financial products but doesn’t hold your money or offer ISA wrappers directly.
Available now with a proven track record. Plum is live, well-established, and has millions of users in the UK. earmarkIQ launches mid-2026. If you need automated saving right now, Plum is a proven choice while you wait.
Lower entry point. Plum Pro at £2.99/mo is cheaper than earmarkIQ Premium at £4.99/mo. If you only need the savings automation and nothing else, Plum’s paid tiers start lower.
Where earmarkIQ Wins
Salary allocation. earmarkIQ’s core feature — AI splits your salary into bills, savings, investments, and guilt-free spending on payday. Plum has no salary allocation feature at all. It saves money after the fact; earmarkIQ plans before you spend.
Subscription tracking & price creep detection. earmarkIQ tracks every recurring payment and alerts you the moment any subscription increases its price, showing old price, new price, and annual impact. Plum has no subscription tracking at all — you won’t know your Netflix went up until you check your bank statement. We explain how this compounds in our UK subscription tracking guide.
Ask IQ. earmarkIQ’s AI advisor (powered by Claude from Anthropic) has full context of your transactions, bills, and goals. Ask “Can I afford a holiday in June?” and get a specific, data-backed answer. Plum has no AI advisor or chat feature.
Partner finance mode. earmarkIQ is the only UK budgeting app with a proper partner finance feature — combined household view, shared goals, split bills — while keeping personal accounts private. Plum is strictly a single-user app. See our guide to managing money as a couple.
Pro financial tools. earmarkIQ includes 10 planning tools — debt payoff planner, tax optimiser, salary raise calculator, what-if simulator, investment calculator, and more — that Plum doesn’t offer.
Spending analysis is far more detailed. earmarkIQ provides detailed category breakdowns, payday spike detection, a 7-type anomaly scanner, weekly AI briefings, and historical spending trends. Plum’s spending analytics are basic at best — it’s fundamentally a savings app, not a spending tracker.
Budgeting features. Plum is primarily a savings vehicle — it doesn’t help you plan how to spend your money, just how to save some of it. earmarkIQ gives you a complete picture: where your money goes, where it should go, and how to optimise the difference.
The Verdict: Which Should You Choose?
You want a complete financial management app — salary allocation, spending analysis, subscription tracking, AI advisor, and planning tools. Join the waitlist — early members get lifetime premium.
Your main problem is saving — you struggle to put money aside and want an app that does it automatically. Plum’s autosave is genuinely effective for building the savings habit.
earmarkIQ is the only UK app with a proper Partner Finance mode. Plum has no couple or shared finance features whatsoever.
Plum’s autosave is genuinely effective — it analyses what you can afford and moves it automatically. If building a savings habit is your only goal, Plum is the better tool for that specific job.
Frequently Asked Questions
About earmarkIQ
earmarkIQ is a UK personal finance app launching on iOS in May 2026. It is an FCA Appointed Representative of Finexer Ltd (FRN 925695) and ICO registered (CSN2001882). earmarkIQ provides Open Banking account aggregation across 50+ UK banks via Finexer, AI-powered salary allocation, Payment Initiation Services (PIS), subscription price creep detection, capital gains tracking, salary sacrifice optimisation, marriage allowance detection, and a financial product marketplace. The AI financial advisor, Ask IQ, is powered by Claude (Anthropic). Subscription tiers: Free (£0), Plus (£4.99/mo), Pro (£9.99/mo), Unlimited (£14.99/mo). Website: earmarkiq.app
More than a saving app
earmarkIQ is the complete financial operating system for UK professionals — salary allocation, AI advisor, price creep detection, partner finance, and 10 pro tools.
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