Comparison
CrestCast vs Lumio
Both are UK apps built for couples and households, but they do genuinely different jobs. Lumio helps a couple track and manage the money they have and spend now. CrestCast forecasts where the household is heading. Which of those jobs you need done decides the choice.
| CrestCast | Lumio | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Forecast your household's future | Track & manage the money you have now |
| Bank connection | None. You enter what it knows, or import a CSV | Open Banking, with unlimited bank connections on every tier |
| Built around | Cashflow, P&L, net worth & debt forecasts, with scenario modelling | Shared spending, household bills, net worth, assets vs debt, and an IOU tracker |
| Best for | Couples & families planning ahead | Couples managing shared money day to day |
| Household price | £7.99/mo or £79.99/yr (a 17% saving), one subscription covers both | Couples Pro £4.49/mo or £39.99/yr. A free Individual tier is available |
| Platform | Web app, installable as a PWA. No app store listing | iOS & Android apps |
Lumio's prices and tiers correct as at 14/08/2026. Taken from Lumio's own pricing page at lumio-app.com, with the rest of the row checked against its homepage, its about page and its app store listings.
Lumio is a trademark of its respective owner; this comparison is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Lumio.
Where CrestCast is different
CrestCast is not a tracker. It is a forecaster. Instead of showing where your money is now, it projects where your household is heading across cashflow, profit & loss, net worth and debt over months and years, and lets you model the decisions that change that path: overpaying the mortgage, a pay rise, a new baby, one partner going part-time. That is a different question from “what did we spend this month”, and it is the one CrestCast is built to answer.
The other difference is philosophy: CrestCast never connects to your bank. You decide what it knows and nothing is pulled in automatically. Where Lumio's strength is the connected, present-day view, that is precisely what a lot of people would rather not have. Here is why we built it that way.
What Lumio is
Lumio is an app for couples who want to manage shared money together, and it describes itself as a virtual joint account for modern couples. It connects to your accounts through Open Banking, brings your spending, balances and net worth into one place, sets your assets against your debts, and helps you keep on top of shared household bills, with an IOU tracker so either of you can settle up on what the other paid. If what you want is a live, connected picture of the money moving through your accounts, that is what it is for. It has a free tier to start on, and it ships apps on the App Store and Google Play.
Forwards, and with nothing connected
Figures shown are the sample profile, not a real household.
Which should you choose?
If you want a bank-connected app to track and manage shared spending day to day, Lumio is the natural pick. If you want to see and shape your household's financial future without linking any accounts, that is CrestCast. They are not really rivals so much as answers to two different questions, and some households happily use one for each.
If forecasting is what you are after, the couples and families overview is the best place to see how CrestCast fits, or jump straight into a calculator.
Common questions
›Is CrestCast a good Lumio alternative?
It depends what you want. CrestCast is the better fit if you want to forecast where your household finances are heading and you would rather not connect your bank. Lumio is the better fit if you want Open Banking aggregation and hands-on management of shared day-to-day spending. They answer different questions, so CrestCast is an alternative for the planning job, not a like-for-like clone.
›Does CrestCast connect to my bank like Lumio does?
No, and that is deliberate. Lumio is, in its own words, powered by secure Open Banking, and pulls your accounts in: its own listing names current accounts, savings, credit cards, pensions and investments, and its pricing page offers unlimited bank connections on every tier including the free one. CrestCast never connects to any account. You enter what you want it to know, or import a CSV that is processed on your device, and nothing is pulled in automatically. For people who specifically do not want a bank-connected app, that is the whole point.
›How much does CrestCast cost compared with Lumio?
CrestCast is £7.99 a month, or £79.99 a year, which is a 17% saving and works out at £6.67 a month. One subscription covers the whole household. Checked on 14/08/2026, Lumio's own pricing page showed a free Individual tier, Pro Individual at £3 a month or £26.99 a year, and Pro Couples at £4.49 a month or £39.99 a year. The two are not doing the same job: Lumio tracks and manages the money you have now, CrestCast forecasts where your household is heading. Judge it on whether a forecast is worth that to you, not on the monthly figure.
›What is the main difference between CrestCast and Lumio?
The job. Lumio tracks and manages the money a couple has and spends right now. CrestCast forecasts where the household is heading, as cashflow, profit and loss, net worth and debt payoff over months and years, and lets you model decisions (a pay rise, a new baby, overpaying the mortgage) before you make them.
›Can I use both?
Yes, and some people do. Tracking the present with a bank-connected app and forecasting the future with CrestCast are complementary rather than competing. They answer different questions about the same household.
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This is not advice
This comparison is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Lumio. Details about Lumio are drawn from its own site at lumio-app.com and its app store listings, checked on 14/08/2026, and may be out of date by the time you read this, so check Lumio's own site for its current features and pricing. Nothing here is financial advice.
See your household's future, no bank connection required.
CrestCast forecasts both incomes, the joint bills, the mortgage and the kids into one shared picture. Plan ahead together, on your terms.
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