Honest comparison
Owdyn vs Steady
Steady is a New Zealand personal finance app (steady.nz) built around Akahu bank connections and an AI money coach.
Facts last checked: 29 July 2026
At a glance
Both apps are NZ-built and both centre on a safe-to-spend number. The practical difference today: Owdyn is live and free to use right now, while Steady is in a waitlist-gated soft launch while its open-banking accreditation is finalised. Steady’s planned Akahu sync is a genuine strength; Owdyn’s free tier is substantially more generous.
Side by side
| Owdyn | Steady | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Live now — sign up free today, no waitlist | Waitlist — invite waves during a capped soft launch (as at July 2026) |
| Built for NZ | Yes — NZD-first, NZ merchants, Auckland-based | Yes — NZ-built, Akahu-based |
| Getting your data in | CSV import from any NZ bank — no bank login required. Automatic bank sync is in testing and comes to Plus and Wise after launch. | Akahu bank sync planned (pending accreditation); CSV import is part of the paid Plus plan |
| Safe to Spend | Safe to Spend is the headline number — balance minus upcoming bills, BNPL instalments, budgets and goal contributions | Has a safe-to-spend calculation as one of several features |
| BNPL (Afterpay, Laybuy, Zip) | Afterpay, Laybuy and Zip tracking built in | Not a headline feature |
| Free tier | Unlimited accounts and transactions, CSV import and export, budgets, goals, bills, BNPL and Debt Cockpit — free, no card | 1 bank (CSV upload), 1 budget, 1 goal, 30-day transaction history, no data export (as at July 2026) |
| AI | AI categorisation suggestions and weekly spending insights (Plus and Wise) | AI coach personas and natural-language questions (paid plans) |
| Pricing | Free plan always free; paid plans priced in NZD (free during beta) | Free plan plus Plus at NZ$13/month and a Family plan planned at NZ$20/month (as at July 2026) |
Where Steady shines
- Akahu-powered automatic bank sync is the centre of the product — once live and accredited, connected accounts update without manual imports.
- The AI coach personas are genuinely charming, and natural-language questions about your money are a nice way in.
- Gamification (streaks, XP, challenges) will suit people who want budgeting to feel like a game.
Where Owdyn shines
- You can use Owdyn today — no waitlist, no invite waves, free during beta.
- The free tier is a real product: unlimited accounts and transactions, CSV import and export, budgets, bills, goals, BNPL and the Debt Cockpit.
- Safe to Spend is the entire organising idea, not one feature among many — bills, BNPL instalments and goal contributions are already subtracted from the number you see.
- No bank login is ever required — importing statements keeps your internet-banking credentials with your bank.
Pick Steady if you want fully automatic bank feeds above all else, don’t mind waiting for access, and like a coach-style, gamified experience.
Pick Owdyn if you want one honest number tonight — with BNPL and bills accounted for — a free tier you can actually live on, and no bank credentials shared anywhere.
Good questions. Clear answers.
Is Owdyn or Steady free?
Both have a free plan. Owdyn Free includes unlimited accounts and transactions, CSV import and export, budgets, goals, bills, BNPL tracking and the Debt Cockpit. Steady’s free plan (as at July 2026) covers one bank via CSV upload, one budget, one goal and a 30-day transaction history. During Owdyn’s beta, every feature is free.
Can I use Steady right now?
As at July 2026, Steady is in a waitlist-gated soft launch while its open-banking accreditation is finalised, with access released in invite waves. Owdyn is live — you can sign up free and import your first bank statement today.
Which app connects to my bank automatically?
Steady is built around Akahu bank connections, which is planned to sync accounts automatically once fully live. Owdyn works today via CSV statement import from any NZ bank — no bank login required — and automatic bank sync is in testing, coming to Plus and Wise plans.
Do both apps have a safe-to-spend number?
Both calculate one. In Owdyn, Safe to Spend is the headline number the whole app is built around — your balance with upcoming bills, Afterpay/Laybuy/Zip instalments, budgets and savings goal contributions already subtracted, updated as your data changes.
We keep these comparisons honest and current. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it. See more comparisons on the compare hub.
No waitlist
Try the difference tonight.
Owdyn is live now — import your first bank statement in minutes and see your real Safe to Spend. Free during beta, no credit card, and your data stays yours.
Free during beta · No credit card · Works with every NZ bank via CSV