Comparison

Tax Days vs. Monaeo: an honest comparison

Monaeo is a long-running residency tracker for high-net-worth individuals at $1,200+/year. Tax Days is a privacy-first iPhone app at $19.99/year. Here's how they compare on jurisdictions, accuracy, and what each does best.

8 min read

If you're researching residency-tracking tools, you'll quickly find Monaeo. It's been the category leader for high-net-worth individuals for over a decade, used by single-family offices, professional athletes, and ultra-mobile executives. We built Tax Days because the category needed a privacy-first, iPhone-native option at a price most people can actually afford. Here's how the two compare honestly.

Pricing

Tax DaysMonaeo
Annual cost (individual)$19.99/year$1,200+/year
Free tierYes (limited rules)No
Family / multi-userFamily Sharing supportedPer-seat licensing

Rule coverage

Tax DaysMonaeo
US statesAll 50, with state-specific abode and day-count rulesAll 50
Federal SPTYes (3-year weighted)Yes
Schengen 90/180Yes (rolling window)Yes
UK SRTYes (ties + days)Yes
Other international30+ countries (UAE, Portugal NHR, Spain Beckham, Germany, Japan, Singapore, AU, CA, etc.)Comprehensive
Total rules80+Hundreds

Tracking method

Tax DaysMonaeo
Trip-based (manual entry)YesYes
Automatic trackingYes, optional (significant-change, on-device)Yes (continuous background location)
Calendar importComing soonYes
Credit card / travel record importNoYes

This is the biggest philosophical difference, and it isn't about whether the app tracks you automatically, since both can. Monaeo runs continuous background GPS 24/7 and holds that record on its servers, which is exactly what makes it useful as a tax-defense file: maximum granularity, held by a vendor whose business is defending it. Tax Days tracks on significant change instead, keeps the record on your iPhone, and lets you turn it off and log trips by hand in 5 seconds. Less granular, and nobody else holds it.

Privacy and data

  • Tax Days: all data lives on your iPhone (SwiftData). Optional iCloud sync uses Apple's CloudKit, encrypted and inaccessible to us. No accounts, no servers, no logs.
  • Monaeo: data lives on Monaeo's servers. They have access for support and audit-defense purposes (which is part of the service).

If you want a third party with detailed location records that you can subpoena into evidence, Monaeo's server-side history can be useful. If you'd rather no one (including the vendor) have your location, Tax Days is the only viable option.

Audit support

  • Tax Days: exports an audit-ready PDF with day counts per jurisdiction, the underlying trip log, and rule evaluations. Hand it to your accountant or auditor.
  • Monaeo: includes audit-defense services as part of high-tier plans, with detailed reports and human support.

Who each is for

Tax Days is for: snowbirds, digital nomads, expats, remote workers, athletes, and anyone with sub-$10M income who wants beautiful, accurate, private day-count tracking on their iPhone for the price of a cup of coffee per month.

Monaeo is for: ultra-mobile UHNW individuals who need continuous, audit-grade location logging, want a vendor relationship for audit defense, and have a tax bill that justifies the price. If you're a single-family office managing tax for an UHNW principal, Monaeo's depth is appropriate.

We'll tell you straight: if you have multi-million-dollar exposure across many jurisdictions and want a high-touch service relationship, Monaeo is a credible choice. For 99% of cross-border residents, Tax Days at $19.99/year is the right answer.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Tax Days cheaper than Monaeo?

Yes, substantially. Tax Days costs $19.99 per year for an individual and includes a free tier with limited rules, while Monaeo runs $1,200 or more per year with no free tier. For multiple users, Tax Days supports Family Sharing while Monaeo uses per-seat licensing.

Does Monaeo use GPS to track your location?

Yes, Monaeo uses continuous background GPS 24/7, which makes a tax-defense file granular but also means the vendor holds detailed records of your movements. Tax Days can track automatically too on Pro, but it samples on significant change rather than continuously, keeps the record on your iPhone, and can be switched off entirely in favour of logging trips by hand in about 5 seconds.

Which covers more residency rules, Tax Days or Monaeo?

Monaeo covers hundreds of rules with comprehensive international coverage. Tax Days covers 80+ rules, including all 50 US states, the federal Substantial Presence Test, the Schengen 90/180 rolling window, the UK SRT, and 30+ other countries. Both cover the major US and international tests most cross-border residents need.

How do Tax Days and Monaeo compare on audit support?

Monaeo includes audit-defense services with detailed reports and human support as part of its high-tier plans, and its server-side location history can be useful if you want third-party records for evidence. Tax Days instead exports an audit-ready PDF with per-jurisdiction day counts, the underlying trip log, and rule evaluations that you can hand to your accountant or auditor.

Who should choose Monaeo instead of Tax Days?

Monaeo generally fits ultra-mobile, ultra-high-net-worth individuals and single-family offices that need continuous audit-grade logging, a high-touch vendor relationship for audit defense, and a tax bill that justifies the price. For most cross-border residents (snowbirds, digital nomads, expats, remote workers), Tax Days at $19.99 per year addresses the same core day-count problem, automatically if you want, without the record leaving your phone.

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