How MarkBudget
Works.
Everything you need to know — from creating your account to advanced budget management, team collaboration, and secure sharing.
Estimated read · 12 min
What is MarkBudget?
MarkBudget is a real-time marketing finance platform — one place for every marketing dollar: what's planned, what's committed, and what's spent.
What it is
A collaborative marketing finance platform that replaces scattered spreadsheets with a single, structured budget — complete with automatic rollups, transaction tracking, and team-wide visibility.
Who it's for
Small and mid-size marketing teams — budget owners, marketing managers, and finance leads — who need one place to plan, track, and report on every dollar across brands and campaigns.
What it solves
The disconnect between what you planned to spend, what you've committed via contracts, and what you've actually paid — three numbers that should always be visible side by side, but rarely are.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Budget | The planned amount allocated to a node for a given period. |
| Committed | Funds obligated via a signed contract — not yet invoiced. |
| Actual | Money that has been invoiced and paid. |
| Hierarchy | Your budget tree: Brand → Category → Subcategory → Line Item. |
Sign Up & Create Your Company
Your account and company workspace are created in a single signup flow — three fields and you're in.
Fill in three fields
Enter your company name, email address, and a password. That's the entire form — no credit card, no multi-step wizard.
Confirm your email
You'll receive a verification email — click the link to activate your account.
You're in
You land directly in the app as Admin with an empty hierarchy ready to build. Your fiscal year starts in January by default.
Inviting Your Team
MarkBudget uses two roles with granular per-brand access controls.
| Capability | Admin | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Manage company settings | — | |
| Manage hierarchy structure | — | |
| Invite / remove members | — | |
| Change member edit permissions | — | |
| Edit budget values | ✓ (within allowed brands) | |
| Log Committed & Actual entries | ||
| View dashboard & reports |
How to Invite
Brand-Level Edit Rights
| State | Label | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | All Brands | Edit every brand AND the Company Total row. Default for new members. |
| Partially Restricted | Brand Name / Multiple (N) | Edit only specified brands. Company Total row becomes read-only. |
| Fully Restricted | No Brands | View-only access. Cannot edit any cell in the budget grid. |
Building Your Hierarchy
Organize your budget structure with up to 4 optional levels below the always-present Company Total.
Hierarchy Node
Any individual element in your budget tree, regardless of its level. A Brand, a Category, and a Line Item are all "nodes".
Parent Node
A node that has other items nested directly beneath it. Parents automatically roll up (sum) the budget values of their children.
Child / Leaf Node
A "Child" is nested under a parent. A "Leaf" (like a Line Item) is the absolute lowest level with no children of its own.
Manual
Click "Add a brand" on the Hierarchy page → type your brand name → expand to add Categories, Subcategories, and Line Items one by one. Best for small structures.
Excel Import
Upload a pre-filled spreadsheet template. The system reads your taxonomy and constructs your multi-level tree. Best for large, pre-planned structures or migrating from spreadsheets.
The Budget Grid
The core of MarkBudget — a high-performance grid that performs multi-dimensional calculations in real time and maintains a single source of truth.
| Hierarchy | Jan | Feb | Mar | Q1 | Apr | Budget Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company Total | $91,000 | $87,000 | $94,000 | $272,000 | $98,000 | $1,150,000 |
| ↳ Brand A | $45,000 | $42,000 | $48,000 | $135,000 | $50,000 | $580,000 |
| ↳ Media | $25,000 | $22,000 | $28,000 | $75,000 | $30,000 | $320,000 |
| ↳ Events | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $60,000 | $20,000 | $260,000 |
| ↳ Brand B | $46,000 | $45,000 | $46,000 | $137,000 | $48,000 | $570,000 |
The Calculation Engine
Every number in the grid is calculated by two simple rules working together: time rolls up horizontally (months → quarters → year) and hierarchy rolls up vertically (children → parents). Here's exactly how each cell gets its value.
| Cell Type | How Budget is Calculated | Editable? |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢Leaf · Month | You type the value directly. This is the only place where budget data originates. | Yes — direct input |
| 🔵Leaf · Quarter | Automatically sums its 3 months. Example: Q1 = Jan + Feb + Mar. | Yes — override |
| 🟣Leaf · Year | Automatically sums its 4 quarters (which themselves are built from months). | Yes — override |
| 🟠Parent · Month | Automatically sums the same month across all immediate children. | Yes — override |
| 🟠Parent · Quarter | Sums the same quarter across all immediate children — NOT from its own months. | Yes — override |
| 🟠Parent · Year | Sums the same year total across all immediate children — NOT from its own quarters. | Yes — override |
| ⚪Any · YTD | Sums months Jan through the current calendar month only. Derived — no overrides. | No — read-only |
🌿 Leaf Nodes (Line Items)
Quarter and Year values are built by summing across time from the same row's own months. This is horizontal aggregation.
Year = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4
📁 Parent Nodes (Brand, Category…)
Every value — month, quarter, and year — is built by summing the same column across children. This is vertical aggregation.
Brand · Q1 = Child₁ Q1 + Child₂ Q1 + …
What About Committed & Actual?
Committed and Actual values are always automatic — they sum up from logged transaction entries and roll up both horizontally (months → quarters → year) and vertically (children → parents). You never type these numbers into the grid; they come from the transaction log.
⚠️ Manual Overrides
You can type a budget value into any cell — even a parent or a quarterly total — to set a top-down target. This creates a Manual Override. The override affects only that specific cell; it does not redistribute to its children or feed into other timeframes. For example, manually setting "Brand A · Q1" to $60k will display $60k in that cell, but Brand A · Yearwill still sum its children's year totals, not your overridden Q1. If there's a mismatch, the cell is highlighted with an alert color.
NewInline Calculations
Type math expressions directly into any editable budget cell — no need to open a calculator. The result is evaluated and saved instantly.
Supports +, −, ×, ÷, parentheses, and decimals. A live preview badge appears above the cell as you type. Plain numbers still work exactly as before.
YTD Column
Appears automatically for the current fiscal year only — hidden for past and future years.
Aggregates Budget, Committed, and Actual from January through the current calendar month (the current month is always included).
NewCollaborative Annotations & Mentions
Transform the budget grid into a collaborative workspace with cell-specific discussions, annotations, and member mentions.
Cell Selection & Filtering
Click any cell in the grid to display its context. The panel automatically filters to show only the conversation thread tied to that specific cell (e.g., #Brand A · Mar · Actual). Unread badges on cells indicate new activity.
Mentions & References
Type @ to mention a team member or # to manually reference any other grid cell. Comments automatically attach to your currently selected cell and render inline summary chips. If a mentioned user is not currently online, they receive an email notification so nothing gets missed.
Intelligent Alert System
Checks run on two axes simultaneously across all Months, Quarters, and Year Total. The YTD column is always excluded.
Children's budgets (or the horizontal month/quarter breakdown) exceed the parent budget — the detail collectively overshoots the target.
Parent budget exceeds the sum of its children — there are unassigned funds or an intentional reserve at the parent level.
Vertical axis: Every parent at every timeframe checks that its manual override matches the sum of its immediate children's budgets.
Horizontal axis: Quarterly columns verify consistency against their constituent months. The Yearly column verifies consistency against its constituent quarters. This means a Q1 or Year Total cell on a parent row can also be colored if its own period breakdown doesn't add up.
Three rules apply to every row at every timeframe. Evaluated on the displayed value whether manually entered or automatically rolled up.
| Rule | Condition | Cell(s) Highlighted |
|---|---|---|
| Rule 1 — Committed Overspend | Committed > Budget | 🔴 Committed cell — rose |
| Rule 2 — Actual Overspend | Actual > Budget | 🔴 Actual cell — rose |
| Rule 3 — Combined Overspend | Committed + Actual > Budget (only when both are non-zero) | 🔴 Both cells — rose |
Zero-budget exception: If the Budget value for a period is exactly 0, none of the three rules are evaluated and no highlighting is applied for that cell.
Hover tooltip: Hovering a highlighted Committed or Actual cell shows a plain-English message explaining exactly which rule(s) fired. A cell can trigger multiple rules — messages are joined with "Also, …"
Rule 3 zero-value handling: If either Committed or Actual is zero, Rule 3 is skipped entirely — there is nothing meaningful to combine.
Sidebar Controls — Visibility Only
Tracking Spend: Committed & Actual
Log every commitment the moment a contract is signed, then convert it to Actual when the invoice lands.
Logged when a contract is signed. Locks the budget and creates a digital paper trail for every obligated dollar.
Logged when an invoice is received and paid. Represents money that has definitively left your budget.
Logging a Committed Entry
Multi-Currency Support
Your budget grid always operates in your base currency. For transactions, select any supported foreign currency:
Auto rate fetch: Selecting a foreign currency fetches the live exchange rate and shows the base-currency equivalent instantly.
Manual override: Type the rate manually if your finance team mandates a specific rate (e.g., monthly average).
What's stored: Foreign currency, foreign amount, exchange rate, AND the base-currency amount (`foreign × rate`). The grid always uses base-currency amounts for all rollups.
Converting Committed → Actual
The Dashboard
Real-time command center with KPIs, charts, and intelligence panels. All panels respect the active filter state.
KPI Cards
Sum of all budgets for the selected year within the active filter scope.
Total obligated spend — contracts signed but not yet invoiced. Shows Committed ÷ Budget %.
Total invoiced/paid. Badge shows X.X% realized (Actual ÷ Budget — no committed included).
Actual + Committed. Health bar: green ≤85%, amber 85–100%, red >100%.
Budget − Committed − Actual. Green when positive, red when over-budget.
Charts
Utilization Panel
Surfaces every budget line where Actual + Committed has hit or exceeded your threshold. Configure inline: ≥75% · ≥85% · ≥90% · ≥95% (default 85%). Items ranked highest-first, capped at 8. Red = over 100%, Amber = at or above threshold.
Recent Activity Feed
Live feed of most recently logged entries. Configure count inline: 5 · 8 · 15 · 20 (default 8). Each entry shows type badge (Actual = green, Committed = amber), vendor, hierarchy item, month, amount, and time elapsed.
Top Utilization Panels
Import, Export & Reporting
Move data in and out at speed — bulk imports for setup, WYSIWYG exports for reporting.
Importing
Upload a pre-formatted spreadsheet template. The system reads your taxonomy (Brands, Categories, Subcategories, Line Items) and constructs your entire multi-level budget tree from it. Best for large, pre-planned structures.
Upload a populated template with monthly, quarterly, or yearly financial targets. The system maps values directly to your established hierarchy nodes and triggers all rollup calculations.
Exporting
What you see is exactly what you export. The file mirrors your current view — your active filters, open/collapsed hierarchy levels, and visible columns. Produce precise snapshots for different audiences.
Exported files include dedicated sheets for Committed and Actual transaction logs — a complete audit trail for reconciliation.
Common use cases
Settings & Company Management
Admin-controlled workspace configuration, member management, and access controls.
Company Settings Admin only
Company Name: Edit at any time from Settings.
Base Currency: Change from Settings. All existing and future entries are stored in base currency — changing it after data exists affects how new values are interpreted going forward.
Fiscal Year: January-based. Fixed — cannot be changed.
Members Management Admin only
- View all members (Admins listed first, then by join date earliest first)
- Invite new members to the workspace by email
- Adjust brand-level edit rights per member
- Remove a member from the company
Year Navigation
The year dropdown generates a dynamic 5-year rolling window: 2 years past · current year · 2 years future. It shifts forward each new calendar year automatically — no configuration needed.
Leaving & Deleting
How to leave a company, remove members, and permanently delete data or accounts.
Admins can revoke access for any member via Settings → Members. The removed member immediately loses all access to the workspace.
Permanently deletes your account and signs you out. Your recorded financial data (budget entries, line items) remains in the company's system but is no longer linked to you.
Warning! Deleting an Admin account triggers a cascading wipe. It immediately deletes ALL company data: the company profile, the entire hierarchy, all budgets, all transactions, and all team member permissions. To preserve data, use the "Change Email" function to transfer ownership instead.
Billing & Subscription
Simple, transparent pricing with a 14-day free trial — no credit card required to get started.
How It Works
Plans & Pricing
- Read-only budget access
- View dashboard & reports
- No team invitations
- Full budget editing
- 7 team members
- All import/export features
- Secure sharing links
- Collaborative annotations
- Everything in Team
- 15 team members
- Built for larger organizations
Subscription Lifecycle
| State | What Happens | Grid Access |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Free Trial | Starts at signup. Full Team-level access for 14 days. No credit card needed. | Full editing |
| 🔵 Active | Paid subscription is running. Billed monthly or annually via Paddle. | Full editing |
| 🟡 Canceling | Admin canceled — access continues until the current billing period ends. No new charges. | Full editing |
| 🔴 Canceled / Expired | Billing period ended after cancellation, or trial expired without subscribing. | Read-only |
Seat Enforcement
What counts: Every active member + every pending invitation counts as a used seat.
At capacity: The invite button is disabled. Remove a member or revoke a pending invitation to free up a seat.
During trial: 7 seats (Team-level) are available during the free trial.
Managing Your Subscription
Billing portal: Click "Manage Billing" in Settings to open the Paddle Customer Portal — update payment method, view invoices, or cancel.
Switching plans: Cancel your current plan (access runs until period end), then subscribe to the new plan.
Resubscribing: After cancellation, subscribe again from Settings — your saved payment method is remembered.
Using the App
MarkBudget is a fully responsive web application — use it in any modern browser or install it on your device for a native experience.
Use in Your Browser
Open markbudget.com in any modern browser — Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox — and start working immediately. No downloads, no plugins, no app store.
- Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Always the latest version — zero updates to install
- Responsive layout adapts to any screen size
- Bookmark it for quick access
Install as an App
MarkBudget is an installable Progressive Web App (PWA). When you sign in, the app will offer to install itself automatically. You can also install it manually at any time — it launches in its own window with no browser chrome, just focused budgeting.
- Opens in a dedicated window (no address bar)
- App icon on your home screen, dock, or taskbar
- Feels like a native desktop or mobile app
- Launches instantly — same account, same data
How to Install
Desktop
Chrome · Edge · Brave
- Visit markbudget.com and sign in
- MarkBudget will show an "Install App" banner automatically — click Install
- Alternatively, open the browser menu (⋮) and select "Install MarkBudget"
- The app is added to your dock or taskbar and opens in its own window
iPhone & iPad
Safari
- Open markbudget.com in Safari
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow)
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
- Tap Add — the icon appears on your home screen
Android
Chrome · Samsung Internet
- Open markbudget.com in Chrome
- You may see an automatic "Install App" banner — tap it
- Or tap the three-dot menu → Install app
- Confirm — the icon is added to your home screen
Fully Responsive Design
Whether you're on a 27-inch monitor or a 5-inch phone screen, MarkBudget's interface adapts automatically. The budget grid, dashboard charts, team settings, and every other view are optimized for your screen size — no pinching, no horizontal scrolling.
Ready to take
full control?
14-day free trial. No credit card required. Cancel anytime.
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