Benefit Kitchen vs Propel in 2026
Benefit Kitchen and Propel side by side: what each source says it does, what it costs, how to start, and what to check.
CleverDings is published by the makers of Benefit Buddy, Postal Buddy and Packing Buddy, which are compared here alongside other apps.
Benefit Kitchen says its platform models benefits across 50 states and adds as much as $10,000 to a household's budget. [1] Propel offers a free app that checks your EBT card balance. [2]
| Option | Own price | What its source says it is |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit Kitchen | Free, with no other price published [1] | Screening takes about ten minutes, is free, and is anonymous [1] |
| Propel | Free to use; no other price published [2] | Checks EBT balances [2] |
| Benefit Buddy | Finding benefits is free; Plus costs $4.99 a month [3] | Takes a few sentences about your household and says whether you qualify for each benefit [3] [3] |
The short answer
Benefit Kitchen says its platform models benefits across 50 states and adds as much as $10,000 to a household's budget. [1] Its page also says it never asks for Social Security numbers or immigration status. [1] Propel says its app is completely free to use. [2] Its page says the app checks EBT balances. [2] Benefit Buddy asks a few questions about your household and says whether you qualify for each benefit. [3] [3]
Benefit Kitchen models benefits across 50 states and never asks for Social Security numbers or immigration status. [1] [1] Propel says its app is completely free to use. [2] If you need help filing applications, the facts available here do not cover that for either tool, so check each site directly.
What Benefit Kitchen and Propel are built for
Benefit Kitchen's page says its APIs, the connections other software uses to reach it, are live in all 50 states. [1] The same page says its platform models benefits across 50 states. [1] It also says it never asks for Social Security numbers or immigration status. [1] The facts available here do not describe how its results are shown, so look at the site for that.
Propel's page says its app checks EBT balances. [2] It says the app is completely free to use and checks your EBT card balance. [2] The facts available here do not say which benefits the app covers beyond balances and tools, so check its pages for that.
What Benefit Buddy is built for
Benefit Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. You tell it about your household in a few sentences and answer a few questions. [3] It covers programs like SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and WIC, plus your state's versions under their own names. [3] It also checks your household against perks already in your health plan, insurance, cards and job. [3] For each benefit it says whether you qualify, what one step stands in the way, or which question would settle it. [3] You can tick benefits off as you use them or dismiss ones you don't want. [3] You can name your Medicare Advantage plan to see its extras, with dollar amounts the plan states. [3] You can also add a document such as a tax return, W-2, 1099, IRS transcript or DD-214 instead of writing. [3]
Pricing and fees
The facts available for Benefit Kitchen here do not state a price, so check its site for any cost before you sign up.
Propel's page says the app is completely free to use. [2] Its facts here do not mention a paid option, so check the app's own pages before relying on that.
Benefit Buddy: finding benefits is free; Plus costs $4.99 a month. [3] Benefit Buddy does not publish what Plus adds, so check that before paying. Finding benefits is free for everyone, signed in or not. [3] Benefit Buddy does not say what Plus adds, so check that before paying.
For a fair comparison, read each price together with what it covers. The facts here do not spell that out for any of the three.
Getting started
Benefit Buddy can be tried without signing in: a shared demo account resets every day. [3] The app is made for the web and phones. [3] It can also be used from an AI assistant such as Claude, which can walk through your questions with Benefit Buddy. [3] To add that connection, you set up a custom connection in your assistant and then sign in. [3]
For Benefit Kitchen, the facts available here do not describe how to sign up, how long setup takes, or whether an account is needed, so visit its site to see the steps.
Propel's page says its app checks EBT balances. [2] The facts here do not state the steps to set up, so check the app's own pages for those.
Things to check before you choose
Ask these of each tool:
- Which programs and states does it cover, and does it show your state's own versions?
- What does it ask about your household, and can you skip anything you would rather not share?
- Does it say why you do or do not qualify, and what step is missing?
- Does it cover perks from insurance, cards or your job, or only government programs?
- What does it cost, and what does any paid plan add?
- Does it need an account, and can you use it without signing in?
- How does it show the date its program information was last updated?
How to choose
If you want to describe your household in a few sentences and get a status for each benefit, Benefit Buddy says it does this. [3] [3]
If you want benefits modelled across 50 states, Benefit Kitchen's page says its platform does that. [1] If you do not want to share your Social Security number or immigration status, its page says it never asks for either. [1]
If you want to check your EBT balance, Propel's page describes an app for that. [2] Propel says the app is completely free to use. [2]
If you want Benefit Buddy to check your household against government programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and WIC, and against perks from your health plan, insurance, cards and job, Benefit Buddy checks government programs and perks against your household. [3] [3]
Frequently asked questions
Does Benefit Kitchen ask for Social Security numbers?
Benefit Kitchen says it never asks for Social Security numbers or immigration status. [1] The facts available here do not describe the other questions its screening asks, so read them on the site before you start. Check each one against what you are willing to share before you answer it.
Is Propel free to use?
Propel says its app is completely free to use. [2] Its page says the app checks EBT balances. [2] The facts available here do not say whether any paid option exists, so check the app's own pages before you sign up or add anything.
Is Benefit Buddy free?
Finding benefits is free for everyone, signed in or not. [3] Plus costs $4.99 a month. [3] Benefit Buddy does not say what Plus adds, so check that before you pay for it. You can also try a shared demo account without signing in, which resets every day. [3]
Does Benefit Buddy cover SNAP and Medicaid?
It covers programs like SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and WIC, plus your state's versions under their own names. [3] For each benefit it says whether you qualify, what one step stands in the way, or which question would settle it. [3] It also checks your household against perks already in your health plan, insurance, cards and job. [3]
Does Benefit Kitchen cover your state?
Benefit Kitchen says its platform models benefits across 50 states and adds as much as $10,000 to a household's budget. [1] The facts available here do not say which benefits the state model covers, so check the site for the list before relying on it for your state.
Finding benefits is free; Plus costs $4.99 a month. [3]
Try Benefit BuddySources
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