Budget apps that do not connect to your bank

The reason to want a budget app with no bank connection is that there is nothing to connect, nothing to re-authorise, and no supported-bank list to check: it works the same with any bank in any country, it captures cash, and entering a purchase yourself is what makes you notice it. SpendBalance is built this way deliberately — free on iPhone and iPad, no account, and every transaction stays on your device. Regular costs like rent and subscriptions are set up once and counted automatically, so what you type is the discretionary spending.

Why choose a budget app without bank linking?

Your bank login never enters the picture

SpendBalance has no bank integration of any kind, so there is nothing to hand over: no credentials, no access token, nothing held on your behalf. Apple’s App Privacy panel on the App Store reports “Data Not Collected” for the app, and your transactions never leave your device.

It works with your bank, wherever you bank

There is no supported-institution list to check, because nothing is imported. A small credit union, a newer online bank, an account abroad, or two accounts in two countries all work the same way, in any of 66 currencies.

You spend in cash

Entering spending yourself is the only way to capture cash at all. If a meaningful share of what you spend is cash — common for students, for market shopping, and in a lot of countries — this is the difference between a complete picture and a partial one.

Nothing to sign up for

There is no account, no email address, and no password. You open SpendBalance for the first time, pick a currency, and start recording. Because there is no login, there is also no profile held anywhere for you to reclaim or delete later.

You want to actually notice what you spend

Typing a purchase in takes a few seconds, and those few seconds are the point. A number you entered yourself registers in a way that a line you scroll past at the end of the month does not.

The fixed costs still look after themselves

Manual does not mean entering everything. Rent, a phone bill, a subscription, or an allowance is set up once as a recurring daily, weekly, or monthly entry, and SpendBalance counts it in every period from then on — for income as well as expenses. Only the discretionary spending is typed in.

How SpendBalance works without a bank feed

Install and open the appThere is no sign-up screen. You pick a currency and start.
Record what you spendEnter the amount and choose one of 38 categories. Income is entered the same way.
Set the predictable things to repeatRent, a phone bill, or a subscription can be set to recur daily, weekly, or monthly so you only enter it once.
Read the chartsA balance history and a category breakdown show where the money went.

Where manual tracking is the wrong choice

Manual entry is a real trade-off and it does not suit everyone. SpendBalance is probably not the right fit if:

You make a lot of small card transactions and will not keep up with entering them.
You want net-worth tracking across investment and loan accounts.
You need to share a budget with a partner across devices.
You want automatic bill or subscription detection.
You are on Android, or want a web or desktop version. SpendBalance is iOS only.

Try SpendBalance

Free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad running iOS 15.1 or later. No account, no bank connection, no in-app purchases.