How do you currently track your expenses?
What tool or method do you currently use to track your expenses and what is the best and/or worst part about it?
u/Complex-Capital6310 — 23 hours ago
r/YNABAlternatives
I have tried most of the popular alternatives over the years. Always end up back in a spreadsheet because it is the only place I actually feel in control of the data.
The frustrating part was never the sheet itself. It was keeping it updated. I was spending a couple of hours every Sunday exporting CSVs from four different accounts, pasting them in, fixing categories, updating currency rates manually.
Eventually I just built the automation. Connected my accounts via Plaid, syncs everything into a Google Sheet in my own Drive automatically. Transactions, recurring charges, budget tracking, investment holdings, the whole thing.
The part I care about most: the sheet is mine. Lives in my Google Drive. If I walk away tomorrow it stays there forever. No company holding my financial history hostage.
Been testing it with a small group for a few weeks. Curious if this resonates with anyone here or if I am solving a problem that is just mine.
u/Far_Butterfly_9282 — 9 days ago
I want to get serious about budgeting but after years of trying YNAB and various other apps on and off, they have proved to just be too complicated. I like the zero-based, envelope budgeting approach, but I can’t wrap my head around how to actually incorporate it into my life without having to manually write down everything on paper and using cash.
u/milkymccool — 12 days ago
¿Alguien más sigue usando Excel para sus finanzas… pero ya empieza a cansarse?
Yo estuve así bastante tiempo: flexible, sí, pero cada vez más pesado de mantener. Probé varias apps, pero ninguna me encajaba del todo.
Así que hice lo típico por aquí: me construí la mía.
La idea: mantener la simplicidad y control de Excel, pero sin el trabajo manual.
La dejo por aquí por si a alguien en la misma situación le sirve.
Feedback totalmente bienvenido 🙂
u/SevereBus3166 — 3 days ago
A lot of daily expenses just don’t have receipts.
And half the time you’re not even using a card.
What most apps expect you to do:
open app → tap through screens → type everything → pick category → save
It works for a few days. Then you stop.
I built something to remove that friction in ExpenseEasy
Instead of typing, you just speak the expense.
I tested it in Korean:
“오늘 스타벅스에서 커피에 5달러 썼어요”
It logged everything correctly
amount, category, merchant, time
No manual input.
It works in 90+ languages.
Another useful thing:
If your base currency is USD and you say
“spent 20000 KRW in Seoul”
It logs the expense
and also shows the converted USD amount using live rates
No need to calculate anything.
Sounds small, but this is the part where most people give up on tracking.
u/Anon081 — 4 days ago
Hey everyone, I posted on r/ynab4 about this, but I thought it might fit here too. Over the last 1-2 years, I've made different versions of this app, but it finally came together and I'm happy to announce that Zero Budget Local is live! Without rehashing everything from my previous posts (linked below), the highlights of the app (available now at www.zerobudgetlocal.com) are:
- Desktop App (MacOS, Windows, and Linux available) with 6 color themes plus a custom option if you want your own
- File Import (QIF, CSV, QFX/OFX) for standard files that can be exported from your bank
- Full Budget Import from Actual, nYNAB, and YNAB4. Due to version differences, there could be some minor clean-up needed but almost all imports have had little to no issues from different budgeting apps
- Mobile sync via WiFi, Dropbox, or Google Drive are now live in the Android and iOS apps, so you can take your budget on the go or share it with multiple people by sharing the folder or syncing over your home WiFi
- Your budget is yours, not stored on my servers, so it's fully private (and the reason for no subscription fees)
- Multiple currencies are supported with multi-currency budgets where the exchange rates are updated on a daily basis
- The app has a 35-day free trial with no license key needed. If you use it and realize it's not for you, you can just uninstall it and move on. If it meets your needs and is the right fit, there's a launch sale right now for only $29 (one-time purchase).
Feel free to check out my previous posts, and if you download the app and want access to the iOS app on TestFlight or the Google Play app (currently in beta), feel free to DM me here or email support@zerobudgetlocal.com.
I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, and mods, feel free to remove this if it violates any rules!
Launch Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ZeroBudgetLocal/comments/1t01c4w/zero_budget_local_a_ynab4_alternative_desktop_app/
r/ynab4 Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ynab4/comments/1t0wrd9/zero_budget_local_is_live_a_desktop_zerobased/
u/lucasandrew — 7 days ago
A few weeks back I posted about Basis Budget here at launch. Quick update on what's actually been happening since.
Short refresher on what it is: ZBB and spending limits in one app, Plaid sync without the reconciliation step (if your bank knows what's true I don't see why I should be making you confirm every transaction), and a fully free manual mode. iOS only right now, $4.99/mo for sync.
Where it gets weird is the usage pattern. We've got 55 users in some capacity which I'm happy about, but nearly all of them are on the free manual mode. The sync tier was supposed to be the headline. 0 paid subscribers outside of friends and family.
Honestly I think it makes sense. There's a real undercurrent of people who don't want to give a third party app their bank login. I built manual mode as an afterthought and basically never touched it again, but it turns out a lot of people actually want exactly that.
Still believe in the no-reconciliation sync as the main thing... just not what I expected the early picture to look like. App Store link if anyone wants to try it: Basis Budget. Manual mode is free forever.
For people here who tried YNAB and didn't stick around, what was the actual dealbreaker for you?
u/Jesse_khach — 8 days ago
▲ 21 r/YNABAlternatives
Hey Guys,
arc is Private First & supports end to end encrypted sync app that sync’s with actualbudget under the hood.
Now comes with stunning Liquid Glass UI on iPhone’s
We literally spin up a server and manage it for you.
arc supports:
- Apple Pay integration - Automatically import tap to pay transactions through our shortcut action
- Bank SMS / Emails - Support reading transactions via SMS or emails
- Bank PDF’s - import pdfs to automatically reconcile the transactions
- Connect agents to arc cli or MCP to manage your budgets
Free for selfhoster’s without the AI features, so it’s completely private.
Download arc: https://arc.moi
u/ashrithgovind — 12 days ago