A budget app you don't have to subscribe to
Pocket PnL is free to download and free to keep using. Logging, stats, net worth, iCloud sync and CSV export have no time limit, there are no ads, and you never make an account. The one paid part is Pro, for receipts, and you can buy it once.
Free on iPhone. Needs iOS 17 or later.
What's free, for as long as you use it
The free version is the whole tracker. There's no trial that runs out and no cap on how many entries you log.
- Unlimited entries by tapping, typing or speaking, with Quick Add for sentences like "spent 24 on groceries"
- A monthly calendar, stats by tag and card, and search
- Net worth with a monthly chart
- Recurring entries for rent, pay and subscriptions, and up to five daily reminders
- Five widgets and Siri Shortcuts
- 31 currencies with automatic conversion
- iCloud sync and CSV export
- Your first 5 receipt scans
What Pro adds, and what it costs
Pocket PnL Pro is for receipts. It scans a receipt to fill in the total, store, date and payment method, keeps the photo with the entry, and lets you share any entry as an image.
Pro costs $29.99 once or $9.99 a year. The one-time purchase costs about the same as three years of the yearly plan, and it never renews.
If you never buy Pro, nothing else in the app is locked. If a yearly plan ends, the receipt photos you already have stay with their entries and the rest of the app keeps working. New scans and sharing entries as images stop until you have Pro again.
Why people look for a budget app without a subscription
Many budgeting apps charge monthly or yearly once a trial ends. That can make sense for an app that syncs with your bank, because keeping those connections running costs the company money. For a tracker you open for a few seconds a day, a fee that never stops is harder to justify, especially next to every other subscription on your card.
Some people also worry about losing their history if they stop paying. With Pocket PnL your entries are on your iPhone and in your own iCloud, and you can export them to a spreadsheet at any time, for free.
What it doesn't do
Pocket PnL tracks what you earn and spend. It doesn't set spending limits per category, and it doesn't connect to your bank, so entries come from you, a receipt scan or a recurring rule. If you want envelope budgets with limits, or every transaction imported for you, another app will suit you better.
If you follow a simple plan like the 50/30/20 rule, the stats show what you spent on each tag, so you can check a month against the plan.
Side by side
| Typical subscription budget app | Pocket PnL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price to keep using it | A monthly or yearly fee | Free, with no time limit |
| When the trial ends | Often locked until you subscribe | There's no trial to end |
| Ads | Varies | None |
| Account | Usually required | None |
| Bank login | Usually | Never |
| Exporting your data | Varies | CSV, free, any time |
Questions
Is Pocket PnL really free?
Yes. Logging, stats, net worth, reminders, widgets, sync and export are free with no time limit and no ads. The only purchase in the app is Pro, for receipts.
Is there a free trial?
There's no trial, because the free version doesn't run out. It includes 5 receipt scans, so you can try scanning before you decide on Pro.
Do I need an account?
No. There's no sign-up and no email. Your entries sync through the iCloud account already on your iPhone.
How do I cancel the yearly plan?
Apple manages it. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and choose Pocket PnL Pro. See pricing for more about Pro.
Start with today's coffee.
There's no account to make first. Open the app, tap minus and type the amount.
Free on iPhone. Needs iOS 17 or later.