PocketGuard might just be the budget app that may take the place of your trusty spreadsheet. It allows you to connect your financial accounts, categorize your spending, and manage or tag recurring bills with ease.
We rolled up our sleeves and dived into the iOS app and the PocketGuard web version to explore its features and evaluate whether it’s worth your time and money.
What is PocketGuard?
PocketGuard stands as a financial management tool, boasting over a million users. If you opt for the free version, you can engage in basic budgeting activities, such as:
- Connecting and syncing two financial accounts.
- Setting up a cash account to manually input income or check your bank balance.
- Keeping tabs on your recurring bills.
- Creating a limited amount of spending categories.
The more comprehensive PocketGuard Plus, a paid upgrade, lifts these restrictions, allowing multiple bank connections, more cash accounts, and extending your spending categories. It also introduces premium features like financial goal setting, debt planning, and subscription tracking.
One of PocketGuard’s standout features is called "Leftover," prominently displaying how much remains after covering all your monthly expenses. This number takes center stage on your dashboard, both in-app and online.
How much does PocketGuard cost?
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Free Version: Sign up for free, but know that premium features remain out of reach. Plus, you’re restricted to just two budget categories, which might be limiting for some.
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Paid Version: PocketGuard Plus lifts these restraints, granting access to all features for $74.99 annually or $12.99 monthly.
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Free Trial: You can begin with a 7-day free trial to explore the app’s features.
- Lifetime Membership: During our iPhone testing, we discovered an unlisted lifetime membership option priced at $149.99. Additionally, we occasionally saw offers for lifetime access to PocketGuard Plus at $79.99—a savvy choice considering 10 years of subscription fees would total $749.90.
How does PocketGuard work?
A budget app’s effectiveness hinges on the quality of data you input. To reap the full benefits, you’ll need to track your recurring bills, define your spending categories, and keep an eye on transactions.
Linking your Financial Accounts or Manual Entry
Automate by connecting your checking, savings, and credit card accounts in PocketGuard’s "accounts" section. Through secure partnerships with Finicity, Plaid, and Apple Wallet, your balance and transaction data are pulled in, making it simpler for the app to detect income and recurring bills.
Conversely, you could set up a cash account to manually enter your bank balance and log each transaction. PocketGuard Plus enables you to link multiple bank accounts or create multiple cash accounts.
Forecast Expenses by Adding Recurring Bills and Budget Categories
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Add Bills: The app can auto-detect recurring bills if your external accounts are linked, or you can add them manually via the "plan" section on both platforms.
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Set Budgets: Within the "plan" section, you can lay out your spending categories and caps for variable expenses, termed "budgets." The PocketGuard free version restricts you to just two budget categories, and your spending against each is displayed as you make transactions.
- Monitor Leftover Balance: Once you’ve planned your spending, the app provides a quick view of your projected leftover balance (predicted income less bills and spending in each category) to help you adjust as needed.
Additional Features for Plus Users: Savings Goals and Debt Payoff Planning
Exclusive to Plus users, PocketGuard allows you to establish savings targets and craft debt-payment plans.
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Financial Goals: Perfect if you’re saving for a major item like a car. Enter your target, monthly contributions, and track your progress over time.
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Debt Payoff: Allows you to prioritize and visualize debt payments using methods like the debt avalanche or snowball strategies. By specifying your loan balance, interest rate, and intended monthly payment, the app helps you create a schedule and accommodate it within your budget.
- Subscription Tracking: This premium feature reviews bank and credit card transactions, offering steps to cancel unwanted subscriptions—though it won’t cancel them for you.
Pros and Cons of PocketGuard
Pros
- The free version is great for those just starting to budget.
- Basic features like recurring bill tracking encourage sound financial habits.
- Budgeters willing to upgrade can streamline their financial oversight by linking multiple accounts.
- Lifetime membership proves more economical than monthly or yearly options.
Cons
- The free version is quite limited.
- The constraint on budget categories in the free version makes traditional spreadsheets, with their unlimited lines, an appealing alternative.
What do Reddit users say about PocketGuard?
Exploring Reddit, where individuals share insights anonymously, reveals mixed feelings about PocketGuard. Some appreciate the option to use a basic version free and to pay once for a lifetime membership instead of an ongoing subscription. Acknowledgments also go to the app’s basic transaction tracking and categorization. Yet, some users express frustration over slow development and lagging feature releases.
Is PocketGuard worth it?
Finding the optimum budget app tailored for you is crucial. If you’re determined to stick to a budget, explore and compare some of the top budget apps available to find your perfect match.
