Google Sheets app
A Google Sheets spending tracker that is an app
Tobsy is an app whose database is a Google Sheet in your own Google Drive. You enter spending and income on the app's own screens, on any phone, tablet or computer, and the app reads and writes the sheet for you.
· 3 min read
So it sits between a template and a bank-connected app: your data in a sheet you own, with an app on top that does the adding up, the charts and the looking ahead.
| What you compare | A template (like Tobsy's free sheet) | Tobsy |
|---|---|---|
| Where the data lives | A Google Sheet in your own Drive | A Google Sheet in your own Drive |
| What you fill in | Rows in the sheet: date, amount, category, where, a note | Entries on the app's screens; the app writes the sheet |
| What it shows you | Each month's spending, income and kept, with a chart | Where the money goes, usual ranges and drift, intentions, goals, a six-month forecast as a range |
| On your phone | The spreadsheet itself | An app, on any phone, tablet or computer |
| Runs inside the sheet | Ordinary formulas only | A small script you copy into your own sheet at set-up |
| Price | Free | A$59 once, after thirty days free |
Start with the free sheet, move to the app later
Tobsy's free sheet is a plain Google Sheet: a row for each thing you buy or get paid, Tobsy's categories to pick from, and a tab that adds up each month. Make a copy, and it is yours, with no email and no sign-up.
When you want more, the app brings it across in one go:
- On the free sheet's Spending tab, choose File, then Download, then Comma-separated values (.csv).
- In Tobsy, open Settings, then Import, and choose the file.
- Check the rows. You see every row before anything is saved.
Categories match by name, shops come across and are learned, and people come across by name. Groups and intentions stay in the sheet; you set Tobsy's own in the app. Importing again later leaves out the rows already brought across.
What the app adds
- Entry in seconds. Anything you enter regularly fills itself in from a single word, and Tobsy learns your shops.
- Catching up. A screenshot from your banking app, read on your own phone, or a CSV statement, checked before anything saves.
- Intentions, your way. An intention per category in dollars or as a percent of income, with what is left shown against your income, so zero-based, envelope-style rollover or 50/30/20 all fit.
- Awareness. Each category has a usual range from your own months, and Tobsy says in a sentence when one drifts.
- Staying ahead. Goals, pay-over-time plans and a forecast six months ahead, shown as a range.
- A household. Up to six people on one copy, splits set the way you choose, and who fronted what worked out for you.
Your data stays in your sheet
No Tobsy server stores your entries, your figures or anything about your money. Tobsy asks Google for one permission: to work in the spreadsheet it is attached to. There is no bank feed either; feeds are handy, and Plaid, a connector many apps use, says a merchant's name or category "may be incorrect", so a statement is cross-checked either way.
See it first in the demo, or read the set-up guide: about ten minutes, once, on a computer.
Sources
- Tobsy pricing — the template answer, the price, getting your data out; read 2026-10-13
- Free spending log for Google Sheets — what the free sheet holds, how it imports, what comes across and what stays; read 2026-10-13
- Tracking — quick entry, learned shops, screenshot and CSV statement import; read 2026-10-13
- Awareness — usual ranges, drift, the analysis axes; read 2026-10-13
- Staying ahead — intentions in dollars or percent, rollover, goals, pay-over-time plans, the six-month forecast as a range; read 2026-10-13
- For couples and families — up to six people, splits, who fronted what; read 2026-10-13
- Privacy by design — no Tobsy server for money data, the one Google permission; read 2026-10-13
- The Financial Truth, chapter 5 — the small script you copy into your own spreadsheet; read 2026-10-13
- Plaid docs: Transactions troubleshooting — merchant name or category "may be incorrect"; read 2026-10-13
Questions
Is this just a spreadsheet template?
No. Tobsy is a cash flow management app with screens of its own: quick entry, analysis, usual ranges, intentions, goals and a six-month forecast. The Google Sheet is the database you own, and you can go months without opening it.
Can I start with the free sheet and upgrade later?
Yes. When you want the app, download the Spending tab as a CSV file and open Settings, then Import, in Tobsy. Categories match by name, and you see every row before anything is saved.
What does the app do that the sheet alone can't?
Quick entry that learns your shops, screenshot and statement import, usual ranges and drift, analysis by person, category, group, tag or merchant, goals, and a six-month forecast shown as a range. It also holds a household of up to six people, with splits and settle-up.
What happens to my data if I stop using Tobsy?
It stays in your sheet. Everything you entered is still there, and you can download all of it whether you pay or not.
Thirty days free
Try it, or look around first.
The demo is the real app with fourteen months of sample entries. The trial is every screen, for thirty days, with your own.
About ten minutes to set up, once, on a computer. You’ll need a Google account. A$59 after the trial, if you want to keep it.