No bank sync
No bank connection. On purpose.
Tobsy is a spending tracker without bank sync: it does not ask for a bank login and does not sync an account. You type a purchase in a few taps, or catch up from a screenshot or a statement you choose, and every entry lives in a Google Sheet in your own Google Drive.
· 3 min read
That is a choice. A purchase you enter yourself is one you saw, and Tobsy is built so that entering it is quick.
| What you weigh | A bank feed | Typing it in, with Tobsy |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | Link each bank account to the app | About ten minutes, once, on a computer. No bank login |
| What the app can see | Whatever the connection is given | Only what you type or import, in your own Google Sheet |
| Upkeep | Pending rows and categories get a check | Nothing to reconnect |
| When you forget | The feed carries on without you | A screenshot or a statement catches you up, checked before it saves |
| The moment you notice | Whenever you open the app | When you enter the purchase |
| Cost | Depends on the app | A$59 once, after thirty days free. No subscription |
How entry stays fast
- Quick-entry rules. Anything you enter regularly fills itself in from a single word. One word, one tap, logged.
- It learns your shops. Tobsy remembers your merchants and how you file them, offers the likely entry as a chip, and learns your renames too.
- A grid for a desk. Bulk entry is a grid made for a keyboard and a fast typist.
- Foreign currencies. Spending in another currency is recorded in its own currency, with the rate frozen on the day.
When you fall behind
Drop in a screenshot from your banking app, read on your own phone with the image sent nowhere, or import or paste a CSV statement. The rows are laid out for a quick check, and nothing reaches your ledger until you say so. Offline, an import waits in the queue like any entry.
Feeds and statements, honestly
There is no automatic feed in Tobsy: you type it, or you import it, and it is as complete as you keep it. A feed is the better fit if you want every account to update itself. Feeds carry their own checking too: Plaid, a connector many apps use, says a pending payment that posts "will appear as a separate transaction" and that a merchant's category "may be incorrect", so a statement is cross-checked either way.
Budget your way, by hand
Budgeting in Tobsy is called Intentions, and it is flexible. Set an intention per category in dollars or as a percent of income, and Tobsy shows what is left against your income. Zero-based, envelope-style rollover, 50/30/20 or pay-yourself-first all fit. Over the months, each category also gets a usual range from your own entries, and Tobsy says in a sentence when one drifts.
Look around the demo, read how tracking works, or see Tobsy for Australia.
Sources
- Tracking — quick-entry rules, learned merchants and renames, the bulk grid, screenshot and CSV statement import; read 2026-10-13
- Tobsy pricing — the bank question, the price; read 2026-10-13
- Privacy by design — no bank login, no account sync, screenshots read on the device; read 2026-10-13
- Staying ahead — intentions in dollars or percent, rollover and roll-under; read 2026-10-13
- Awareness — usual ranges and drift; read 2026-10-13
- Updates — an import waits in the queue offline like any entry; read 2026-10-13
- Terms — "only as complete as you keep it"; read 2026-10-13
- Plaid docs: Transactions troubleshooting — a posted transaction "will appear as a separate transaction"; merchant name or category "may be incorrect"; read 2026-10-13
Questions
Why would I avoid linking my bank account?
That is your call, and plenty of people link theirs happily. The usual reasons not to are not wanting to hand a bank login to anyone, and wanting your history where you can see it.
Is manual expense tracking more accurate than bank sync?
It is as complete as you keep it. A typed entry carries what you decided at the time: the category, the shop, a note. A bank feed gets checked against a statement too, so either way you look at the rows.
Is there a budgeting app without bank sync?
Yes, Tobsy. Budgeting in Tobsy is called Intentions: an intention per category in dollars or as a percent of income, with what is left shown against your income, and rollover if you want it.
What if I forget to enter things for a week?
Drop in a screenshot from your banking app, or paste a statement. The rows are laid out for a quick check, and nothing reaches your ledger until you say so.
Does Tobsy work without an internet connection?
Partly. An entry made offline waits in the queue and goes to your sheet when you are back online. Your data lives in your own Google account, so it needs a connection to reach it.
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.