Best Budget Apps That Don't Require Bank Access (UK, 2026)
Six budget apps that work without linking your UK bank account, compared honestly, with no Open Banking required. Free options included.
Most budgeting apps in the UK now push Open Banking as the default way to get started. Connect your current account, share read access to your transactions, and the app fills itself in. It sounds convenient — and for some people, it is.
But not everyone wants to hand over access to their bank account to a third-party app, even read-only. Whether your concern is privacy, security, or simply preferring to stay in control of your own financial data, these are the best budgeting apps that work entirely without bank access.
No Open Banking, no credential sharing, no third-party data aggregators. Manual entry only.
Disclosure: this article is published by MoneyPeas, which appears on this list. We've tried to be honest about where alternatives are a better fit.
A quick note on Open Banking in the UK
Open Banking was introduced in the UK in 2018 following regulation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It lets regulated third-party apps request read access to your bank transaction data — directly from your bank, using a standardised API, without you sharing your password.
This is meaningfully more secure than older approaches where apps like Yodlee or early Mint asked for your online banking username and password. UK Open Banking uses OAuth-style authorisation: you approve access directly through your bank's own app or website, and you can revoke it at any time.
So Open Banking is safer than it used to be. But "safer" isn't the same as "no risk" — and access to a complete transaction history is still a significant amount of data to share. If you'd prefer not to, there are good alternatives.
For a full breakdown of what bank-linking involves and the risks worth knowing about, see our article on whether it's safe to link your bank account to a budgeting app.
The Apps
1. MoneyPeas. Best free option for simple manual tracking
Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android, web
Bank linking: Not available — manual entry only
Works in the UK: Yes, full currency support
MoneyPeas was built specifically for people who don't want to link their bank accounts. There's no "connect your bank" option because the app was never designed around it. You add income and expenses manually, assign categories, and get a clean monthly dashboard showing where you stand.
It's genuinely free — no subscription, no premium features gated behind a paywall, no ads. Works on iOS, Android, and web, with data syncing between devices. It handles pounds (or any other currency) without issue.
What it does well:
- Clean, simple interface — low friction to use it daily
- Custom spending categories
- Monthly dashboard with income, expenses, and remaining balance
- Works across iOS, Android, and web — syncs between devices
- Optional two-factor authentication
- No ads, no upsells
What it doesn't do:
- No envelope budgeting methodology
- No shared budgets or partner sync
- No bill tracking or upcoming payment reminders
Who it's for: Anyone who wants to track spending privately without complexity. Especially good for budgeting beginners, privacy-conscious users, and people who've tried bank-linked apps and found them more overwhelming than helpful.
2. Goodbudget. Best for envelope budgeting without bank access
Price: Free (10 envelopes); Plus £6/month or £55/year (unlimited)
Platforms: iOS, Android, web
Bank linking: None — manual entry only
Goodbudget is a digital version of the envelope budgeting method: you divide your income into spending envelopes (categories) at the start of each month, then draw from them as you spend. When an envelope hits zero, you're done spending in that category.
There's no bank linking at all. Every transaction is entered manually. The free tier gives you 10 envelopes, which is enough for most straightforward budgets. The Plus plan removes limits and adds a full year of transaction history.
Particularly good for couples: Goodbudget supports shared budgets, so both partners can log expenses against the same envelopes in real time.
What it does well:
- The envelope method is genuinely effective for people who struggle with overspending
- Shared budgets work well for couples or households
- Available on all platforms with sync
- Free tier is usable for simple budgets
What it doesn't do:
- The envelope framework can feel rigid if your spending doesn't fit neatly into monthly categories
- Interface is more dated than some alternatives
- Free tier limits (10 envelopes, 1 account) can feel restrictive
Who it's for: People who want structure and a proven method, couples budgeting together, anyone drawn to the cash envelope approach but wanting a digital version.
3. YNAB (You Need A Budget). Best for serious budgeters willing to pay
Price: £14.99/month or £99/year (34-day free trial)
Platforms: iOS, Android, web
Bank linking: Available but not required
YNAB is the most fully-featured budgeting app on this list — and the most expensive. Its philosophy, give every pound a job, is built around intentional, proactive budgeting rather than reviewing transactions after the fact.
Importantly: bank sync is optional. Many YNAB users deliberately skip it and use manual entry exclusively. YNAB's community regularly discusses why manual entry leads to better engagement with your budget — the act of logging a purchase makes you more conscious of it. The app is genuinely designed to work either way.
The price is real though. At £14.99/month, this is a subscription you need to commit to. YNAB argues the method saves users more than the cost, and many agree, but it's not the right tool if you want simple expense tracking.
Note for UK users: YNAB's UK bank sync support is more limited than in the US. Direct connections with UK banks are fewer. If you're using it in the UK, manual entry is often the more reliable approach anyway — which suits this list perfectly.
What it does well:
- The most developed budgeting methodology of any app here
- Strong educational resources and community
- Excellent for debt payoff, saving for irregular expenses, and breaking a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle
- Manual entry works smoothly alongside the methodology
What it doesn't do:
- Expensive — hard to justify if you just want basic tracking
- Learning curve is steeper than simpler apps
- Bank sync is available and nudged, so you need to actively choose not to use it
Who it's for: People serious about changing their financial habits, especially those with debt, irregular income, or chronic overspending. Not right if you just want a lightweight expense tracker.
4. Actual Budget. Best for privacy-focused users who want full data control
Price: Free (self-hosted); hosted version available
Platforms: Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux), web, iOS and Android via browser
Bank linking: Optional — can be used entirely without
Actual Budget is open source and can be fully self-hosted, meaning your data lives on your own server or computer — not a company's cloud. For the privacy-conscious, this is as good as it gets: no third party holds your financial data at all.
It uses an envelope-style budgeting approach similar to YNAB. Bank sync is available if you want it, but you can run it entirely manually. The self-hosted version is free.
The catch: self-hosting requires some technical comfort. It's not straightforward if you've never run software on a server. Hosted options are available if you want the privacy benefits without the setup work.
What it does well:
- Maximum privacy — data can stay entirely on your own hardware
- Open source and actively maintained
- No subscription cost for the self-hosted version
- Solid envelope budgeting feature set
What it doesn't do:
- Self-hosting requires technical knowledge
- Mobile experience is less polished than native apps
- Smaller community and fewer resources than YNAB
Who it's for: Developers, privacy enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to own their financial data completely.
5. Spending Tracker. Best for minimal mobile expense logging
Price: Free (with ads); Pro version removes ads
Platforms: iOS, Android
Bank linking: None
Spending Tracker does one thing: lets you log expenses on your phone quickly. No methodology, no budgets, no dashboards beyond basic summaries. Just a fast way to record what you spent.
If you find even apps like MoneyPeas or Goodbudget more than you need, Spending Tracker might be the answer — it's essentially a digital tally.
What it does well:
- Extremely simple — almost no learning curve
- Fast expense entry
- Free
What it doesn't do:
- No income tracking or budget limits
- No web version or desktop access
- No sync between devices on the free version
- Ads on the free tier
Who it's for: Someone who wants to log spending and nothing more. This is a spending log, not a full budgeting app.
6. Spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel). Best for full customisation
Price: Free (Google Sheets) or included with Microsoft 365
Platforms: Web, desktop, mobile
Bank linking: None
A well-built spreadsheet can be a genuinely effective budgeting tool. You control exactly what it tracks, how it's structured, and what the formulas calculate. Your data lives in your Google account or on your own computer. No third party involved at all.
There are hundreds of free budget spreadsheet templates available for Google Sheets and Excel — you don't need to build one from scratch. A quick search for "UK budget spreadsheet template" will give you solid starting points.
The main limitation: no mobile-optimised entry experience. Adding an expense on your phone to a Google Sheet is clunky. Most people who start with a spreadsheet eventually move to an app for the convenience of daily logging.
What it does well:
- Completely flexible — track exactly what you want, how you want
- Your data, fully under your control
- Free
- No account or app required
What it doesn't do:
- No dedicated mobile entry experience
- More setup than any app on this list
- Easy to abandon when it starts to feel like extra work
Who it's for: People comfortable with spreadsheets who want maximum flexibility. Also a good starting point to understand what you actually need before committing to an app.
How to Choose
Want free and simple? MoneyPeas.
Budgeting as a couple? Goodbudget.
Serious about methodology and willing to pay? YNAB.
Full data ownership, technically comfortable? Actual Budget.
Just want to log expenses quickly? Spending Tracker.
Want complete flexibility and control? Spreadsheet.
The best budgeting app is the one you'll actually use. If you've tried bank-linked apps before — connected your current account, watched the transactions fill in, and then largely ignored the dashboard — a manual app might suit you better than anything automated.
Manual entry sounds like more effort. But for many people, the act of logging a purchase is the point. It keeps you conscious of spending in a way that passive sync never does.
What About UK Apps That Use Open Banking?
Several UK-specific apps are built around Open Banking and don't work well without it:
- Emma — connects to UK current accounts via Open Banking; manual entry is possible but the app is clearly designed around bank sync
- Snoop — Open Banking is the core of the product; limited use without it
- Plum — analysis and saving features are built around bank connectivity
- Cleo — bank connection is required to use the main features
If privacy isn't your concern, these are worth looking at for UK users — Open Banking support for UK banks is excellent compared to the US. But if you'd rather not connect your current account, none of them are the right choice.
FAQ
What is the best free budget app for UK users that doesn't require bank access?
MoneyPeas is free, requires no bank connection, and works fully in the UK with pound support. Goodbudget also has a free tier with no bank linking. Both are available on iOS and Android.
Is Open Banking safe?
Open Banking is significantly safer than older approaches that required sharing your online banking password. Access is granted directly through your bank, is read-only, and can be revoked at any time. That said, you are giving a third party access to your full transaction history, which carries its own privacy implications. See our full article on whether bank-linking is safe for a detailed breakdown.
Do any of these apps support multiple currencies?
MoneyPeas supports any currency — you set it when you create your account. Goodbudget and YNAB also support GBP. If you budget across currencies (common for freelancers with international clients), MoneyPeas handles this without any special setup.
What's the best budget app for people who get paid irregularly?
Manual apps work particularly well for variable income because you log what you actually earn rather than relying on imported bank data. MoneyPeas and YNAB are both suited to this. See our guide on budgeting with irregular income for a practical approach.
Can I use these apps if I bank with Monzo, Starling, or another challenger bank?
Yes — all manual apps work regardless of where you bank. Because you're entering transactions yourself rather than syncing, it doesn't matter whether your current account is with Lloyds, Barclays, Monzo, or Starling. One advantage of challenger banks: they typically show real-time notifications for transactions, making it easy to log spending in a manual app immediately after a purchase.
For more on why you might want to budget without bank access, including privacy and security considerations, see our complete guide to budgeting without linking your bank accounts.
