The Best Budget Apps in Australia That Don't Link to Your Bank (2026)
Six budget apps Australians can use with no bank connection, compared on real cost, platforms and where your data lives. Plus what the CDR actually changes.
Australia is an unusual case, and this article is going to be honest about it rather than scare you.
Unlike most of the world, Australia has had regulated open banking for years. Under the Consumer Data Right, an accredited app requests your transaction data through a supervised API and never sees your banking password. That is a genuinely better arrangement than the credential sharing people still put up with elsewhere, and if automatic sync is what you want, there are free Australian apps doing it properly.
So the case for manual, no-connection budgeting in Australia is not "bank linking will get you hacked". It is narrower and, we think, more durable: even under the CDR, a company still holds a copy of your financial life, and companies in this category have a striking record of deciding they would rather not. Australians have watched that happen twice.
Last updated: November 2026. Prices checked against each app's own pricing page. CDR status checked against Australian government and CDR Register sources.
Disclosure: this article is published by MoneyPeas, which appears on this list. Where a bank-connected Australian app is the better answer, we say so below.
What the Consumer Data Right Actually Gives You
The CDR is the framework behind open banking in Australia. An app that wants your transaction data has to be an accredited data recipient, listed on a public register, regulated and audited. You consent through your bank, the data moves over a standardised API, and the app never receives your login credentials.
That is a real protection and worth knowing about, because it is better than the alternative. You can look any app up on the CDR Register and see whether it is accredited and at what level, which is a transparency most app categories cannot offer.
Three things are worth knowing about where it currently stands:
Uptake has been modest. The CDR has around 1.2 million active users. In a country of 27 million people with near-universal banking, that is a small fraction, and it tells you most Australians have either not been offered it or have not wanted it.
The government called a reset. In August 2024 the Albanese Government announced a CDR reset, citing high compliance costs and limited uptake of consumer use cases. Since then the data-sharing window has been cut from seven years to two to reduce the cost of holding history, consent rules have been streamlined, and from 13 July 2026 the regime began expanding in tranches to large non-bank lenders and BNPL providers.
CDR is not the only way apps get your data. Accreditation is a choice, not a universal rule, and screen scraping has not vanished from the Australian market. An app asking for your actual internet banking password is not using the CDR, whatever the marketing implies. If you are going to connect an account, the useful question is which method the app uses, and the answer should be checkable on the register.
For the general mechanics of what gets shared when you connect an account, see what actually happens when you link your bank account to a budgeting app, and our wider piece on whether bank linking is safe.
The Real Australian Risk: Apps That Disappear
Here is the argument that actually applies in Australia, and it has nothing to do with hackers.
Pocketbook was a Sydney-built budgeting app launched in 2012, free, genuinely good, and used by more than 800,000 Australians. Zip Co acquired it in 2016. In July 2022 Zip announced it was closing, and the following month it was gone, with user accounts deleted, because the parent company wanted to concentrate on buy now, pay later.
MoneyBrilliant closed on 16 December 2022, five months later. Its owner, Westpac, said some of its money management tools were now available in the Westpac app.
Neither app was shut down because it failed its users. Both were shut down because a larger company's strategy changed. In both cases the years of spending history people had built up lived on somebody else's servers, and when the decision came, that history was not theirs to keep.
That is the durable argument for manual budgeting here. Not that the CDR is unsafe, because it is reasonably well built, but that an app holding your data can stop holding it on a timeline you do not control. An app with no server cannot do that to you: the copy on your phone keeps working whatever happens to the company.
At a Glance: All Six Compared
On a phone, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| App | Price | Billed in | Platforms | Where your data lives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoneyPeas (iPhone) | Free; Pro EUR 29.99 once | Your local currency | iPhone, iPad | Your device, your own iCloud |
| MoneyPeas (web) | Free; Pro EUR 29.99 once | EUR | Any browser | MoneyPeas servers |
| Goodbudget | Free tier; Plus $80/yr | USD | iOS, Android, web | Goodbudget servers |
| YNAB | $109/yr, no free tier | USD only | iOS, Android, web | YNAB servers |
| Actual Budget | Free, self-hosted | No charge | Mac, Windows, Linux, web | Your own server |
| Spending Tracker | Free with ads; paid Pro | App store local pricing | iOS, Android | Your device |
| Spreadsheet | Free, or Microsoft 365 | AUD | Web, desktop, mobile | Your own computer |
The Apps, Reviewed
1. MoneyPeas. Best free option for simple manual tracking
Price: Free. Optional Pro: EUR 29.99 one-time, charged in your local currency
Platforms: iPhone and iPad, plus a separate web app in any browser
Bank linking: Not available, manual only
Currency support: 20 currencies including AUD
MoneyPeas is a free manual budget tracker with an optional one-time Pro upgrade at EUR 29.99 and no subscription. There is no connect-your-bank option in either app, because neither was designed around one. You enter income and expenses yourself, set your own categories, and get a monthly dashboard.
There are two separate products. The iPhone app has no account and no sign-in at all, no server and no analytics, so entries stay on your device and back up through your own iCloud. Its App Store privacy label reads "The developer does not collect any data from this app." The web app runs in any browser, which matters on Android, but it needs an account and the data sits on MoneyPeas servers. The two do not sync, and CSV is the only bridge. More on the iPhone app and the difference between the two.
On the shutdown problem above, the iPhone app is the honest answer: no server means nothing for us to switch off that would take your history with it.
Where it falls short for Australians specifically: there is no superannuation tracking and no net worth tracking at all. MoneyPeas tracks spending, not assets, so if you want your super balance next to your grocery budget this is the wrong tool and an Australian app will serve you better. There is no Android app and none is planned, which matters more here than in the US given Android's share. And Pro is priced in euros rather than AUD.
2. Goodbudget. Best for envelope budgeting and shared budgets
Price: Free tier; Plus at $80 USD a year
Platforms: iOS, Android, web
Bank linking: None
Where your data lives: Goodbudget servers
Goodbudget is digital envelope budgeting with no bank connection anywhere in the product, and it is the only app here that does shared budgeting properly. Two people, two phones, the same envelopes, which is why couples keep choosing it. The free tier is a genuine free tier with a capped number of envelopes rather than a trial. Our Goodbudget review covers exactly where those caps bite.
Where it falls short: an account is required and your envelopes live on their servers, so this avoids bank linking rather than data sharing, and it is subject to the same shutdown argument as any server-based app. Plus is billed in US dollars.
3. YNAB. Best methodology, priced in US dollars
Price: $109 USD a year or $14.99 USD a month, no free tier, 34-day trial
Platforms: iOS, Android, web
Bank linking: Optional, but heavily encouraged
Where your data lives: YNAB servers
YNAB has the most developed method here and runs perfectly well on manual entry, which earns it a place. It is also the most expensive option for Australians and the sticker price understates it: YNAB states that it is priced in US dollars and that exchange rates are not reflected in the price, so your real cost is $109 USD plus the exchange rate plus any foreign transaction fee. Over three years that is roughly $327 USD before conversion. If the method appeals but the price does not, see our YNAB alternatives.
Where it falls short: no free tier, onboarding pushes bank connection, and permanent currency exposure.
4. Actual Budget. Best for full data control, if you're technical
Price: Free, self-hosted
Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux, web
Bank linking: Optional, off by default
Where your data lives: Your own server or machine
Open source envelope budgeting that you run yourself. It is the strongest privacy position in the category and the only one you can verify, because the source is public and you own the machine. It is also completely immune to the Pocketbook problem: nobody can switch off software running on your own hardware.
Where it falls short: setup, updates and backups are your job, and it is not a realistic option for a non-technical user.
5. Spending Tracker. Best for minimal logging on a phone
Price: Free with ads; one-time paid Pro
Platforms: iOS, Android
Bank linking: None
Where your data lives: On your device
Categories, simple monthly reporting, minimal setup, everything stored locally, and a one-time upgrade. App store pricing means you pay in Australian dollars, which makes it one of the few options here without currency exposure.
Where it falls short: ad-supported free version and an ageing design.
6. A spreadsheet. Best for full customisation
Price: Free with Google Sheets or LibreOffice; Microsoft 365 for Excel
Platforms: Web, desktop, mobile
Bank linking: None
Where your data lives: Your Google account, or your own computer if saved locally
Still the most flexible option, and the only one that will handle whatever you want to build, including super contributions and salary sacrifice if you are inclined. Free, no subscription, and the file will still open in twenty years. Our guide to tracking expenses manually covers the method.
Where it falls short: typing expenses into a spreadsheet on a phone is tedious enough that most people stop, which is why dedicated apps exist.
How to Choose
Want free and simple on an iPhone? MoneyPeas.
On Android? Spending Tracker, or Goodbudget for envelopes.
Budgeting as a couple? Goodbudget.
Want a proper method and will pay USD? YNAB.
Want verifiable ownership and enjoy self-hosting? Actual Budget.
Want super and net worth in one place? None of these. Use a spreadsheet, or an Australian CDR-accredited app and accept the connection.
Two things to weigh. One-time versus subscription: four of the six never charge recurring fees, and the two that do are the two that hold your data. Does it survive the company: the apps storing data on your own device or your own server are the only ones that keep working if the developer walks away, which in this market is not a hypothetical.
If bank sync has previously turned budgeting into a dashboard you checked once and forgot, manual entry may genuinely suit you better. Our comparison of manual versus automatic budgeting covers both sides, and the method itself is in our guide to how to budget without linking your bank accounts.
If You'd Rather Have Automatic Sync
This section exists because in Australia it would be dishonest to leave it out. If you do want your transactions pulled in automatically, the CDR means you can do it without handing over a password, and some of the options are free.
- Frollo is an accredited CDR data recipient at the unrestricted level, pulls data from more than 100 financial providers, and is free with no ads and no subscription.
- WeMoney is also CDR accredited, free, and adds credit score reporting.
- PocketSmith connects to Australian institutions through an accredited intermediary and is stronger than most on forecasting.
Check any app you are considering against the public CDR Register before you connect, and treat an app asking for your internet banking password as a red flag rather than a convenience.
The trade-off is the one this whole article is about. Those apps are well regulated and some are free, and they also hold your financial history on their servers, which is exactly the position Pocketbook's 800,000 users were in. Both choices are reasonable. Just make it deliberately.
FAQ
What is the best free budget app in Australia that doesn't link to your bank?
MoneyPeas is free with no entry limits, supports AUD, and has no bank linking option at all. On iPhone it has no account or sign-in, so nothing leaves your device. Goodbudget's free tier and Spending Tracker are the other strong free picks and both work on Android.
Is open banking safe in Australia?
Comparatively, yes. Under the Consumer Data Right an accredited app receives your data through a regulated API and never sees your banking password, accreditation is public on the CDR Register, and recipients are supervised. That is a genuinely better arrangement than credential sharing. What it does not change is that a third party still holds a copy of your transaction history.
What happened to Pocketbook?
Pocketbook was a Sydney-built budgeting app with more than 800,000 users, acquired by Zip Co in 2016. Zip announced its closure in July 2022 and the app shut the following month with user accounts deleted, as the company refocused on buy now, pay later. MoneyBrilliant, owned by Westpac, closed on 16 December 2022. Neither closed for lack of users.
Can I track my superannuation in these apps?
No. Every app on this list is a spending tracker rather than a net worth or investment tracker, and none of them handle super balances or contributions. A spreadsheet can if you build it. Otherwise you want an Australian app with account connections, which means accepting the connection.
Do these apps support Australian dollars?
MoneyPeas supports 20 currencies including AUD, and Goodbudget, YNAB, Actual Budget and a spreadsheet all track in AUD too. Tracking in AUD and being billed in AUD are different things: YNAB bills only in US dollars, Goodbudget Plus is USD, and MoneyPeas Pro is priced in euros. Spending Tracker and a spreadsheet are the options with no currency exposure.
Is screen scraping still used in Australia?
Yes, outside the CDR. Accreditation is a choice rather than a universal requirement, and some apps still ask for internet banking credentials directly. The CDR has roughly 1.2 million active users, so most account connections in the country are not happening through it. If an app asks for your bank password, it is not using open banking.
Why did the government reset the CDR?
The Albanese Government announced the reset in August 2024, citing high compliance costs and limited uptake of consumer use cases. The changes since have included cutting the data sharing window from seven years to two, streamlining consent, and from 13 July 2026 expanding the regime in tranches to large non-bank lenders and BNPL providers.
I'm in the UK or Canada, not Australia
The regime changes the picture enough that we keep separate versions for the UK, and the main no-bank-access comparison covers more apps across every platform.
