Personal Finance IntelligenceA budget app without an account
Your transactions say where you live, shop, travel and get paid. An offline budget app keeps that record on your own PC instead of a company's server.
How it works
Instead of connecting to your bank, you download a statement from your e-banking (CSV, OFX/QFX, QIF or CAMT.053) and import it. The app reads the file locally, sorts the transactions into categories and updates your budgets. There is no sign-up, so there is no password to leak and no account to close if you stop using it.
What you gain and what you give up
| Offline app | Cloud app with bank sync | |
|---|---|---|
| Account and sign-up | None | Required |
| Bank login shared | No | Usually, through an aggregator |
| New transactions | You import a statement | Arrive automatically |
| Phone app | No (Windows only, in PFI's case) | Usually yes |
| Works without internet | Yes | No |
| If the company shuts down | Your file stays on your PC | Depends on their export |
The honest trade-off is convenience: importing a statement once a week or once a month takes a minute or two. Many people find that this regular check is also when they actually look at their spending.
Keeping offline data safe
With no server, backups are your job. In PFI:
- A backup is made automatically every week when the app starts, and before every restore.
- Point the backup folder at OneDrive or a USB drive so a copy lives off the PC.
- Set a backup password: the copies in OneDrive or on the drive cannot be read without it. Keep that password somewhere safe, because encrypted backups cannot be restored without it.
- Turn on the Windows Hello lock if other people use your PC.
- Moving to a new PC: Settings › Move to another PC creates one file you open on the new PC.
PFI is open source under the MIT license, so anyone can check what it does. It has no ads, no tracking
and no analytics. The only internet requests are for exchange rates and investment prices, and both can be switched off (see the privacy policy).