Using a finance app without a bank connection.

How a manual finance app works

Instead of importing transactions, you open each account you want to include and enter its current balance. You might do this for cash accounts, investments, debts, and other assets. The app stores that moment as a snapshot.

When you return later, the next snapshot can be compared with the previous one. This makes changes visible without giving the app credentials or permission to fetch account activity.

What you gain without bank syncing

Control over what is included

You decide which accounts and assets belong in your review. An account can stay outside the app entirely if it is not useful to the picture you want to maintain.

Fewer external connections

The app does not need an ongoing connection to your financial institutions. There are no broken bank feeds to repair and no dependency on whether a particular bank is supported.

A deliberate check-in

Entering a handful of balances creates a natural moment to notice the numbers. Automation saves effort, but it can also make a finance app easy to ignore. Manual entry can be part of the reflection rather than mere administration.

The tradeoffs are real

A manual app is not automatically better or more secure in every respect. You still need to assess how the app stores data, whether it uses analytics, what it exports, and what happens when you delete your records.

You also give up automatic transaction categorisation, real-time balances, alerts based on bank activity, and effortless account reconciliation. Your snapshot is only as current and accurate as the values you enter.

Questions to ask before choosing an app

• Does it require an account, or can you use it directly on your device?
• Where are financial balances and notes stored?
• Does the app send analytics, diagnostics, or other usage information?
• Can you export your records in a useful format?
• Can you delete all stored financial data yourself?
• Does its routine match how often you realistically want to check your money?

How Lygu handles your review

Lygu is a private iPhone app for a focused monthly money review. It requires no Lygu account and offers no bank connection. You manually create snapshots of cash, investments, debts, other assets, and income, then compare them over time.

Entered financial records are kept in a local database on the phone. Lygu provides JSON and CSV export and a delete-all-data control. Limited usage analytics are handled separately from the raw balances, income, notes, and item names you enter.