# PocketGuard・Budget Planner App — user reviews > 327 indexed App Store user reviews of PocketGuard・Budget Planner App by PocketGuard, Inc., rated 4.60/5 from 7,664 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketguardbudget-planner-app/id949414211/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketguardbudget-planner-app/id949414211.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 5,930 · 4★ 1,010 · 3★ 279 · 2★ 108 · 1★ 337 ## What do users think of PocketGuard・Budget Planner App? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 🚀 Efficient app that helps track spending - 👍 Customizable budgeting categories - 🚀 Real-time transaction updates - 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface - 🚀 Helpful for getting finances under control - 👍 Responsive customer support **Cons** - 🐛 Recurring issues with bank account syncing - 🔒 Security concerns with 2FA/MFA requirements - 🚫 Lack of support for certain banks/credit cards - 💰 Expensive subscription model - 🐛 Buggy app performance and frequent crashes - 🤔 Confusing budgeting features and layout **Commonly reported bugs** - Inconsistent transaction syncing and labeling - Inability to delete or manage connected accounts - Budgeting data disappearing or not updating properly **Most requested features** - Ability to carry over unspent budget to next month - More advanced reporting and analytics - Light/dark mode theme options - Improved transaction categorization and learning - Support for multiple users/family budgeting ## Newest reviews (11 of 327) ### 2/5 — Execution isn’t good, predictions inaccurate, not worth it *2026-07-26, version 5.19.5* I’m coming from YNAB so I’m a little spoiled. But PocketGuard is cheaper since they have the lifetime subscription, if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t have gotten it. I’m guessing that’s why they have the lifetime option because it tricks you into thinking you’re getting a good deal when you’re just getting a subpar app. With YNAB I paid basically $100 a year BUT the goal is to save money, right, so you have to cut spending anywhere you can, UX/UI is a luxury so I ditched YNAB after 10 years with them. I’ve played around with other apps and even excel spreadsheets. I got this because of all the overselling of the features especially the prediction feature. But I’m mostly just tolerating this app. My biggest gripe is that their big selling point the Plan feature (where you can get an estimate of what will be leftover or how much income/expenses are predicted) only works if your income and bills transactions are precisely the same each month. So if your paychecks are different amounts well then you can’t trust the numbers. Same with your expenses, if your utility bill is going to be up $100 this month well PocketGuard doesn’t know that so good luck making any smart predictions. I used to have an app that went away called Prism and that app actually connected to all your bills so it actually knew exactly what amount they would be. I miss those days. Seems like a small ask: Just tell me the exact amount of my upcoming bills please. Insights are okay but my banking app already does that with the pie chart of your expenses and stuff. So not a feature I *need* to pay for. The Rules setting needs UI improvements—it’s not visually friendly to use, it looks like some backend stuff with the if/then statements, nobody wants to think about if/then statements. Also whatever tool they use the pull in the transactions could use improvement with naming conventions and how it categorizes stuff, I know that’s case by case basis but nobody gets a budgeting projection app wanting to edit every single transaction. My Amex card always thinks my account is being hacked whenever PocketGuard pulls transactions. Here comes another annoying notification… Overall I’m underwhelmed and feel like I have no use for this thing aside from the fact that it combines spending across different accounts but I’m thinking about simplifying my life to one or two cards max anyway and at that point this app will definitely be useless to me. At this point I’m hoping they improve and that lifetime members are grandfathered in, worse case I’m out $140 and sticking to my banking app because it does the same thing for free ### 4/5 — Best budgeting app I have ever used but why is there no light mode??? *2026-07-01, version 5.19.5* thank you for making my life easier when it comes to managing finances.. one complaint, in the age of ai, there should not be a single reason to not offer both light and dark mode. Light mode is super helpful for visibility in certain conditions. Please. Learn from Apple’s wallet app! ### 2/5 — So many bugs *2026-06-05, version 5.19.3* This app is way more worse than two years ago. A lot of issues including not able to set my default not counting credit card payment, reset all my previous split transactions ### 3/5 — Slow and clunky *2026-05-07, version 5.19.2* This app used to be quite snappy. Somewhere in the last couple of months, likely when the Pace feature was introduced, that all changed. UI interactions are slow, the app freezes for seconds at a time, and there’s been no improvement despite opening tickets with support. ### 1/5 — wow *2026-04-13, version 5.19.2* The fact that this app can’t successfully sync with American Express renders it completely useless for us. I’m disappointed that they don’t disclose this bug ahead of time because it compromises ease of use, which is literally the whole point of the app. I spent more than 30 bucks on a broken product. I wish I could get my money back. ### 2/5 — Great concept- terrible customer service *2026-04-12, version 5.19.2* Had high hopes for this app as I like the easy adaption but I was unable to log in on my laptop to my account as it would only clock and I was also unable to get my joint accounts with my husband as primary integrated into the app. Emailed several times for customer service assistance with screenshots but went days without a response and no help. I feel like a simple call would have rectified this but going back and forth by email for weeks isn’t helpful. Will be canceling the app and requesting a refund from Visa due to lack of customer support. ### 3/5 — App has slowed down *2026-04-04, version 5.19.1* This app has worked well for me for a couple of years. However, in the last few months, I’ve noticed it’s slowed down quite a bit. It makes my phone very hot. There’s clearly more work happening in the background than before, but I’m not sure what it is. Hoping to see some optimizations. ### 2/5 — Security Concerns *2026-03-30, version 5.19.1* Within a week of opening my account, I received a security alert ping from one of my credit cards due to potential fraudulent activity. Additionally, they use Billshark to offer bill negotiation services, but that 3rd party service is very challenging to cancel. Finally, the app doesn’t offer a great layout for all of your finances if you split bills with other members of household , and makes it difficult to track transfers between accounts. Would not recommend. ### 4/5 — Overall great experience *2026-03-27, version 5.19.1* I’ve been using pocketguard around 6 months now. While there have been some sync issues on occasion they have always worked themselves out. Recently, I’ve had an issue where I have lost a couple transactions on the same day. Aggravating, but not a show stopper. I do love some of the new features though. Only thing that worries me is that once new features are added, that’s when i see little bugs start showing up. Overall, Pocketguard is a nice tool to monitor your spending with. It would get 5 stars if it weren’t for the little quirks that occasionally arise. ### 1/5 — App doesn’t work *2026-03-26, version 5.19.1* Not sure if it’s a bug? But hopefully this review will pop up to the developers and they can fix it. I can’t get past the start my membership screen because it redirects me to my browser to a blank page that won’t load. Will probably have to go with another app if they don’t fix this soon. ### 1/5 — Connection Issues *2026-03-26, version 5.19.1* I use to love the app but now I am having constant connection iissues. It has been over two months and they still can’t get the issues figured out. The app is useless to me if it doesn’t work at least every couple days. I am lucky if if connects once every three weeks. I have cancelled my subscription but I wish I could get my money back. When I contacted support they said they know about the issue but have no timeline. Two months and you still have no answers? If it is my banks fault then don’t have banks listed as compatible that aren’t. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Billing issues *2026-08-15, version 5.19.5* Even when I canceled they keep charging, support is helping ### 1/5 — They stale you to keep your money *2026-08-07* They are having connection issues with several banks and the app is unusable. They keep you engage for weeks before acknowledging that they are actually facing a problem and they don’t know when it will be solved. At first I didn’t understand why, but when I asked apple for a refund I understood: the refund is prorated! So they try to keep you engaged as much as possible to get more money from you. Don’t get this. If you already did, contact apple support immediately when you have an issue and request your refund. My problem was no the sync technical issue, my problem was their support. They are washing their hands saying this is handled directly with apple support, but they took 2 weeks to informed me of that. Let them say it was my responsibility to just know it, it doesn’t change the fact that I was mistreated and staled. Happy to share here how their support team told me “they don’t have a crystal ball” when I asked for deadlines. Really unprofessional. **Developer response:** Hi Еrika, We’re sorry to hear about your experience. Connection issues can sometimes occur when a financial institution changes or restricts the way third-party services can access account data, and unfortunately, their resolution may depend on the bank and our data providers. We want to clarify that we never delay troubleshooting to affect refund eligibility. App Store purchases and refunds are handled directly by Apple under their policies, and PocketGuard does not control refund decisions or eligibility. We understand how important reliable account syncing is for a budgeting app and are sorry that the connection issue affected your experience with PocketGuard. ### 1/5 — Inoperable *2026-08-02, version 5.19.5* I’ve had this app since 2021 and used it daily for budgeting. In the last year, the app started by not being able to connect with my credit union anymore. After several weeks, they told me they could no longer support my credit card connected to my bank. I was so committed to this app, I actually moved all my purchases to my AmEx. In the last month, the app stopped communicating with my AmEx. After about 3 weeks, they told me they could no longer support my AmEx. Ok, I get a small credit union, but my AmEx?! I signed up for a different app and bam! Immediately connected to my credit union and AmEx and haven’t had any issues. I had a lifetime membership and they told me to get a refund from Apple. Apple says I’m not eligible. Disappointed all around… ### 1/5 — Misleading subscription *2026-07-15, version 5.19.5* While I understand it is my job to read the fine print, the app marketed their subscription prices month by month, however charged me for a whole year. Disappointed that an app made to help you budget and manage your subscriptions, marketed their subscription in a not so clear/transparent way. ### 1/5 — This app is only free to download *2026-06-23, version 5.19.3* Once downloading the app there is no way around a paywall. Where they want you to sign up for a free trial of their premium services. I just wanted the free plan. Thanks for nothing. ### 1/5 — Trial Subscription Cannot Be Cancelled *2026-05-23, version 5.19.3* Beware!! This app does not show up as having a subscription in the AppStore settings, so the free trial cannot be cancelled!!! This is horrible! ### 1/5 — Unfortunately *2026-05-22, version 5.19.3* I would give a better review if the app would allow me to access it, instead all I get is “suspicious ip address” ### 1/5 — Waste or time & money *2026-05-21, version 5.19.3* Paid for annual subscription and seemed to be great for a few months. FINALLY, got everything lined up after many hours now my bank is not updating data. This is the second time. I contacted support and they apologized and just said their tech was working on it. After 6 weeks decided to delete the account and start over-lost all my work. Now it happened again. Money and time lost…not good in this economy when I am trying to budget. ### 1/5 — Don’t Bother *2026-05-19, version 5.19.3* I never write reviews but I feel like I should warn people since the company won’t. Unless you are willing to pay for a subscription or check your account every day, they will reset everything. After every 24 hours all your data will be gone with no way to get it back. No warning either. Seems a little ridiculous for an app promoting good money habits to make people addicted to looking at balances. ### 1/5 — Charged Me Without Asking - Didn’t Subscribe Me *2026-04-26* Signed up for a seven-day trial, and it randomly charged me for a full year a couple of hours later. Did not actually activate any of the premium features. Tried the restore purchase function and it said that I don't have any valid subscriptions. I did not sign up for any paid plans and was only on the trial, and it charged me randomly when I wasn’t even in the app. Now it doesn't work. **Developer response:** Hi, Thanks for your feedback. As I can see, you’ve already reached out to our support team, and we’ve responded to your request there. Please continue the conversation via email so we can assist you directly and resolve this as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Love love love!! *2026-07-31, version 5.19.5* Excellent app for managing my finances. Keep the updates coming. I wish the team at PocketGuard all the best and hope they continue to grow. 💗 ### 5/5 — Good money management tool *2026-07-19, version 5.19.5* Continuous improvements and changes; takes input and feature requests. ### 5/5 — Perfecto *2026-05-22, version 5.19.3* Gmgood app ### 5/5 — Finally Workong *2026-05-18, version 5.19.3* Finally seems like the connection issues are fixed. Hopefully it stays that way. I much prefer this app over any other I have tried. ### 5/5 — Heaven sent *2026-05-17, version 5.19.3* Pocket guard is literally heaven sent, haven’t been able to steward my finances well until I got this app. Makes beginner budgeting and expense tracking and goal setting so easy! I download/tested like 5 other of the “best apps” and PocketGuard was clearly the best, easiest set up, clear dashboard, and visually smooth , very good insights even helped us catch fraud on credit card to quickly put a stop to it. The best app ever ### 5/5 — Fantastic *2026-04-15, version 5.19.2* Awesome app, best one I’ve ever used for money management. Question to developers: when you click into Net Income from the dashboard page, you are shown your income vs spending breakdown for each month, which is great. When you select a month, and click into Spending, you are then shown a list of your transactions for that month. Any chance we can get this broken down by budget/category first? Then the level below that can be transactions? ### 5/5 — Evolving Nicely *2026-04-13, version 5.19.2* It’s received a lot of very nice improvements over the years. The improvements have added up to make an excellent app. ### 5/5 — Simply the best *2026-04-10, version 5.19.2* I was a Mint user for years until… well you know the story. ;0). I reviewed almost every alternative and PocketGuard is hands down the best. ### 5/5 — Changed the game *2026-04-09, version 5.19.1* Love this app so much. I was a completely novice to this kind of thing. It can take a beat to get familiar with everything but I tried a bunch of apps and this was the most intuitive. Now I can’t imagine life without it ### 5/5 — Best on Appstore IMHO *2026-03-21* In my humble opinion this is the best free Budgeting App on the Appstore, as I have tried basically all of the other popular free budgeting apps available. I specifically appreciate the bank account sync feature which not only syncs with my bank but also syncs my Checking, Savings, and Credit Accounts (it is a day behind in terms of sync updating but that is not an issue for me). I also appreciate the separate management of bills/utilities/subscriptions, income, transfers between accounts, and other transactions. The transaction sorting and tagging are very easy to use and actually help with tracking transaction and money flow. The Insights page which provides a pie chart of spending based on your chosen budget categories as well as a line chart that tracks spending over the course of the month are extremely useful when comparing spending month-to-month and across categories. The one thing I would suggest as others have mentioned in their reviews is being able to edit budgets/transactions from previous and future months. But with that being said I do very much like having the dashboard, budget, and insight views being geared toward only showing one month’s information, being the month you are currently in. I highly recommend this app. **Developer response:** Hi there! Wow, thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful review! We're thrilled PocketGuard is hitting the mark across so many features. And great news: your suggestion about editing budgets from previous and future months has already been passed on to our development team. Stay tuned! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*