# Skwad: Privacy-First Budgeting — Understand your finances > Privacy-first budgeting app syncing transactions via bank email alerts. (iPhone/iPad app by TCS Digital LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skwad-privacy-first-budgeting/id6736993814 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [TCS Digital LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1774266129) - Category: Finance, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.30/5 from 12 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 69 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2025-06-08 - Data updated: 2026-08-23 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skwad-privacy-first-budgeting/id6736993814/reviews.md ## What is Skwad? Understand your spending without linking your bank. Skwad syncs your transactions using your bank's built-in email alerts. Skwad doesn't require your bank login, so there's no need to re-link accounts. Skwad's approach is faster because your bank sends alerts immediately, and we process them instantly. Other apps typically refresh only after you login, or on a schedule, which can be hours or days after your purchase. "I love the idea of using transaction alert emails to solve the open-banking problem." -Jon M. (CA) Features: Reliable connectivity - Sync directly from the source, not intermediaries - No more broken reconnections - No more reconnection with passwords & 2FA codes - No delayed transactions Take control of your spending - Multiple budgeting options - Visualize your cashflow & categories - Compare spending to previous periods - Export your data for offline analysis Understand your finances - Auto-import transactions from bank alerts - Optional bank linking if you need it - Extract from receipts or bank statements - Import from Csv, Excel, or Quicken Customize your expenses - Fully customizable categories - Recategorize, split, or hide transactions - Breakdown transactions into line items - Enhance transactions with receipt data Never miss a payment again - Get alerts for upcoming bills - Loan payment reminders - Sync bills to your calendar - Wave goodbye to late fees - Instant double charge alerts Multiplayer mode - Invite one or more companions - Share your accounts and transactions - Eliminate debt together - Your first companion is free "I love what you all are doing. As a security-conscious technologist, I thought I was going crazy watching all these big financial services and institutions give up on their in-house integrations. Giving your raw bank credentials to anybody is just...not OK." -Chuck (US) "I always avoided using budgeting apps because you had to link your bank account to the app using third party websites such as plaid. I was always concerned about giving away my banking login info to strangers. Thank you for coming up with a budgeting app that respects privacy!" -Skye C. (US) Experience the most reliable bank connection for yourself. Try Skwad for free for 14 days DIY Plan: $49 USD / year LINK Plan: $65 USD / year Terms of Use: https://skwad.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://skwad.app/privacy ## Key features - Syncs transactions from bank email alerts - No bank login required - Multiple budgeting options - Customizable expense categories - Bill payment and loan reminders - Multiplayer mode for shared finances ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Skwad DIY | $49.00 | per year | | Skwad Link (Monthly) | $8.00 | per month | | Skwad DIY (Monthly) | $6.00 | per month | | Skwad LINK | $65.00 | per year | | Skwad DUO | $22.00 | per year | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 16) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skwad-privacy-first-budgeting/id6736993814/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Horrible *2026-07-29* This app is a joke. It’s so glitchy. Random and doesn’t even make sense when trying to set it up. It has random numbers already programmed in and none of it makes sense Don’t waste your time! Not to mention they charged me right away when they were supposed to give me a 14 day free trail **Developer response:** Hello, You shouldn’t have been charged before your trial. Please reach out to support for a refund. If this is the “purchase complete” notification you see after starting a trial, it’s not a charge. The wording from our payment tool is confusing. The random numbers are placeholder (example) values. Those disappear once you start connecting your real data. - Cassie ### 5/5 — Serious Privacy *2026-06-18* I love that these guys have found a way to automate adding transactions without any connection to my accounts. Great privacy policy. Great price. And they have a ton of options and flexibility. Thanks for making this. ### 5/5 — Big fan of the app and customer service *2026-06-16* After trying 3-4 different apps with my husband, we finally found one that checks off all of our boxes! Skwad is easy to use and helps us keep our expenses in order. Any small issues or bugs we've faced, the customer service team is always on it super fast. ### 5/5 — Excels at recording expenses *2026-05-02* Easy to use and load data Opportunities in reporting and analysis ### 5/5 — Excellent Budgeting Resource *2026-04-16* I’ve tried to manage my finances before, but now that I use Skwad, I’ve never felt as confident or had as much transparency into my spending and saving habits. Could not recommend more for someone who wants an easy way to get on top of their finances and set budgeting goals. 10/10 ### 4/5 — Great app *2026-03-15* This is a great app that meets my needs. Initially, there was a bit of a learning curve, but after some time, it became quite straightforward to use. After using the paid version for three months, I only have one minor issue—it's a bit annoying that it logs me out of my synced account every few days. If a future update could fix this, it would make the experience even better. Thanks! ### 1/5 — I submitted at least three cases did not hear back *2026-02-14* I submitted a bug report because I could not connect to RBC, week later another type of case, and finally a request to cancel my membership. It has been a month now today I logged in to see my membership has been cancellers. I have receive d exactly zero emails back. You guys have so much attitude responding to bad reviews here but in reality they are all true **Developer response:** Hello Chiara09, You signed up using Apple’s private relay. We’ve been trying to reach you but our messages are likely landing in the private email inbox, not your regular inbox. Please email us using your regular email address if you’re unable to access your privacy relay inbox. Happy to help get this resolved! ### 1/5 — Trying to save money *2026-01-18* I refuse to buy “budgeting” apps that need a payment. So first impressions of this app? Laughable and honestly quite embarrassing. ### 5/5 — Great Option *2025-12-19* I’ve tried Monarch/YNAB/Mint and what I hated about all of them was the syncing problem where my accounts would drop their connection and I would have to relogin etc etc - SUPER annoying…Skawd fixed all of that with their email alert parsing. Never misses a transaction and will ALWAYS work. It takes a bit more time to setup Skawd but once everything is setup it’s great. They are in there early days so the app feels pretty lite..but I’m sure over time they will improve the UI and add more widgets features for budgeting forecasting etc. I am really happy customer and would be excited for other peeps to give a try. ### 5/5 — Constant updates *2025-11-09* Love the new widget feature! ## Frequently asked questions about Skwad ### How does Skwad sync transactions without my bank login? Skwad syncs transactions by processing the email alerts your bank sends for each transaction. This method bypasses the need for direct bank logins, offering enhanced privacy and security. It ensures transactions are captured as they happen, unlike traditional apps that may have delayed syncs. ### What are the pricing plans for Skwad? Skwad offers a DIY Plan for $49 USD per year and a LINK Plan for $65 USD per year. Both plans include a 14-day free trial. Monthly subscription options are also available, starting at $6.00/month for the DIY plan. ### Does Skwad have ads? Yes, Skwad contains advertisements. As a free app with in-app purchases, advertisements are part of the user experience. ### What devices does Skwad support? Skwad is available on iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to provide a seamless budgeting experience across Apple's mobile platforms. ### How often is Skwad updated? The latest version of Skwad is 0.8.6, and it was last updated on January 12, 2026. This indicates a commitment to regular updates and improvements. ### Can I share my finances with others using Skwad? Yes, Skwad features a multiplayer mode that allows you to invite companions to share accounts and transactions. This is useful for couples or families looking to manage debt together. ### What is the age rating for Skwad? Skwad has an age rating of 4+. This suggests that the app's content and functionality are considered appropriate for users aged four and above. ### How does Skwad's transaction syncing compare to other budgeting apps? Skwad syncs directly from bank email alerts, which is faster and more reliable than other apps that rely on scheduled refreshes or intermediary services. This method avoids issues like broken reconnections and delayed transaction updates. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.0.9 — 2026-08-22 Skwad MCP — Connect Skwad to your AI assistant from the new connections screen Also in this release: • Budgets now show upcoming recurring bills, so you can see what's still coming. • Better account types: retirement/registered net worth, clearer types, and a quick privacy toggle to hide balances. • Review and merge duplicate transactions in a tap or swipe. • Faster, cleaner recurring transactions with weekly recaps. • Plenty of fixes and polish across budgets, search, and widgets. ### 1.0.0 — 2026-07-13 - We rebuilt Trends from the ground up and polished the app. - Make it yours and customize what you see. - Relative date filters and better handling of custom date ranges. - When a bank works better through a different provider, we now suggest it during setup instead of leaving you stuck. - More reliable Plaid connections, with clearer error handling. - The Help Center is now built into the app. - Several minor fixes and performance improvements ### 0.9.0 — 2026-04-13 New Features - Calendar transactions view - Merchant management (rename, merge, recurring) - Mobile onboarding - Custom budget sorting (drag-and-drop) - Native recurring dashboard & calendar - Deep linking improvements - Integration connection alerts - Line-item categories Key Fixes - Memory leaks & performance - Widget/recurring deep link routing - Net worth chart rendering - Transaction form data preservation ### 0.8.6 — 2026-01-12 Locale update for Canadian French Several bug fixes ### 0.8.4 — 2025-12-10 Fix performance issues Add push notifications ## Apps similar to Skwad | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Actual Budget Spendıng Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-budget-spendng-tracker/id6747974396) | 4.5 (84) | Free | Finance | | [Lydia AI Budgeting Coach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lydia-ai-budgeting-coach/id6737857464) | 4.9 (24) | Free | Finance | | [Buxfer: Budget & Money Manager](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buxfer-budget-and-money-manager/id312260980) | 4.3 (167) | Free | Finance | | [Centsible: Budget & Finance](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/centsible-budget-and-finance/id1609692064) | 4.4 (14) | Free | Finance | | [Lunch Money](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lunch-money/id6739028463) | 4.7 (42) | Free | Finance | | [Wally: Simple Budget Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wally-simple-budget-tracker/id6740695744) | 4.7 (18) | Free | Finance | ## Related topics [skwad](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/skwad) --- *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 2026-08-23.*