Comparison

PointsCraft vs Balanced IRA

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PointsCraft

Features
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PointsCraft is the manual-tracking companion for points enthusiasts who carry premium credit cards and want to actually capture every dollar of benefits they're already paying for. Annual fees on cards like Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture X only pay off when you remember to use the credits. PointsCraft makes that one tap. WHY POINTSCRAFT β€’ 130+ pre-loaded card templates β€” Amex Platinum, Gold, Business Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve & Preferred, Hilton Aspire, Marriott Brilliant, Bilt, Capital One Venture X, and more. Add a card and every standard credit is already there. β€’ Periodic credit tracking β€” monthly, quarterly, semi-annual (Saks, Resy), and annual cycles all handled correctly. The app rolls each cycle forward automatically. β€’ One-tap "Mark Used" on every benefit. Long-press to record the exact amount. β€’ Home Screen widget β€” see your top unused benefits this cycle without opening the app. β€’ Smart reminders β€” get notified before each cycle ends if you have unused credits. Tap "Mark Used" or "Snooze" right from the notification. β€’ Annual fee break-even β€” see at a glance whether you've captured enough value to justify the fee on each card. β€’ Welcome-bonus tracking β€” log spend toward a signup bonus and get deadline reminders before the offer expires (opt-in per card). β€’ Free-night certificate tracker β€” never let a Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, or IHG anniversary night expire. β€’ Goals β€” set point targets for trips ("100,000 miles to Hawaii") and watch progress as your balances grow. β€’ Hotel loyalty programs β€” track Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham, Choice, Accor, Radisson balances alongside your cards. β€’ Elite status tracking β€” record the hotel or airline tier you hold and get a heads-up before it lapses. β€’ Membership renewals β€” track Prime, Costco, Walmart+, Sam's Club, and AAA renewal dates with a keep-or-cancel verdict. β€’ Points & miles news β€” real headlines from The Points Guy, Doctor of Credit, Frequent Miler, and more, right in the app. β€’ Family grouping β€” see all your Amex MR, Chase UR, Capital One miles, and airline/hotel programs grouped together. β€’ Bulk balance updates β€” refresh every card's balance in one keyboard-driven sweep. β€’ Expiration alerts β€” never lose miles or hotel points to inactivity. β€’ iCloud sync β€” your cards and goals follow you across iPhone and iPad through your private iCloud account. No PointsCraft account, no PointsCraft server. WHAT POINTSCRAFT IS NOT β€’ We do NOT auto-sync with banks. No Plaid. No login credentials. No PointsCraft cloud. β€’ We do NOT store account numbers or balances on our servers β€” your data lives in your private iCloud, controlled by you. This is a manual-tracking app on purpose β€” it's faster, more private, and works for the periodic-credit use case that auto-sync apps can't see anyway.

About

Balanced IRA

Features
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XΒ² Capital Balanced IRA puts your retirement account in your pocket. Open an account, verify your identity and fund your IRA. WHAT YOU CAN DO β€’ Open an account. Guided onboarding takes you through your profile, identity verification and account preferences one step at a time, and picks up where you left off if you stop partway. β€’ Contribute. Make a contribution by ACH transfer from a linked bank account and choose the tax year it counts toward. The app tells you when you are contributing to a prior year and when that window closes. β€’ Roll over what you already have. Move a 401(k), 403(b) or an IRA held at another institution into your XΒ² Capital IRA, without mailing paperwork. β€’ Link your banks. Connect the checking or savings accounts you contribute from and manage them in one place. β€’ Track everything. Your full contribution, rollover and withdrawal history, with the current status on every transaction. β€’ Request a withdrawal. Submit a distribution request directly in the app. BUILT FOR YOUR PHONE β€’ Sign in with Face ID or Touch ID instead of typing a password in public. β€’ Dark mode throughout. β€’ Hide your balance with a tap when you are not alone. ABOUT YOUR SECURITY Every connection is encrypted with TLS. Your credentials are stored only in the iOS Keychain, on your device, and only if you turn on biometric sign-in. Biometric data never reaches the app. iOS performs the match itself and returns only a yes or no. The app never receives, stores or transmits your face or fingerprint. We ask for your Social Security number and a government-issued ID because federal law requires a financial institution to verify the identity of anyone opening a retirement account. That is the Customer Identification Program rule under the USA PATRIOT Act, and no IRA can be opened without it. GOOD TO KNOW XΒ² Capital Balanced IRA is for current and prospective XΒ² Capital clients. An XΒ² Capital account is required to use the app. Bank transfers are handled by our payments partner, Dwolla. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Nothing in this app is investment, tax or legal advice. Contribution and withdrawal rules, including eligibility and tax treatment, are set by the IRS and depend on your circumstances β€” talk to your tax adviser. X-Square Capital LLC is a registered investment adviser.

Screenshots

PointsCraft4 screens
Balanced IRA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Balanced IRA at 15.5 against PointsCraft's 17. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
PointsCraft versus Balanced IRA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPointsCraftBalanced IRA
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS1715.5 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size18 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBuildfront LLCX-Square Capital LLC

In-app purchases

None

PointsCraft

No in-app purchases

None

Balanced IRA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PointsCraft free?
PointsCraft is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Balanced IRA free?
Balanced IRA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PointsCraft or Balanced IRA have ads?
Neither PointsCraft nor Balanced IRA shows ads.

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