Budget apps that don’t connect to your bank — a privacy-first choice
Why SmartJib chooses manual entry over bank sync, how that affects privacy, and what you gain and lose.
Why skip bank sync?
Bank aggregation (Plaid, Teller, Budgeta, Linxo, Budget Insight) works well for US/FR/UK retail banks but is often unavailable in MENA and West Africa, requires sharing bank credentials, and breaks silently when banks change their websites. Manual entry is slower per transaction but works everywhere, asks for no credentials, and produces much richer categorical data because you actively decide what each expense was for.
What you gain with SmartJib
- Works in any country: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Senegal...
- No credentials ever leave your device; local-first data with per-workspace Firebase security rules.
- Bank/home/wallet three-balance model that correctly handles cash.
- Weekly wallet reconciliation catches leak that bank-sync apps hide.
- CSV import when you want to seed the initial history (Pro).
What you give up
- Auto-categorization of card purchases (you log each expense manually).
- Auto-imported balances (you do a quick weekly reconciliation instead).
Frequently asked questions
Is manual entry too much work?
It takes roughly 5–10 seconds per expense at the moment of spending, plus a 10-minute weekly wallet count. Most users find this is less time than fixing auto-categorization errors at the end of each month.
Can I import CSVs from my bank?
Yes — bulk CSV import is included in Pro.
Is my data sold or shared?
No. Financial data is never sold to third parties or used to build advertising profiles. See the Privacy Policy.