Argyo AppsA budget app with no account, no bank link and no cloud
Updated: 2026-10-07 · By Andrei and Nada Argyo — they build SwissBudget+ in Lucerne and run their own budget this way.
Most budget apps ask for an email address, a bank login and permission to sync to a server before they show you a single number. You can run a good budget without any of that. Here is what changes, what you gain and how to make it work.
What a budget app really needs
A budget is a short list: what comes in each month, what goes out, and what you set aside. Nothing in that list requires your bank password. The extras that accounts and bank links add are convenience, and they come with a price in privacy.
An app that keeps everything on your own phone can still do the work: categories, monthly totals, savings goals, bills that repeat.
What you give up
- Automatic transactions. You type in what you spend, or enter it in batches once or twice a week.
- Sync between devices. The data lives on one phone. A backup file is how you move it.
- Someone else keeping a copy. If you lose the phone and the backup, the data is gone. That is the flip side of privacy.
What you keep
- Nobody sees your finances. No server, no account database, no advertising profile.
- It works anywhere. No signal, no login, no outage on someone else's side.
- It does not go away. No subscription lapse, no company closing an account service.
- You pay attention. Entering a number yourself is a small pause. For many people that pause is what makes the budget work.
How to make hand entry painless
- Set up the repeating items once. Rent, subscriptions, insurance. They should not need typing every month.
- Annualise the irregular bills. A yearly bill divided by twelve is a monthly cost. Put it in as one.
- Log variable spending in one sitting. Friday evening is enough. Receipts and the card statement jog your memory.
- Do a short monthly check. Compare plan and actual, move the difference to savings or roll it over.
Where SwissBudget+ fits
SwissBudget+ works this way: no account, no bank link, no ads, no tracking. Your data is stored encrypted on your phone, you can lock it with a PIN or fingerprint, and a backup is one file you choose where to save. It is free on Android.
It was built in Switzerland, but you do not have to live there: you choose the currency, and the Swiss tax features can be switched off.