What a good free budget app does
A budget app gives every euro of the month a group: NEEDS, WANTS, INVEST or DEBT. In a notebook or a spreadsheet you type in amounts and add up totals yourself. In a budget app you enter or import your spending, and you make one decision: which group each expense belongs to. The totals, each group's share of your income and the comparison with the norm add up by themselves.
That is expense tracking in practice: you see where your money is in four numbers, before you finish your coffee.
How Groworth works: one decision per expense
- Your spending arrives in the app. Import a CSV statement from your online banking or enter purchases by hand. Both are free, with no limit.
- You sort yesterday's spending. Two minutes: each expense gets a group and, if you like, one of up to ten categories in that group. The same coffee can be a NEED on a work trip and a WANT on Saturday — the group is your decision, and the app remembers it.
- You look at four numbers. Each group's share of income against the norms, the amount left over and your level towards your goal. The same four numbers every day, so after a week you see the change, and after a month the result.
A monthly budget plan
The norms the app compares your split with are the same as in the budget template. On €3,000 net:
| Group | Norm | On €3,000 |
|---|---|---|
| NEEDS | up to 60% | up to €1,800 |
| WANTS | 10–30% | €300–€900 |
| INVEST | from 10% | from €300 |
| DEBT | up to 15% | up to €450 |
With a mortgage, the DEBT norm is 33%. When a group goes past its norm, the app says so in words and shows the amount to move — always next to the colour, so you read it at a glance.
Goal and level: why an app takes you further than a spreadsheet
A spreadsheet shows what happened. Groworth also shows where you are heading. You set a goal with an amount — an emergency fund, a house deposit, zero debt — and the app splits the way there into 100 levels. Level 100 means the goal is reached.
Your level rises with every decision that keeps money with you: a transfer to savings, a debt payment above the minimum, an investment purchase. Spending simply sits in the plan — it shows you where the next euro for your goal can come from. A salary landing earns 0 points, because being paid is not a decision; every euro you set aside counts.
What is in the free budget app
- Spending by hand and from CSV statements — unlimited, for good.
- Four groups and up to ten of your own categories in each, each with its own colour.
- A goal with an amount and a level from 1 to 100.
- A Debts screen with the payoff order — Snowball or Avalanche, as in the debt payoff calculator.
- Works in the browser on your phone and computer.
Connecting your bank, so spending imports by itself a few times a day, is part of Pro. The sorter, groups, goal and levels stay free.
Budget app, expense tracker or template?
| Budget template | Expense tracker | Budget app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What for | planning amounts for the month | a list of what you spent | daily decisions and a goal |
| Spending | you type in totals | you log each purchase | import from your bank or enter by hand |
| Totals and norms | the template adds up | you add up at the weekend | after every expense |
| Where | budget template | a notebook or a note on your phone | Groworth |
The easiest start is the template, to see your amounts, and then the budget app, where your bank spending is sorted in two minutes a day. Where to find the first €300 for INVEST is covered in How to save money.
Frequently asked questions
Is Groworth a free budget app?
Yes. Spending by hand and from CSV statements, groups, categories, a goal and levels are free with no time limit. Only the bank connection, which imports spending automatically, is paid.
What is the best free budget app?
The one you open every day. Look for three things: spending from your bank without retyping, a decision per expense that takes seconds, and a goal you can see getting closer. Groworth is built around exactly those three, and it is free to start.
Do I need to connect my bank account?
It is optional. Most online banking services let you download a statement as a CSV file, which you import into the app; duplicates are detected. You can also enter purchases by hand.
What do NEEDS, WANTS and INVEST mean?
NEEDS are rent, bills, groceries, transport and health. WANTS are eating out, entertainment, clothes and subscriptions. INVEST is money that stays with you: a savings account, debt overpayments, investments. Minimum loan repayments belong to DEBT.
Does the app suggest a category?
You choose the group — it is the decision the whole plan rests on. Spending imported from your bank waits unsorted, so every total reflects your own choices.
Where is my data kept?
Personal data is encrypted, is not sold, and you can delete it in one click. The sorter on this page runs in your browser, and nothing is sent to a server.