Updated 2026-09-18
A budget app that doesn't connect to your bank
OwnFi is a free budgeting app with no bank connection at all: instead of handing over a login, you import the PDF or CSV statement your bank already sends you, and the app builds budgets, bills, net worth and a safe-to-spend number from it on the phone.
It is not a manual-entry app with the sync switched off. Statement import gives you every transaction with dates and merchants, so the budget is as complete as a synced one without the aggregator in the middle.
How it compares
| OwnFi | Monarch | YNAB | Copilot | Rocket Money | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank login required | No. Import the PDF or CSV your bank sends | Yes | Optional; file import for many banks | Yes | Yes |
| Works in Canada | Yes: RBC, TD, Scotiabank, CIBC, BMO formats | Listed; Canadian connections are the top complaint in its Canadian reviews | Listed; direct import missing for many Canadian banks | Not on the Canadian App Store | Not on the Canadian App Store |
| Price | Free, no tier | US$99.99/yr | US$109/yr | US$95/yr | Free tier plus paid Premium |
| Imports past statements | Yes, any month you have a file for | CSV import | CSV/OFX/QFX file import | CSV import | No file import |
| Financial data leaves the device | Never | Yes (cloud account and aggregator) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Competitor facts were checked against their public store listings and pricing pages on 18 September 2026; prices are in US dollars and change. Tell us if something is out of date.
How it works
- Download the statement you already get
Your bank's app or website has a PDF or CSV for every month. Save it to your phone, or share it straight to OwnFi from the bank's app.
- Import it on the phone
OwnFi reads it locally: 27 named bank formats plus a parser that learns any CSV once you confirm the columns. Password-protected PDFs open with the password your bank sent, which is never stored.
- Get the number
Transactions are categorised, bills and subscriptions detected, and the Dashboard shows what you can safely spend today with upcoming bills already reserved.
Questions
Why avoid connecting a budget app to my bank?
A connection means your credentials or tokens and every transaction pass through a third party, and it breaks whenever the bank changes something. A statement is a file you already have.
Do I have to type transactions in?
No. Import the statement and they are all there. Manual, voice, receipt and screenshot entry exist for the days in between.
Does it use Plaid or any aggregator?
No. There is no server on OwnFi's side either; the App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected".
Which banks work?
27 named formats across Canada, the US, India, Japan, Sweden and Chinese payment apps, plus a parser that learns any CSV once you confirm the columns.
How much is it?
Free. No subscription, no premium tier.
About OwnFi
OwnFi is a free budgeting app that imports your bank statements instead of logging into your bank. Nothing leaves your phone. Free on iPhone and Android, with a sample-data mode so you can look before importing anything. See everything it does or read the privacy proof.