App Review: PocketGuard
8.5/10
Basic App Info:
Name: PocketGuard
Cost: Free version is downloadable from the app store. You can access more features by paying $4.99 per month or $34.99 per year
Availability: Apple & Android
What Is PocketGuard?
PocketGuard is a budgeting app that helps you track your spending. It allows you to connect multiple credit and debit cards so you can track everything in one convenient app. PocketGuard helps you set up budgets for different categories like groceries, clothing, or meals and notifies you as you approach your limit. This app is perfect for over spenders.
The App
Features
SETUP
Creating an account and getting started with PocketGuard may seem like a daunting task at first. In reality, the process is very intuitive and you can skip several steps. The image above shows the step where you add your income. You can tell PocketGuard how much you make and how often you get paid. What makes this feature even better is that you can include income from multiple sources. This feature is ideal for people who have two jobs or supplemental income.
You can:
- Set up a debt payoff plan
- Extend transaction data (up to six months; you only get three months with the free version)
- Have up to five cash accounts
- Create as many goals and budget categories as you want
- Split transactions into different categories
TRANSACTIONS
You’ll be able to see all of your transactions on this tab. This includes money flowing into and out of each of your linked accounts. Seeing all of your transactions in one place gives you a good idea of your overall spending.
CHARTS
In the charts tab, you can analyze your transactions in the form of a line graph or a pie chart. You can easily see the peaks and troughs of your spending habits.
ACCOUNTS PAGE
The accounts page is where you can manage the balance in each of your accounts. Once you take the time to link several accounts, they will all show up on this tab. This page has shortcuts to the insights page and transactions page for each of your accounts. This allows you to easily track spending from each account.
FIND SAVINGS
This tab is perhaps the most beneficial part of the app. The rows on this page link to recommendations to grow, save, and make more money. Some of the pages contain external links that open your browser. A few of the features on this page require you to pay for a subscription to PocketGuard, but most of them are free.
Likes/Dislikes
Likes
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Easy to learn and use
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Convenient—all spending accounts are in one place
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Flexible use—users can connect as many or as few of their accounts as they please
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Secure—data is secured with 256-bit SSL encryption, the same level of security as major banks
Disikes
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Freemium—The app can be downloaded for free, but many of the most useful features require a monthly subscription
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Some reviews indicate that PocketGuard categorizes transactions incorrectly at times. Users must go over transactions occasionally to make sure everything is right.
Similar Apps
- Mint
- EveryDollar
- Goodbudget
- Monefy
- Truebill
App Ratings, Size, & Category
RATINGS
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4.7 / 5
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3.6 / 5
SIZE
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110.2 MB
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34M
CATEGORY
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Finance
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Finance
Similar Apps
PocketGuard has been featured in:
- OnlineDegreeProf
- Investopedia
- Insider
- Cheddar News
- The Simple Dollar
- Cosmopolitan
- Gadget Hacks
- NBC
- Popsugar
- Money
- Millennial Money Man
- Select
- RollingStone
- Brit & Co
- Today
- Daily Dot
- Tom’s Guide
- CNN
- Wise
- Digital Trends
- Forbes
- YahooFinance
Bottom Line:
PocketGuard is a great solution for overspenders and anyone with more than one bank account. The convenience of seeing transactions lined up in one single account makes PocketGuard a great option. While the premium version is less expensive than some competitors, there are free options like Mint available on the app store as well.