First Impression
My friend Sarah kept talking about this app, so I finally downloaded it on my OnePlus. I was hoping for something simple to track our grocery and kid activity expenses without a huge learning curve. The setup was pretty straightforward. I linked our main checking account, which felt a bit scary, but it asked for permission in a way that seemed legit. Within a few minutes, I could see our spending from the last week broken down into categories. My first thought was, “Oh, so *that’s* how much we spend on takeout.” The colors were calm, not flashy, which I liked. It didn’t feel like a casino app, which is a big plus when you’re trying to teach your kids about money.
What It Does Well
The best part is how it automatically sorts everything. I don’t have time to manually type in every Target run or gas station stop. Last Tuesday, I was waiting in the school pickup line and opened the app. I saw it had correctly tagged a charge as “Kids – Activities” for my daughter’s soccer sign-up. That was a relief. Setting a monthly budget for things like eating out or entertainment is easy, and I get a little notification on my phone if we’re getting close to the limit. It’s a good reality check before we decide to order pizza again. For a free app, having this automatic tracking is a huge win. It gives me a clear picture without me having to become a spreadsheet expert.
Where It Falls Short
My main issue is that it can be a bit too simple sometimes. I wanted to create a separate savings goal for a family vacation, but the options for customizing goals felt limited. It’s great for one big goal like an emergency fund, but juggling multiple savings pots isn’t as intuitive. Also, while it tracks spending, it doesn’t really help you *plan* for irregular big bills. I got a reminder about our car insurance payment because it saw the transaction from last year, but I wish I could have a dedicated “bill sinking fund” category that I could put money into each month. It shows you the problem after you’ve spent, but isn’t as strong at helping you plan ahead for known expenses.
Is It Worth the Price?
It’s free, so you can’t really complain about the price. The ads are there, but they’re usually just a small banner at the bottom. I only see a full-screen ad when I first open the app, and it hasn’t ever popped up while I was in the middle of checking my budget. For showing me where my money disappears to every month, it’s definitely worth downloading. I wouldn’t rely on it for complex investing or detailed financial planning, but as a free spending tracker and basic budget helper for a busy family, it does the job well enough. I haven’t felt pressured to pay for anything, which I appreciate.
Developer & Support
This is where I got a bit frustrated. A few weeks ago, the app double-counted a transfer to my savings account, which threw my whole budget off. I used the contact form in the app to ask for help. I got an automated reply almost instantly, which was fine. But the actual human response took over three days. When it came, it was a generic message about “syncing issues” and a link to a help page I’d already read. It didn’t specifically address my problem. I had to figure out how to fix it myself by disconnecting and re-linking my bank. For an app that handles your financial data, slow and vague support doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
Privacy & Safety
As a parent, I’m very cautious about what apps I connect to our bank. Deal To Be Richest uses a well-known third-party service to make those connections, which my bank itself uses. That made me feel a bit better. The app doesn’t ask for crazy permissions like my contacts or location. All the data seems to stay on my phone or in my account; I don’t see my info in any public feed. Still, after the support experience, I’m a little less sure about how seriously they take things on the back end. I keep an eye on my bank statements directly, just in case. I wouldn’t let my teenager use it independently, but for me to manage the household budget, the security seems adequate.
Can Deal To Be Richest automatically sort my transactions into categories?
Yes, the app automatically sorts your spending into categories like 'Kids – Activities' and 'Takeout' without you having to manually enter anything. This makes it easy to see where your money goes, whether it's a gas station stop or a soccer sign-up fee.
Does the app let me set up multiple savings goals, like for a vacation or a new car?
The app allows you to set a single big goal, such as an emergency fund, but creating separate savings pots for multiple goals like a family vacation is not very intuitive. You may find the customization options limited if you need to juggle several savings targets at once.
Why isn't my bill payment showing up in a 'bill sinking fund' category?
The app tracks spending based on past transactions but doesn't have a dedicated 'bill sinking fund' category to help you plan for irregular big bills like car insurance. You can work around this by manually setting a budget for that expense, but the feature isn't built in automatically.
I got a notification that I'm close to my budget limit, but I already overspent. What's going on?
The app sends a notification when you're approaching your set monthly budget, but it may not update in real time if a transaction is still pending. Check your recent transactions to see if any charges haven't fully cleared yet, which can cause the budget tracker to lag slightly.
How does Deal To Be Richest compare to Mint for tracking family expenses?
Deal To Be Richest is simpler and more focused on automatic sorting and basic budgeting, making it great for families who want a quick overview without a huge learning curve. Unlike Mint, it lacks advanced features like custom bill sinking funds or multiple savings goals, but its calm design and straightforward setup are big pluses for busy parents.
