PocketSmith Sidekick

The website supports accounts setup using Google’s OAuth, but the app only accepts username & password and so is unusable if you normally login using your Google account.

The app development team at PocketSmith doesn’t deserve the mediocre reviews! They’ve kept working on this app over the years and it’s a perfect companion (or sidekick as they like to call it) to the extremely powerful and feature rich web app! It has everything you need. Keeping tabs on your budget and adding expenses on the go was never so easy, all the while benefiting from the powerful category organization that comes with PocketSmith. Great app and great service!

I think people are giving this app a hard time because they’re used to or looking for a phone app that can completely manage your finances, which is next to impossible. Yes, it’s annoyingly still missing the Split Transaction function, but the main way of using PocketSmith is through its desktop web app. As a fully featured personal finance management powerhouse, it’s the best alternative I’ve found to Quickbooks, and I’ve tried them all, including Mint and Personal Capital. What’s their secret? I mean, their apps are programmed well, so that helps. But the main reason I chose PocketSmith was that it’s the only personal finance solution out there that lets you to manually confirm each transaction as they come in from your bank. This way, it behaves much more like a business application. Coming from Quickbooks and Xero, I realized that this function is crucial. All other applications out there either automatically feed in and categorize your transactions without confirmation, which is super easy to ignore and lose track of, or there aren’t bank feeds at all and you have to manually enter everything, which is time consuming for small budgets and impossible if you have 10+ accounts you want to track. PocketSmith strikes the balance. Xero did once upon a time have a personal finance app, which they discontinued. That’s how I found PocketSmith. Xero recommended PocketSmith to its personal finance customers when it decided to focus only on business. Maybe it’s a coincidence that Xero is Australian and PocketSmith is based in New Zealand, or maybe they’re friends, but the fact is that PocketSmith is the closest solution I found to applying business accounting practices to your personal finances. Everyone else is either missing functionality or is constantly trying to sell you something. I’d much rather pay for good service.

Not sure why all the low ratings except maybe folks just don’t know that there’s a website that does a ton more and this app is just a companion. For what I use it for; categorization of transactions on the go, reviewing budgets and checking balances; this app is faster than using the site. If I want to take time and get into the details then I obviously have the time to go to the site and dive in. Not everyone needs this companion to the site, not everyone realizes the app is just the tip of the iceberg to the site.

UPDATE my frustration got the best of me. Yes the company was responsive in emails. They haven’t been able to fix the problem but at least they are trying. Thanks I actually fell for the free trial they offer, but it doesn’t let you download your bank info unless you purchase the package. So I did. Now none of my bank and credit accounts work to download due to errors in the transfer system. I have sent multiple emails to PocketSmith and they seem to be enjoyingThe surf and cookies in New Zealand. Good for them. Bad for me. Asked for a refund haven’t heard a word multiple emails, don’t make the same mistake. UPDATE my frustration got the best of me. Yes the company was responsive in emails. They haven’t been able to fix the problem but at least they are trying. Thanks

Been a PocketSmith user for several years. Desktop website is good, a bit of a learning curve to the UI but has all the functionality needed for good budgeting and cash flow management. But it’s 2021 and life is mobile. The mobile app is severely lacking. Needs all the functionality of the desktop site. Cash flow forecast is one of the key selling points of PocketSmith vs. competitors, but is missing from the mobile app. This is a big mistake IMHO. I rate as one star because the functionality of the app is so basic/minimal that I never even use it.

The whole point of an app is to offer convenience and a contained experience. This app just redirects to the website constantly; which isn’t configured to be accessed via a mobile device.

I don’t know why but it seems all the reviews for this app at least in my version of the App Store are old. 1-2 years old. I have been using PocketSmith for the last few days and can say most of the complaints from those reviews are no longer valid! I actually refused to download the app because the website is so amazing! I didn’t want it to ruin how I felt about it. You can see your transactions, you can see the calendar, you can see your forecast, you can even filter your forecast, you can see your budgets and you can add transactions on the go! This app is like everything you want! I’ve moved to PocketSmith after playing with just about ever other finance app on here and this by far is the most amazing! The website and customer support are top notch! Thank you for listening to your previous reviews and adding what they requested. This app is truly amazing! I can’t wait to keep using it!

Some super simple things on the app are flat out broken, which makes a great service feel a bit neglected on the app front. When I try to categorize a transaction, one of the most fundamental aspects of what this app needs to be able to do, half the time it literally does nothing and pretends I never clicked a button. What gives? How can the site work so well but the app feel half-finished?

I love the desktop app but I have never been able to log into the iphone app.