The three ways an app can learn what you spent
1
Bank sync (open banking)
You sign in to your bank through a third-party connection provider, and the app pulls your transactions from the bank. It sees your full transaction history and balances for the accounts you connect. In the EU this access is regulated, but you are still giving an outside company ongoing access to your account data, and the connection usually has to be renewed from time to time.
2
SMS parsing
The app reads the text messages your bank sends after each payment. That needs permission to read your SMS inbox, which covers every message on your phone, not just bank ones. Google Play limits this permission to a small set of app types, and many banks no longer send an SMS for every card payment.
3
Notification capture
Android lets you give an app notification access. The app reads the payment notification your banking app shows (amount, merchant) and turns it into an expense. There is no bank login and no SMS access. It only works for payments your banking app notifies you about, so you add cash and anything else by hand.
Side by side
| Compared | Bank sync | SMS parsing | Notification capture (NotiTracker) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs your bank login | Yes, through a connection provider | No | No |
| What the app can access | Transactions and balances of connected accounts | Your SMS inbox | Notifications from the apps you allow |
| Works with | Banks the provider supports | Banks that send SMS alerts | Any banking app that shows payment notifications |
| Past transactions | Usually yes | Whatever is still in your inbox | No, only from the day you start |
| Cash payments | No | No | Quick manual add |
| Ongoing upkeep | Reconnect when consent expires | Breaks if the SMS format changes | Can break if a bank changes its notification format (NotiTracker updates its rules from the server, and the app picks them up the next time you open it) |
Which one should you choose?
- Choose bank sync if you want your full history and balances in one place and you're comfortable giving a provider access to your accounts.
- Choose notification capture if you don't want to share your bank login, you pay mostly by card or phone, and you're happy to start tracking from today.
- SMS parsing makes sense mainly where banks still send an SMS for every payment.
How NotiTracker handles your data
- It reads notification content only from the apps you add to Allowed apps. You can remove an app or turn capture off at any time in Settings.
- The amount, direction and merchant are detected on your phone, and the raw notification text is never uploaded to our servers.
- It does not access your SMS, call logs, contacts or precise location.
- With cloud sync on (the default), the expenses you save are stored in your account on Google Firebase and sync across your devices. Turn cloud sync off in Settings and your transactions stay on your device.
- If you connect Google Sheets, the app only sees the one spreadsheet you give it and only writes to the tab you choose.
- Delete your data any time in Settings > Delete my data. Cloud copies are permanently deleted within 90 days.
Read the privacy policy.
Android only for now. Want a ready-made sheet? Free Google Sheets expense tracker template
FAQ
Can I track expenses without connecting my bank?
Yes. Apps that use notification capture, like NotiTracker, log spending from the payment notifications your banking apps already show, so you never share your bank login.
Is notification capture safe?
You choose which apps it can read, and NotiTracker detects the amount and merchant on your phone. The raw notification text is never uploaded to our servers.
Does NotiTracker need SMS permission?
No. It does not access your SMS, call logs, contacts or precise location.
Will it see my past transactions?
No. It logs payments from the day you turn it on. You can add older expenses by hand.
What about cash?
Add it in seconds from the Quick Settings tile, from any screen, or in the app.