The short version
PocketSmith is a web budgeting and cash-flow forecasting app with accounts in their own currencies, daily rates, bank feeds in 49 countries and its own MCP server. It does not import PDF statements, its pages describe no receipt reading, and it is in English only. Balans.finance imports PDF statements, reads receipts with AI and works in 11 languages.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Balans.finance | PocketSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts in different currencies | Yes. One account can hold several currencies, each with its own balance. | Yes. Each account has its own currency. |
| Totals in one base currency | Yes, automatic. Each transaction is converted at the exchange rate of its own day. | Yes, automatic, at daily rates. |
| Transfers between currencies | Yes. A transfer records both the amount sent and the amount received. | Not described. Transfer budgets between two currencies are not supported. |
| Statement import | Excel (XLSX), CSV and PDF files from any bank; a layout it has not seen before is mapped by AI. No bank connection. | OFX, QFX, QIF and CSV files; not PDF. Bank feeds on paid plans. |
| Georgian banks | Yes. Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank statements, with Georgian or English column titles. | Not mentioned on its website. |
| Receipt scanning | Yes. AI reads the store, date, items and amounts into categorised expenses. | Not mentioned. Photos and files can be attached, also by email. |
| Zero-based budgeting | No. A budget sets a target for each category; income does not have to be assigned in full. | No. Its guide says it is not designed for envelope or zero-based budgeting. |
| Forecasting | Yes. Where your total balance is heading, from its recent trend: three months ahead on every plan, and a year ahead on paid plans. | Yes, daily balances. 6 months ahead on the free plan; 10, 30 or 60 years on paid plans, by its plans page. Its forecast page says up to 30 years. |
| Your own AI assistant | Yes. Connect Claude or another MCP client that supports OAuth to its MCP server, once you approve access. No built-in chat. | Yes. Its own MCP server, listed in Claude and ChatGPT, and a public API. |
| Platforms | Web. An Android app is coming to Google Play, and an iOS app will follow. | Web, with companion apps for iPhone and Android, and a desktop beta. |
| Languages | 11: English, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Swedish and Georgian. | English only. |
| Free plan | Yes, with no time limit: 3 receipt scans a month and 1 statement import a month. | Yes: 2 accounts and 12 budgets, with manual imports only. |
| Price | Starter: €3.99 a month or €39.00 a year | Foundation: US$14.95 a month, or US$9.99 a month billed yearly. Flourish: US$24.95, or US$16.66. Fortune: US$39.95, or US$26.66. |
Choose PocketSmith if…
- Forecasting is what you need most: daily balances 6 months ahead on its free plan and decades ahead on paid plans.
- You want bank feeds, on its paid plans, in 49 countries.
- You want a public API as well as an MCP server listed in Claude and ChatGPT.
- You want companion apps for iPhone and Android.
Choose Balans.finance if…
- You want to import PDF and Excel statements: PocketSmith does not import PDF.
- You want receipts read by AI rather than attached as files.
- You want the app in a language other than English: Balans.finance has 11.
- You move money between currencies and want a transfer to keep both amounts.
What you give up by switching from PocketSmith
- Long-range forecasts: Balans.finance looks three months ahead, or a year on paid plans.
- Bank feeds: Balans.finance imports statement files instead.
- Phone apps: Balans.finance runs on the web until its Android app ships.
- A public API: Balans.finance offers its MCP server.
Where these facts come from
Every fact about PocketSmith on this page comes from its own pages - its website, help centre, developer documentation or app-store listing - read on 2026-11-07 and 2026-11-09. Where its pages do not mention something, the table says so rather than guessing. If something here is out of date, write to us and we will correct it.
- https://my.pocketsmith.com/plans
- https://learn.pocketsmith.com/article/1306-currency-settings-in-pocketsmith
- https://learn.pocketsmith.com/multi-currency/6a6X8SseDBfyRznV6vJTS3/multi-currency-an-overview/6a6X8SseDAA5o85oTGHWtJ
- https://learn.pocketsmith.com/article/145-preparing-your-bank-files-accepted-file-types
- https://learn.pocketsmith.com/article/1276-attaching-files-and-photos-to-transactions
- https://www.pocketsmith.com/ai/
- https://www.pocketsmith.com/tour/multi-currency/
- https://www.pocketsmith.com/download/
- https://learn.pocketsmith.com/article/1492-using-pocketsmith-in-different-languages
- https://learn.pocketsmith.com/article/1391-envelope-budgeting-in-pocketsmith
- https://www.pocketsmith.com/tour/cash-flow-forecasts/
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