Money habits that start with a receipt
Guides, comparisons and plain answers from the team that has been building Sorayli since March 2026. Nothing here is sponsored, and every outside figure links to where we read it.
For you
How Sorayli fits the way you actually spend, with what it does and does not do for each.
For youSorayli for studentsA budget app for students: turn term money into a weekly number, then use 10 free scans a month, unlimited typing and 2 budgets for cash, groceries and rent.Read
For youExpense tracking for expatsExpense tracking for expats: pick one base currency, scan foreign receipts in the currency you paid, count money sent home, and read each month in one number.Read
For youSorayli for freelancersA receipt routine for freelancers: capture every purchase, file it under business categories, close each month, and hand your accountant a clean export.Read
For youSorayli for familiesHow the Sorayli Family plan works: one subscription for up to 5 people, invite codes, private ledgers, and a simple way to run household money around it.Read
Comparisons
Sorayli next to the apps people ask about, with every claim about the other app linked to its own pages and dated.
ComparisonGoodbudget alternativeGoodbudget is envelope budgeting you type in by hand. Sorayli scans each receipt line by line, never links a bank, and alerts you before a budget runs out.Read
ComparisonPocketGuard alternativePocketGuard works out what's safe to spend from your linked accounts. Sorayli does it from receipts you scan, item by item, with no bank connection. Compared.Read
ComparisonSpendee alternativeSpendee groups money into wallets, one currency each. Sorayli reads each receipt item by item, in any of 149 currencies, and never links a bank.Read
ComparisonToshl alternativeToshl tracks almost 200 currencies and keeps receipt photos. Sorayli reads each receipt line by line, converts at the purchase date's rate, no bank link.Read
ComparisonWallet by BudgetBakers alternativeWallet by BudgetBakers is built around bank sync on Premium. Sorayli never links a bank, reads each receipt item by item, and converts 149 currencies.Read
ComparisonEveryDollar alternativeEveryDollar's free plan means typing every purchase, and bank sync costs $79.99 a year. Sorayli reads your receipts instead and never links a bank. Compared.Read
ComparisonTrail Wallet alternativeTrail Wallet stopped getting updates in 2022 and is no longer available. Save your trips as CSV, then track travel in Sorayli, receipt by receipt.Read
ComparisonSorayli vs Copilot MoneyCopilot Money links US banks and tracks net worth for $13 a month. Sorayli never links a bank, reads each receipt item by item, and has a free plan.Read
ComparisonSorayli vs Monarch MoneyMonarch Money syncs 13,000+ banks and shares one view with a partner. Sorayli never links a bank and reads each receipt line by line. Prices compared.Read
ComparisonSorayli vs Rocket MoneyRocket Money finds subscriptions in your bank data and can cancel them for you. Sorayli never links a bank and reads each receipt item by item. Prices compared.Read
ComparisonSorayli vs YNABYNAB plans every dollar you have and can import from your bank. Sorayli reads receipts line by line, with no bank link. Prices, features and who each one fits.Read
ComparisonSorayli vs Expensify for personal expensesWhich one fits when the receipts are yours, not your employer's.Read
Guides
Methods that work with or without an app, each worked through on a real receipt.
GuideDo budgeting apps sell your data?We read the privacy policies of YNAB, Monarch, Copilot and EveryDollar on 6 October 2026 and quoted what each says about selling data, ads and AI training.Read
GuideBudgeting as a couple without sharing bank loginsBudget together without giving anyone your bank password: pick a split (even, proportional or yours-mine-ours), share totals, and settle up from receipts.Read
GuideHow to track spending abroadLog travel spending in the currency on the receipt, convert it at the purchase-date rate, keep fees separate, and say no to dynamic currency conversion.Read
GuideBudget apps that don't link your bankEight budget apps you can use without giving any app your bank login, from envelopes to receipts. Prices, platforms and the job each one does best, checked.Read
GuideGrocery price tracker appsTwo kinds of grocery price apps: ones that show this week's deals, and ones that track what you really paid, from your receipts. Five apps compared and checked.Read
GuideReceipt scanner apps for budgetingSeven receipt scanner apps compared for home budgets, not expense reports: what each one reads, price, platforms, exports, and which one fits your spending.Read
GuideWhat a budgeting app sees when you link your bankLinking a bank shares balances, account numbers and every transaction through a data company like Plaid. Here is what it sees, how long, and how to revoke it.Read
GuideHow long to keep receiptsHow long to keep receipts for tax in the US, UK and Canada, from IRS, HMRC and CRA pages read in September 2026, plus returns, warranties and a sorting method.Read
GuideBudgeting with irregular incomeBudget on irregular income: start from your lowest recent month, cover essentials first, build a buffer, then pay yourself the same amount every month.Read
GuideMonthly money reviewA 30-minute monthly money review: check your totals, compare categories with last month, score budgets and subscriptions, then make one decision.Read
GuideFind and cancel subscriptionsComb your card statements and App Store or Google Play lists, put every subscription in one worksheet, then decide what to keep or cancel before it renews.Read
GuideHow to organize receiptsSort receipts by the job they do: returns, warranties or records. A five-minute weekly system for paper and photos, and why thermal receipts need copying early.Read
GuideHow to read a grocery receiptHow to read a grocery receipt: abbreviated names, weighed items, multi-buys, member savings, tax letters and totals, worked through one example receipt.Read
GuideSave money on groceries with your receiptsUse four weeks of your own grocery receipts to see where the money goes: sort every line, list repeat buys, check discounts and compare shops by unit price.Read
GuideHow to set a grocery budgetSet a grocery budget from your own last three months: split food from household items and eating out, pick weekly or monthly, then adjust after one month.Read
GuideSplit a grocery receipt with roommatesSplit a shared grocery receipt fairly: tag shared and personal lines, divide the coupon and tax in proportion, round to the cent, and settle up once a month.Read
GuideStart tracking your expenses: the first 30 daysStart tracking your expenses with a 30-day plan: log every purchase in week 1, fix categories in week 2, read your totals in week 3, set a budget in week 4.Read
GuideHow to track cash spendingTrack cash spending with three habits: log the purchase and not the withdrawal, capture it on the spot, and count your wallet once a week to find the gap.Read
GuideTrack grocery price increasesTrack grocery price increases by unit price, not sticker price: pick a basket of staples, catch packs that shrink, compare stores, and check two receipts.Read
GuideHow to track expenses without linking your bankA weekly routine that keeps a complete record with no bank login.Read
Free tools
The same arithmetic as the guides, done for you. No account needed.
- Split a receiptSnap a receipt, assign items, share tax and discounts fairly.Open
- Grocery budget calculatorWhat a household like yours spends, from the USDA food plans.Open
- Personal grocery inflationHow much the things you actually buy have gone up.Open
- Receipt currency converterConvert a foreign receipt at the rate on the day you paid.Open