Does Plum work without linking a bank account?

No. Plum needs a read-only open banking connection to analyse your spending and move money into savings.

Is Plum a budgeting app?

Partly. It shows spending analysis, but its core is automatic saving and investing. For a budget you control, a ledger such as The Income Tracker is the better fit.

There is a free Basic tier. Plus, Boost and Max cost £3.99, £7.99 and £14.99 a month.

The Income Tracker vs Plum

By The Income Tracker · Updated 8 September 2026 · Facts checked 8 September 2026

The short answer

Plum is a saving and investing app first and a budgeting tool second: it reads your bank through open banking, skims money into pots and offers ISAs and investments, with paid tiers from £3.99 a month. The Income Tracker does none of that. It shows you where the money goes, for free, from a CSV, with no bank link. Different jobs; many people use one of each.

Side by side

	The Income Tracker	Plum
Price	Free. No tiers, no trial clock.	Basic free; Plus £3.99, Boost £7.99, Max £14.99 a month
Bank connection	None needed. Import a CSV you download yourself; open banking is opt-in and off by default.	Required. Plum links your bank read-only via open banking to analyse spending and auto-save.
Manual entry and CSV import	Yes, free. CSV, OFX, QIF and pasted text.	No manual mode and no CSV import.
Where your data lives	In your browser on your device. Optional sign-in to sync.	On Plum's servers, pulled from your bank.
Platforms	Web, installable on phone and desktop. iOS app in development.	iOS and Android.
Saving and investing	Savings goals with a projected date; the saving itself happens at your bank.	Its core: automatic saving rules, pots, ISAs, investments, a card on higher tiers.
Spending insight	A categorised monthly ledger you review and correct.	Spending analysis from the feed.

Pick Plum if

You want money moved into savings or investments automatically, without deciding each month.
You want savings pots, an ISA and investing inside one app.
You are comfortable with a read-only open banking link.

Pick The Income Tracker if

You want to understand your spending before automating anything.
You will not connect your bank to a third party.
You want it free and on your own device.

Where Plum wins

Doing the saving for you. Plum's rules move money before you can spend it, and the pots and investment options are genuinely useful for people who never get round to it. If your problem is discipline rather than visibility, Plum's approach can work.

Where The Income Tracker wins

Visibility and consent. You see every transaction, categorised, month after month, and decide what to do with the surplus. Nothing reads your account and nothing moves your money. For many people that understanding is what makes the saving stick.

The Income TrackerTry the free, no-bank-login alternative to Plum.

Open the tracker →

Frequently asked questions

Does Plum work without linking a bank account?: No. Plum needs a read-only open banking connection to analyse your spending and move money into savings.
Is Plum a budgeting app?: Partly. It shows spending analysis, but its core is automatic saving and investing. For a budget you control, a ledger such as The Income Tracker is the better fit.
Is Plum free?: There is a free Basic tier. Plus, Boost and Max cost £3.99, £7.99 and £14.99 a month.

Sources and checking

Facts on this page were last checked on 8 September 2026 against:

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