Pocketbook closed. If you were using it to track your spending, here's what to use instead — and what to actually look for in a replacement.
If you used Pocketbook, you already know what a good personal finance app looks like for Australians. It understood AU banks, categorised your transactions automatically, and showed you where your money was going without requiring a finance degree.
When it closed, it left a real gap. The US-built alternatives don't understand Australian banks. The global apps don't speak AUD. And most of the "best budgeting apps" lists are written for American readers with American problems.
This list is different. It's specifically for Australians looking for a Pocketbook replacement — with honest assessments of what each option actually does well.
Pocketbook's strengths were: Australian bank support, automatic categorisation, and a mobile-first experience. Any replacement worth using should tick those same boxes. Beyond that, the best options also answer the question Pocketbook couldn't: not just "where did my money go?" but "what can I actually afford to do next?"
Built specifically for Australians. Beholdr uses CSV import — you export your transactions from your bank app and drop the file in. No bank login required, which means no credentials are ever stored anywhere. Automatic categorisation works immediately on import, and the Plan Ahead feature tells you what you can safely spend before your next pay day.
The free plan covers everything most people need: unlimited accounts, budgets, Plan Ahead, and 6 months of transaction history. The Plus plan adds full history, an AI financial assistant, and richer insights.
YNAB (You Need A Budget) is the most well-known budgeting methodology app. It's powerful, but it requires you to learn its zero-based budgeting approach before you get value out of it. For people who want to just see their spending without a learning curve, YNAB can feel overwhelming. It also requires a bank connection or manual entry — there's no simple CSV import path.
It's US-built but works for Australians. Pricing is around $20 AUD/month or $110 AUD/year.
A New Zealand-built app that has strong AU support. PocketSmith focuses on forward-looking cash flow projection — if that's specifically what you want, it does it well. The interface is more complex than Pocketbook was, and the free plan is quite limited. Paid plans start around $15 AUD/month.
An Australian app that uses open banking to connect directly to your bank. The automatic sync is convenient, but it requires sharing bank access, which some people prefer to avoid. Frollo is primarily built for the B2B market (brokers, banks) — the consumer app is available but feels like it's not the primary focus.
If you want the closest replacement to Pocketbook — Australian, automatic categorisation, simple to use, no credentials required — Beholdr is the most direct answer. If you want a bank connection and don't mind sharing access, Frollo is worth a look. If you're willing to invest time learning a methodology, YNAB is powerful.
Most people just want to know where their money went and whether they can afford what they're planning. For that, the answer is simpler than most lists make it.
Import your first statement in under 5 minutes. Free forever.
Start for free →