PocketGuard Overview for 2025 – CNET

In the event you’re in search of a budgeting app, there’s an excellent likelihood you have come throughout PocketGuard in your search. It has been round since 2015, and it is gained loads of followers through the years, with excessive reward from Android and iPhone customers alike.

Like Rocket Cash, PocketGuard is a good match for the common budgeter, with a spread of options, ease of use and an reasonably priced value. The place it stands out probably the most is with its debt planning function, which may help you create a technique to repay your excellent balances.

Is PocketGuard the precise budgeting instrument for you? We took it for a take a look at drive that will help you determine.

8.8

PocketGuard

Like

• 
  Debt payoff planning

• 
  Added safety layer

• 
  Invoice negotiation

• 
  Private finance training

Do not like

• 
  Restricted trial interval

• 
  No subscription cancellation

• 
  Unclear knowledge privateness and advertising and marketing insurance policies

How does PocketGuard work?

PocketGuard works like most budgeting apps: You may hyperlink your checking, financial savings, funding and bank card accounts utilizing Plaid and Finicity to import your knowledge in just some seconds, with out sharing your account numbers or delicate info. 

PocketGuard mechanically types a few of your transactions into spending classes, however I needed to kind a lot of mine manually. That’s not essentially a nasty factor, although. Taking further time to take into consideration the place your money goes may help you handle your cash higher.

You can even label your recurring costs, arrange financial savings targets and do all the same old budgeting actions that include most different budgeting apps. 

Essentially the most worthwhile function of PocketGuard is its debt payoff instrument, which may help you create a cost plan, calculate how a lot curiosity you will pay and monitor your progress.

I used to be dissatisfied that the app didn’t encourage me to see if I might put aside much more to pay down my bank card stability. If you’d like an app that may problem you to be a greater budgeter — and maintain you accountable to your targets — you would possibly think about Cleo. 

What we like

• Debt payoff planning: Debt will be overwhelming, and PocketGuard may help you create a technique to deal with yours. Many budgeting apps do not provide this function.
• Further safety layer: PocketGuard requires a singular PIN to entry your account, and it additionally gives facial and fingerprint recognition to register. This can provide you peace of thoughts that your monetary info received’t slip into the fallacious arms — even in the event you lose your telephone.
• Invoice negotiation providers: PocketGuard will mechanically attempt to rating some financial savings on recurring payments resembling your cable, dwelling safety and cell phone. If the corporate efficiently lowers your invoice, it will take 40% of the financial savings. (Rocket Cash additionally gives this service and costs 30% to 60% of your first 12 months’s financial savings.)
• Private finance training: The app features a free, 20-minute, self-guided tutorial that covers completely different approaches to budgeting, debt administration, aim setting and extra. Whereas the data is fairly fundamental, it’s useful for anybody within the early phases of making a cash plan. 

What we did not like

• Restricted trial interval: PocketGuard’s free trial interval is just seven days, which isn’t a ton time to see if the app suits your wants. I like to recommend choosing the month-to-month billing choice initially in the event you determine to pay for the app. Whereas it’s dearer at $12.99 per thirty days, you don’t wish to lock your self into the $74.99 annual value with out being assured you will truly use the app. PocketGuard has a free model, nevertheless it’s fairly barebones.
• No subscription cancellation service: The app can present you your recurring subscriptions and supply directions to cancel them, however you will have to do the legwork. Rocket Cash, however, can determine and cancel your subscriptions for you.
• Unclear knowledge privateness and advertising and marketing insurance policies: PocketGuard states, “We don’t promote your knowledge, we don’t present advertisements and we earn our cash completely by promoting subscriptions and higher service.” Nevertheless, the corporate’s privateness coverage contains disclaimers about utilizing your monetary info to generate gives for services and products from its advertising and marketing companions. After I began utilizing the app, I needed to ask it to not monitor my exercise throughout different web sites.

Is PocketGuard protected?

PocketGuard checks all of the packing containers in relation to protecting your knowledge protected. The corporate makes use of 256-bit SSL encryption, and it goes a step past many different budgeting apps by asking you to create a singular PIN for account entry. You can even allow facial and fingerprint recognition for an added layer of safety.

Who’s PocketGuard finest fitted to?

PocketGuard is a strong decide in the event you’re juggling a number of bank card balances and need a straightforward technique to create a cost plan and monitor your progress.

Alternate options to the PocketGuard budgeting app

In the event you’re contemplating PocketGuard, be sure to additionally take a look at Rocket Cash, which was CNET Editors’ Alternative decide for one of the best total budgeting app in 2024. Rocket Cash is equally straightforward to make use of, has a cheaper price level and offers all the essential budgeting options you want. It gives a free subscription cancellation service and credit score rating monitoring, nevertheless it lacks PocketGuard’s debt payoff instrument.

Take a look at our finest budgeting apps roundup for different choices value exploring.

Handle your cash simpler with PocketGuard.