Alternative
A free ET Money alternative worth trying
If you're weighing up ET Money, it helps to know exactly what it's good at and where it might not fit — before you switch.
This is an honest look at ET Money, followed by where Balance is a strong free alternative and where ET Money might still be the better call.
Free · No ads · Made in India · Android (iOS coming soon)
What ET Money is
An Indian investment platform that also offers expense tracking.
What ET Money does well
- Strong mutual-fund and investment features
- India-focused, rupee-native
- Expense tracking bundled with investing
Pricing model
Free app, monetized through investment and financial products.
Where it may fall short
- Expense tracking is a secondary feature to investing
- Has historically used SMS parsing for auto-tracking
- Investment upsell is central to the experience
Who should stick with ET Money
Users who want investing and expense tracking in one app.
Where Balance is a strong alternative
Balance is a free, ad-free expense tracker built for India. Users who want a focused, private expense tracker without investment upsell or SMS access.
It scans receipts and UPI screenshots, runs full analytics for free, never asks for a bank login or SMS access, and works offline-first with an encrypted cloud backup.
Switching over
Balance doesn't import from ET Money directly. The practical path is to start fresh from the beginning of a month — set up your accounts and categories, and begin scanning or logging spends. Because most people track forward rather than backfill, this is usually a clean, quick switch.
| Feature | ET Money | Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (monetized via investing) | Free |
| Ads | Investment-product prompts | None |
| Receipt / UPI screenshot scanning | ||
| Requires bank login / SMS | Reads SMS (historically) | No |
| Offline-first capture | ||
| Built for India (₹, UPI) |
Frequently asked questions
Is Balance a free ET Money alternative?
Yes. Balance is free to use with no ads and no mandatory subscription, which makes it a genuine free alternative if cost or ads are why you're leaving ET Money.
Can I import my data from ET Money?
There's no direct importer. Most people switch by starting fresh at the start of a month, setting up accounts and categories, and tracking forward from there.
Does Balance connect to my bank?
No. Balance never asks for a bank login, net-banking credentials, or SMS access. You add transactions yourself — by scanning a receipt or UPI screenshot, or entering them manually — so nothing sensitive is exposed.
Keep exploring
Start understanding your money with Balance.
Free forever, no ads, no bank login. Join the waitlist and we'll send your invite.