Comparison
axio (formerly Walnut) vs ET Money: an honest comparison
axio (formerly Walnut) and ET Money are both popular ways to track spending, but they suit different people. Here's how they differ on the things that usually decide it.
We make Balance, a free expense tracker, so we've kept this fair: each app's strengths come first, and Balance is only suggested as a third option at the end.
Free · No ads · Made in India · Android (iOS coming soon)
axio (formerly Walnut) at a glance
An Indian money-management app (previously Walnut) that now centres on credit and pay-later.
- Pricing: Free app, monetized primarily through credit and pay-later products.
- Ads: Credit-product prompts
- Bank access: Historically SMS-based tracking
- Offline: No
- Focus: India
ET Money at a glance
An Indian investment platform that also offers expense tracking.
- Pricing: Free app, monetized through investment and financial products.
- Ads: Investment-product prompts
- Bank access: Historically SMS-based tracking
- Offline: No
- Focus: India
What axio (formerly Walnut) does well
- Originally popular for automatic SMS-based expense tracking
- India-focused
- Pay-later and credit features
What ET Money does well
- Strong mutual-fund and investment features
- India-focused, rupee-native
- Expense tracking bundled with investing
axio (formerly Walnut) or ET Money: who should pick which?
- Choose axio (formerly Walnut) if: Users wanting SMS-based tracking bundled with pay-later/credit.
- Choose ET Money if: Users who want investing and expense tracking in one app.
Where both fall short
- axio (formerly Walnut): Auto expense tracking has relied on SMS access
- axio (formerly Walnut): Now heavily oriented around credit rather than pure tracking
- ET Money: Expense tracking is a secondary feature to investing
- ET Money: Has historically used SMS parsing for auto-tracking
A third option: Balance
If neither quite fits, Balance is free with no ads and no subscription, never asks for a bank login or SMS access, scans receipts and UPI screenshots, and is built for India. It adds Roast Mode overspend nudges, a subscription and bill tracker, home-screen widgets and CSV export.
Frequently asked questions
Is axio (formerly Walnut) or ET Money free?
axio (formerly Walnut): Free app, monetized primarily through credit and pay-later products. ET Money: Free app, monetized through investment and financial products.
Which is better for India, axio (formerly Walnut) or ET Money?
axio (formerly Walnut) and ET Money is India-focused. Balance is also built for India, with rupee formatting and UPI-screenshot scanning, and is free with no ads.
Is Balance really free?
Yes. Balance is free to use with no ads and no mandatory subscription. Core expense tracking, categories, analytics, receipt scanning and CSV export are all included at no cost.
Keep exploring
Start understanding your money with Balance.
Free forever, no ads, no bank login. Download it on Google Play and start tracking in minutes.