UPI · India
A UPI expense tracker that catches every payment
UPI made paying frictionless, and made spending easy to lose track of. Balance catches UPI spends three ways, so nothing slips through.
Turn on Bank SMS and every UPI debit alert becomes an expense. Allow notification access and payments from GPay, PhonePe, Paytm and your bank apps are picked up too. Or simply scan the payment screenshot.
Free · No ads · 140+ currencies · Android (iOS coming soon)
Balance - Expense Tracker by Clarzen on Google Play
How UPI tracking works in Balance
- Bank SMS: UPI debit alerts from SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and other Indian banks become expenses with amount, merchant and account filled in
- Payment alerts: notifications from the UPI and bank apps you choose are picked up automatically
- Screenshots: scan a GPay, PhonePe or Paytm confirmation and the OCR reads merchant, amount and date
- Cash: add it manually so your UPI and cash spending sit in one view
Automatic, without giving up your privacy
Both SMS and notification capture are optional, and both run on your phone. Balance reads only bank transaction alerts and the apps you select, ignores personal messages and OTPs, and saves just the amount, merchant, date and account. The full message never leaves your device.
There's no bank login and no UPI PIN involved, ever. Prefer not to grant SMS or notification access? Scanning screenshots still makes logging a two-second job.
How we chose
Rather than rank on brand, it's more useful to judge these apps on what actually affects daily use:
- How UPI spends get captured (SMS vs scanning vs manual)
- Privacy of the approach
- Whether cash is captured too
- Cost
Apps worth considering
Each of these fits a different kind of user — there's no single winner for everyone:
- Balance — bank SMS and payment-alert capture on your phone, plus screenshot scanning and cash; free
- Other SMS-based India apps — auto-capture UPI alerts; check where messages are processed
- Manual-only apps — private, but slower without scanning
Where Balance fits
Balance catches UPI spends from your bank's SMS alerts and payment notifications, read on your phone, and scans screenshots for anything else. It never links a bank, and it logs cash, which SMS can't see.
Frequently asked questions
Does Balance connect to GPay, PhonePe or Paytm?
Not directly. With notification access turned on, Balance reads payment notifications from the apps you choose, on your phone. You can also scan the payment screenshot, or rely on your bank's UPI debit SMS.
Can Balance track UPI automatically?
Yes, on Android. Turn on Bank SMS and UPI debit alerts from your bank become expenses automatically; you confirm them in one tap. It's optional and works with most Indian banks.
Does Balance read my SMS?
Only if you turn on automatic capture (Android). Balance then reads bank transaction alerts on your phone and ignores personal messages, OTPs and promotions. The full message text never leaves your device; only the amount, merchant, date and account are saved. You can turn it off anytime, and the app works fully without it.
What's the best way to track UPI expenses privately?
Use automatic SMS capture that runs on your phone and ignores personal messages, as Balance does, or scan UPI payment screenshots if you'd rather not grant SMS access at all. Either way, no bank connection is needed.
Does Balance connect to my bank?
No. Balance never asks for a bank login or net-banking credentials, and it never links to your bank account. You add transactions by scanning a receipt or payment screenshot, entering them manually, or, on Android, letting Balance pick them up from bank SMS alerts if you turn that on.
Is Balance free?
Yes. Balance is free to download and use, with no ads. Everyday tracking — adding expenses, automatic capture, bills and subscriptions, accounts and CSV export — is free, and it isn't a trial that runs out.
Keep exploring
Track every expense. Ask anything.
Free to download, no ads, no bank login. Get Balance on Google Play and start tracking in minutes.
