ZenExpenses

Short version

ZenExpenses is a web app for tracking personal spending by uploading bank statements (CSV, Excel or QuickBooks) or entering transactions by hand. It categorizes transactions with rules, shows spending charts and a heatmap, and has recently added monthly budgets per category. It also includes a separate calculator for splitting shared expenses with partners or roommates. The vendor says it is free for now, with pricing to come later.

Research-based profile, not hands-on testing. Updated 2026-10-06 from the vendor's site, help pages, privacy policy and public listings. I did not sign up, start a trial or connect a bank.

How it works

You export statements from your bank and upload them; columns are detected, overlapping date ranges are de-duplicated, and rules (keyword to category) sort recurring merchants. Each category can get a monthly limit, and the app shows what is left and warns before you overshoot. A recurring-charge finder lists subscriptions, and there are subcategories and tags. Because nothing links to a bank, it works with any institution that offers a file export, at the cost of a manual upload step, roughly monthly.

Cost

The vendor's home page and FAQ say it is free for everyone while it gets started, with notice before pricing changes. A July 2026 directory entry lists a $8/month subscription plus a limited free version; I could not find that on the vendor's own pages, so treat future cost as unknown.

Privacy

The privacy policy states that data is not sold or shared for marketing, that traffic uses TLS and the database is encrypted, and that you can export everything and delete your account (backups age out within 30 days). It names no MFA option and no independent audit. Sign-in is through Google.

What is distinct

The angle is upload-only, tracking-first and simple: no bank login, little method, plus a shared-expense calculator and a calendar heatmap. The vendor markets it partly as a lighter alternative to larger budgeting tools, and the newer budget feature is still young.

Not confirmed

Founding year; last release date; future pricing (vendor vs directory conflict); whether PDF statements are supported (one help page says yes, the FAQ lists only CSV, Excel and QuickBooks); multi-currency beyond locale formatting; multiple budgets; any native mobile app (none found in the Apple App Store search); independent user reviews.

Notes

The vendor's pages disagree on method: the home page shows envelope-style category budgets, while its comparison page says there are no envelopes. Ratings are set separately against a shared rubric; this refresh did not change the score.