Switching to KeaBudget from YNAB, PocketSmith or a spreadsheet

If you're paying for a budgeting app, or wrestling one that assumes US dollars and US tax, it's worth knowing there's a free option built for New Zealand. KeaBudget is the free budget tracker for Kiwi bank accounts: NZD, NZ categories, no ads, no overseas data brokers. This guide walks through switching over, whether you're coming from YNAB, PocketSmith, an app that shut down, or a trusty spreadsheet.

Why people switch

Everyone's reasons differ, but the common ones we hear:

• Cost. Paid apps add up over a year, and budgeting is one thing that really shouldn't cost you money to do.
• Built for somewhere else. Apps designed around US dollars and US tax categories never quite fit Kiwi life (rates, rego, KiwiSaver, school donations).
• Ads and data. Some free apps pay for themselves by showing you ads or selling your data. KeaBudget does neither.
• An app that closed. If your tool has been discontinued, you need somewhere to land.

KeaBudget's core is free forever, so switching isn't swapping one subscription for another.

What's the same

If you've used a budgeting app before, KeaBudget will feel familiar:

• Transactions with categories, and monthly budgets with live progress.
• Recurring entries for rent, salary and subscriptions, so they post themselves.
• A dashboard that shows where your money actually goes.

What's different (and better for NZ)

• Categories built for Kiwi life, not forced into American defaults.
• NZD throughout, and free NZ money calculators (take-home pay, KiwiSaver, and more) alongside the app.
• Your data stays in Australasia, encrypted, never sold or advertised. See our security page for the detail.

How to move your history across

You don't have to start from a blank slate. Most apps (and every NZ bank) let you export your transactions as a CSV, and KeaBudget imports those in seconds.

1. Export a CSV from your old app or your bank (a date, amount and description column is all you need).
2. Import it at your dashboard. KeaBudget auto-detects the columns and shows a preview before anything lands.
3. Categorise as you go. Set a category on a merchant once and KeaBudget remembers it, so the next import categorises it for you automatically.

That last part, merchant memory, means the tedious job of sorting transactions gets faster every time rather than starting over each month.

A realistic way to start

You don't need to import years of history to get value. A good approach:

1. Sign up (it takes a couple of minutes, no credit card).
2. Import the last month or two from your bank's CSV.
3. Set up a handful of budgets for your big categories.
4. Add your regular bills and salary as recurring entries.

From there it runs itself, and you can always import more history later.

Ready to switch?

KeaBudget is free, built for New Zealand, and live now. Start at app.keabudget.co.nz, import a CSV, and see how it feels with your own numbers.

This is general information, not financial advice. Do your own research to find the tool that fits you best.