Why I built a budget app that never asks for your bank login
By Frank Ros, who makes Happy Dad.
My wife and I wanted one simple thing: to see what we were spending, as we spent it. Not at the end of the month, and not after a weekend of sorting transactions. Just a running number for groceries, eating out and gas that both of us could check on our own phones.
Every budgeting app I tried started the same way: connect your bank. I didn't want to do that. Handing a budgeting app the login to our bank account felt like a lot of trust for what was, in the end, a grocery tally. So I built the thing I actually wanted.
How it works
You set a monthly limit for each category you care about. When you buy something, you open the app, tap the category and type the amount. That's about two taps. The other phone in the household updates right away, with a push notification. Each category turns green, then amber, then red as it fills up, so one glance tells you whether the week is fine.
That's the whole idea. There is no import step, no syncing that breaks, and no pile of uncategorized transactions waiting for you on Sunday night.
Typing it in is the point
The usual objection is that typing in every expense sounds like work. It takes a few seconds, and it turned out to be the part that changed things for us. When you log a $38 takeout order yourself, you notice it. When a bank feed imports it three days later, you don't. And because both of us see the same numbers live, we stopped having the "how much did we spend this month?" conversation. We already know.
Who it is for, and who it isn't
- It fits couples and families who want a shared, live view of spending without linking accounts, and people budgeting on their own who want something quick.
- It doesn't fit if you want every transaction imported automatically. Honeydue and Monarch do that well, if you're comfortable linking your bank.
- It doesn't track who owes whom. If you split costs with a roommate, Splitwise is built for that.
- It is iPhone only for now. There is no Android app yet.
What it costs
The app is free, with no ads. There is an optional Happy Dad+ subscription ($1.99 a month or $19.99 a year, first month free) that adds a web dashboard with insights, a forecast and spreadsheet exports. You don't need it to use the app.
If you try it, I'd like to hear what works and what doesn't: happydad.app@gmail.com. I read every email.
Happy Dad at a glance
- Happy Dad is a shared budget app for couples, families and people budgeting on their own.
- Free on iPhone, with no ads. There is no Android app yet.
- Never asks for a bank or card login. You add each expense yourself, in about two taps.
- Each person uses their own iPhone. The budget updates live on every phone in the household, with a push notification.
- Partners join with a 6-digit invite code. Households can have more than two members.
- Monthly category budgets turn green, amber, then red as you spend. View them as a list or as tiles with a pie chart.
- Happy Dad+ is optional: $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year, first month free. It adds a web dashboard with insights and a forecast, plus spreadsheet exports.
- It does not import bank transactions or track who owes whom.
Questions
Why doesn't Happy Dad connect to my bank?
On purpose. You add each expense yourself, so the app never needs a bank or card login.
Is it only for couples?
No. It works for one person, a couple, or a family with more than two members.
Who makes Happy Dad?
Frank Ros, who built it for his own household. It has been on the App Store since August 2026.
Related: A couples budget app with no bank linking · A shared budget app for couples · A Honeydue alternative with no bank linking