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Money, explained plainly.

Practical guides and honest breakdowns for people managing their finances without a finance degree.

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Why we built PlainFinance: a personal finance app that never touches your bank

PlainFinance is a personal finance app that imports your bank CSVs instead of connecting to your bank. Here's why we built it that way.

May 24, 2026·6 min read

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PlainFinance dashboard open on a laptop in a lamp-lit room at night, beside a 'May review' notebook with 'Keep it simple' checked off. Tagline reads 'Calm finance for real life.'

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Budgeting

Best YNAB Alternatives in 2026 (Free Options That Don't Require Bank Access)

YNAB's price hikes and mandatory bank connections have pushed a lot of people to look elsewhere. Here's an honest look at the best alternatives — including free options that work without linking your accounts.

June 22, 2026·8 min read

Spending is noise — Net worth is signal infographic showing a spending list vs a rising net worth chart

Guides

Why you should track net worth, not just spending

Watching every small expense is exhausting and often misses the point. Net worth is the number that tells you whether your money is actually moving in the right direction.

June 19, 2026·7 min read

Three bank statements fanned out on a wooden desk — HDFC blue, ICICI orange, SBI navy — with an upload tray and a PlainFinance dashboard tile beside them. A coffee mug and notepad sit in the foreground. Headline reads "Import your bank stat

Guides

How to import HDFC, ICICI, and SBI bank statements into PlainFinance (no bank login needed)

Export HDFC, ICICI, and SBI bank statements and import them into PlainFinance — a personal finance app without bank linking. No aggregators, no logins.

June 2, 2026·10 min read