// free tool - expense tracker

Expense Tracker Free, private, CSV-ready

Log a purchase in a few seconds, see where the month went, and set a budget per category. Import a bank CSV, export a spreadsheet-ready expense tracker template, and print a clean monthly report.

  • Free - no sign-up
  • Runs in your browser
  • CSV import + export
  • Budgets per category

Add an expense

Your numbers stay in this browser. Nothing is uploaded. This is a tracking tool, not financial or tax advice.

Categories and monthly budgets

Start from a preset, then rename, add or remove. Leave the budget empty for no limit. "Deductible" only tags a category so the summary can total it.

Currency and storage

Saved automatically in this browser.

expenses.csv Empty
Total spent-No expenses yet
Per day-
Biggest-
Vs last month-
Tax-tagged-categories marked deductible

Spending by category

    Category table (text version of the chart)
    Category Spent Share Budget Left

    Daily spending

    Daily totals as text

    Expenses

    Showing the selected month. Edit or delete any row.

    Date Category Note Method Amount Actions
    0 shown -

    Import from CSV or a bank export

    Comma, semicolon or tab separated. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded. You see a preview before anything is added.

    Go past the spreadsheet

    Tracking shows where it went. Bookkeeping makes it count.

    When expenses turn into reports, reimbursements or tax prep, these AI skills and agents plug into Claude, ChatGPT or any AI chat and do the paperwork with you.

    AI Skill AI Expense Report Generator Turns a list of receipts or a CSV export into a clean expense report ready to submit for reimbursement. See the skill -> AI Agent Greta - Bookkeeping Agent Categorises transactions, reconciles accounts and keeps your books tidy month after month. See the agent -> AI Skill Selma - Bookkeeper A bookkeeper persona for small businesses and freelancers: ledgers, categories and month-end checklists. See the skill ->

    How to track expenses so you actually keep doing it

    Most people do not quit tracking because they lack discipline. They quit because the system asks for too much. If logging a coffee means opening a laptop, finding the right sheet and typing six fields, the habit dies in the second week. A good expense tracker makes the common case fast: today's date is already filled in, the amount field takes whatever you type (12.50, 1,234.50 or 1 234,50), and the category list is short enough to pick without thinking.

    Three rules keep the data useful:

    1. Log on the day. Memory is the weakest link. Add the expense when you pay, or at the end of the day from your card app.
    2. One expense, one row. Do not merge a week of groceries into one line. Separate rows make the per-day chart and the biggest-expense check meaningful.
    3. Write a note you will understand in three months. "Amazon" says little. "Amazon - office chair" tells you whether it was a business cost.

    Expense categories that work

    Too many categories and you hesitate on every entry; too few and the summary tells you nothing. Aim for roughly ten to fifteen. The personal preset in this tool covers housing, groceries, eating out, transport, utilities, health, shopping, subscriptions, entertainment, travel, gifts and other. If you run a small business or freelance, switch to the business preset: software, office supplies, equipment, advertising, business travel, meals, phone and internet, professional services, training, bank fees and home office.

    Two tips. Keep "Other" small: if it grows past a few percent of the month, split out a new category. And separate what you can cut from what you cannot. Rent is fixed; eating out and subscriptions are where a monthly budget per category actually changes behaviour. Set a budget only on the categories you want to watch, and the tracker warns you when one passes 90 percent or goes over.

    The weekly review habit

    Logging is half the job. The other half is a short weekly look, ten minutes on the same day each week:

    • Check the category bars. Is anything bigger than you expected?
    • Scan the daily chart for spikes and make sure each spike has a reason.
    • Compare the month so far with last month. The "vs last month" figure uses the full previous month, so early in a month it will look low; that is normal.
    • Fix missing notes and wrong categories while you still remember them.

    At month end, copy the summary into your notes or print a one-page report. Over a few months you get an honest picture of your real spending, which is what every budget should start from. If you want a plan for next month, the sibling tools below help you turn these numbers into one.

    Receipts and business expenses

    For a freelancer or a small business, the tracker is only as good as the paper trail behind it. Keep the receipt or invoice for every business expense, ideally named with the same date and note you used in the tracker so you can match them later. Mark business categories as tax-deductible to see their monthly total at a glance, but treat that flag as a label, not a ruling: what counts as deductible depends on your country, your business type and how the item is used. When you bill clients for costs, the free invoice generator helps you pass them on, and the financial statement generator turns the year's totals into a profit and loss overview.

    Spreadsheet template vs app

    A spreadsheet expense tracker template is flexible and you own the file. An app is faster to log into and draws the charts for you. This page sits in between: it works like an app, but every expense exports to a plain CSV with the columns date, amount, currency, category, note, payment method and tax-deductible. Open it in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, build pivot tables, or import it back later. If you want formulas on top of the export, the Excel formula generator writes SUMIFS and pivot-ready formulas from a plain description.

    Because everything lives in your browser, back up with "Export all (CSV)" from time to time and before clearing browser data. For more free calculators and generators, browse the free AI generators and tools hub.

    FAQ

    Is this expense tracker free and private?

    Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit. Your expenses are saved only in this browser's local storage and are never uploaded. Files you import are read in the browser too.

    Can I use it as an expense tracker template for Excel or Google Sheets?

    Yes. Export all expenses or the current view as CSV with the columns date, amount, currency, category, note, payment_method and tax_deductible. The file opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers, and you can import it back into the tracker later.

    How do I import my bank statement?

    Download a CSV from your online banking, then choose the file or paste the rows. The tool detects commas, semicolons or tabs, finds the date, amount, category and description columns, and asks you to pick a date format when dates like 03/04/2026 could be read two ways. Tick the bank export option if spending shows as negative, check the preview, and import. Rows already in the tracker are skipped.

    What does the tax-deductible flag do?

    It marks a category so the monthly summary can show the total spent in those categories. It does not decide what is deductible. Rules depend on your country and business, so confirm with an accountant or your tax office.

    How do I move my expenses to another device?

    Click Export all (CSV) on the first device, then use the import section on the other device to load that file. Clearing browser data removes saved expenses, so export a backup first.

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