Spentz exclusive feature

The only budgeting app that
tells you before you spend

Every other app records what you spent — after it's done. Spentz shows you the budget impact, spending type, and goal timeline of a purchase before you make it. Ten seconds of clarity at the moment that matters.

✉️ Get early access See how it works ↓
⚡ Pre-purchase check
want
$120.00
Nike Running Shoes
🎯 Delays your house deposit by 4 days. You're $3,200 toward a $20,000 goal.
📊 You've used 68% of this month's wants budget. $152 remaining after this purchase.
💡 You spent $89 on clothing last month. You're within your usual range.

Not "78% of budget used."
"4 days further away."

There's a meaningful difference between a number and a consequence. When you know a purchase delays your house deposit by four days, that's a choice. When you see 78% of a budget bar, that's just a number.

The pre-purchase check gives you the consequence — in plain English, connected to something you care about — right when you need it.

  • Goal timeline impact. How many days does this move your target date? Expressed in time, not percentages.

  • Spending type context. Must, need, or want — and what that means for how Spentz talks to you about this purchase.

  • Your actual budget status. Not your bank balance. What's genuinely available after bills and goal contributions.

  • Relevant patterns. How does this compare to what you normally spend in this category?

How the check works

Running a pre-purchase check takes about ten seconds. There are two ways to do it:

1

Open Spentz or tap the home screen widget

The pre-purchase check is on the Spentz home screen. Or add the widget to your iPhone home screen for one-tap access without opening the app — useful when you're standing at the checkout.

2

Enter the amount and merchant

Type in how much you're about to spend and where. Spentz uses the merchant name to classify the purchase (must, need, or want) and pull relevant context.

3

See the full picture

Instantly: your budget status for this category, the spending type, the goal timeline impact, and any relevant context from your recent patterns. All of it in plain English.

4

Go ahead or rethink — your call

Spentz doesn't tell you what to do. It makes sure you're choosing rather than reacting. If you go ahead, great — you made an informed decision. If you rethink it, that's the check working.

The free tier includes 5 pre-purchase checks per month — enough to build the habit. Spentz Pro gives you unlimited checks. Most Pro users run the check every time they're about to spend more than $20 on a want.

Why it talks differently for different purchases

A $1,400 rent payment and a $1,400 shopping haul are both $1,400 — but they deserve completely different responses. Spentz classifies every purchase into one of three types, and that changes both the information shown and the tone of the check.

Must

Non-negotiable

Rent, bills, subscriptions, debt payments. These are pre-committed at the start of each period. The check is informational — no nudge, no judgement.

💡 "Your rent payment of $1,400 — as expected."
Need

Essential but variable

Groceries, transport, healthcare. You need to spend here — the check gives you context on whether you're on track without questioning the purchase.

💡 "Groceries on track. $380 of your $450 this month."
Want

Discretionary

Dining, shopping, entertainment. This is where the check has the most impact — full budget status, goal timeline, and a genuine choice.

💡 "Delays your deposit by 4 days. $152 left in wants."

Generic budgeting apps alarm you about everything equally. Spentz treats you like an adult — calibrated responses to different kinds of spending decisions.

Common questions

No — and that's intentional. Spentz doesn't block purchases or make decisions for you. The check is information, not a gate. What it does is interrupt the automatic decision loop and replace "I'll just buy it" with "I'm choosing to buy it." Most users find that's the meaningful difference — going ahead is fine, drifting ahead without knowing what you're choosing isn't.
Yes — the goal timeline impact and budget status are calculated from your real spending data and actual goal progress. Without a connected bank account, the check would be showing you estimates rather than your actual situation. Connection takes about 60 seconds via Plaid and is read-only. See our Help Centre for more on how Plaid works.
Spentz classifies merchants automatically based on category — a supermarket is a need, a restaurant is a want, a Netflix charge is a must. You can override any classification, and Spentz learns from your corrections over time. You can also set rules: "always classify [merchant] as [type]."
Yes — add the Spentz widget to your iPhone home screen (iOS 16+) for a one-tap check. This is particularly useful at the point of purchase, when you're in a shop or about to confirm an online order. The widget shows your discretionary remaining and opens the check with one tap.
Spentz will tell you clearly — how far over you are, the extended goal impact, and your options. You can move budget from another category, reduce the purchase, or go ahead knowing the full picture. Going over budget is human. The check just makes sure you're doing it with your eyes open rather than discovering it in a month-end summary.
Most budgeting apps were built as tracking tools first — record what happened, show a report. Intervening before a purchase requires your goals to be connected to your budget in real time, and the app to be present at the moment of decision rather than reviewed later. It's a different philosophy about what a financial tool should do. Spentz was designed from the start around the idea that the most useful moment to show you information is before you act, not after.

Related reading

Try the check
for free

Connect your bank, set a goal, and run your first pre-purchase check in under five minutes. Free tier includes 5 checks per month.

✉️ Get early access Read the Help Centre

Read-only bank access · No credit card · Delete anytime