Frequently asked questions about FinanceCounter

FinanceCounter is a budgeting and personal finance app for Android. You record income and expenses, plan budgets and savings goals, scan receipts, manage documents and analyse your finances. Your data is stored locally on your device; there is no FinanceCounter account and no bank connection.

FinanceCounter is available for Android phones and tablets running Android 7.0 or later. Google Play shows you in the store listing whether your device is supported. The website itself is not a web app: you cannot enter or store financial data here.

No. FinanceCounter is currently available for Android only. An iPhone or iPad version has not been announced.

No. There is no sign-up and no FinanceCounter account. You install the app from Google Play and get started straight away. Installation, updates and the Premium subscription use your existing Google Play account.

Yes. All finance features run on the device; the current Android version does not even request internet permission. Installation, updates, purchases and the regular check of a Premium subscription go through the Google Play app. Premium stays usable offline for up to three days without a new check.

No. Transactions, accounts, budgets, receipts and documents are stored in your device’s private app storage and are not sent to the operator or any FinanceCounter server. Only if you write an export or backup to a location of your choice – such as a cloud folder – does that file end up there.

There is no FinanceCounter cloud and no sync. Android’s automatic cloud backup is also disabled for FinanceCounter. You save backups and exports deliberately to a place you choose; if that is a cloud provider, its terms apply.

No. FinanceCounter does not access your bank account, uses no open banking or PSD2 interface and has no bank connection. If you like, you pick a bank statement yourself as a file (Premium); it is analysed locally and only what you confirm is imported.

No, never. FinanceCounter never asks for online banking credentials, PINs or TANs. The optional app PIN is something else: it only protects access to the app on your device.

None of your financial data. The operator cannot view, retrieve or restore transactions, receipts or documents in the app. They only receive what you send yourself, such as a support email. For purchases, Google Play may provide the operator with the transaction details Google makes available, but never full payment details.

You photograph the receipt with the camera or pick a PDF, JPEG or PNG file (PDFs up to ten pages). Text recognition with Google ML Kit runs on the device and suggests merchant, total, date and line items. You review and correct the values before anything is saved. Free: 5 scans per month, Premium: unlimited.

The import is a Premium feature. You pick a CSV file (with column mapping), a PDF (up to 50 pages) or up to four images via the Android file picker. FinanceCounter reads the transactions locally, flags possible duplicates and shows a preview. Only what you confirm is imported.

Yes. There is an overall monthly budget and budgets per category, each with budget status and an optional warning. The Free version allows one overall and three category budgets at a time; Premium removes the limit.

Yes. You set a target amount and date, book contributions and see your progress. Free: two active goals, Premium: unlimited.

Yes, without limits even in the Free version. You can create and rename categories and subcategories and create a new category right while adding a transaction.

Yes. Account types include checking, cash, savings, credit card, prepaid and other, plus transfers and balance reconciliation. Free: two active accounts, Premium: unlimited. The app uses one currency (euro, Swiss franc, US dollar or pound).

Yes. CSV export of your transactions, the full data export and exporting single original documents are included in the Free version. Premium adds PDF reports, project reports as CSV, PDF or Excel and batch export of documents as ZIP with JSON metadata and optional CSV. Exports are not encrypted – the backup is.

Yes. You assign transactions to a project, such as a move, and see the total cost. Free: one active project. Premium: unlimited, with project reports and automatic assignment.

Yes, since version 1.3.11. FinanceCounter reads XML e-invoices in UBL and CII format (both XRechnung syntaxes) and PDF invoices with embedded XML (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X) locally. The app checks the structure but does not replace formal EN 16931 validation. A preview works in the Free version; archiving is Premium.

Premium costs €2.99 per month or €24.99 per year (works out at ≈ €2.08 per month). The monthly plan comes with a 14-day free trial if Google Play offers it to you. Without a trial or subscription the app opens in read-only mode (view, back up, export); the limited Free version becomes available on this device once a trial or subscription has ended. The price, term and conditions shown in the Google Play purchase dialog are binding.

Everything, including creating and editing transactions. Compared with the Free version it adds unlimited receipt scans, bank statement import, screenshot to transaction, unlimited documents, e-invoice archiving, due-date reminders, batch document export as ZIP, advanced analytics and PDF reports, automatic encrypted backups, plus unlimited accounts, budgets, savings goals and projects.

Yes. Google Play offers a 14-day free trial with the monthly plan if your Google account is eligible. It starts only once you confirm it in the purchase dialog; if Google Play confirms no trial, the option is disabled in the app. Unless you cancel in Google Play beforehand, it converts automatically into the paid monthly subscription after 14 days. If you cancel, the trial runs until its end; after that you use the limited Free version on this device.

In the Google Play app under Profile › Payments & subscriptions › Subscriptions, or directly from FinanceCounter via the link to subscription management. Uninstalling the app does not cancel the subscription.

Yes. Purchase, payment, renewal and cancellation run exclusively through Google Play and your Google account. FinanceCounter never receives full card or bank details.

That depends on whether a trial or Premium subscription has ever been confirmed by Google Play on this device. If so, you use the limited Free version once it has ended. If not, the app opens in read-only mode after “Continue without Premium”: you can view your data, save individual originals via “My data”, create manual encrypted backups and export as CSV or in full. New entries, edits, imports, restoring a backup and deleting are blocked, and recurring entries are not booked automatically.

All your data is kept. After the update the app shows what is new and then the Premium options. If you already had a trial or Premium on this device, you use the limited Free version without an active subscription. If you have only used FinanceCounter for free so far, the app opens in read-only mode without a subscription – you can still view, back up and export your data. New entries require Premium or the 14-day free trial if Google Play offers it to you.

Tap “Restore purchases” in the Premium options. If that does not help, you can copy a local subscription diagnosis under Premium and send it to support@financecounter.de. It contains no financial data, purchase tokens or order numbers, and the app sends nothing automatically.

Premium stays active until the end of the paid period. After that you continue with the limited Free version on this device. Your data is not deleted: existing transactions, budgets, goals and documents remain available to view, back up and export. You just cannot add new items beyond the Free limits.

When you uninstall, Android deletes the private app storage – and with it your FinanceCounter data on that device. As there is no cloud, the operator cannot restore anything. Create an encrypted backup first if you want to keep your data. To restore it on a new device or after reinstalling, you need an active Premium subscription or trial there; a backup does not carry your subscription status.

Yes. Backups are encrypted with your password (at least 12 characters) using AES-256-GCM and include transactions, receipts, attachments and documents. Manual backups are included in the Free version; automatic daily or weekly backups to a folder you choose come with Premium. A backup cannot be restored without its password. Restoring requires an active Premium subscription or trial.

No. Receipt photos, PDFs and recognised text are not sent to a FinanceCounter server or a cloud OCR service. Saved receipt originals stay in private app storage and are part of your encrypted backups.

In a local database and in files in the app’s private storage on your Android device. Other apps cannot access it. The database itself is not additionally encrypted, so protect your device with a screen lock and use the app PIN if needed.

No. FinanceCounter is a technical tool for organising your personal finances – not a bank, payment service, lender, broker, insurer or crypto wallet. No money is moved through the app.

No. FinanceCounter does not provide financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Automatic categories, receipt recognition, imports and hints are non-binding technical results that you should check yourself.

No, deliberately not. There are no transfers, no account retrieval and no connection to banks. If you don’t want to type in transactions, Premium lets you import a bank statement file.

FinanceCounter has no ad networks, no banner ads, no personalised advertising and no tracking. The “Savings opportunities” section contains partner links to CHECK24 comparisons, clearly labelled as advertising, that only open in your browser after you confirm; the operator may receive a commission if you sign a contract. There is also a monthly reminder labelled as an ad; it is switched on when you enable notifications during onboarding and can be switched off individually in the notification settings.

Email support@financecounter.de or call +49 151 61837074. For bugs, please include your device model, Android version and app version – but never send bank statements, receipt photos, passwords, PINs or TANs.