Are you looking for an expense manager that simplifies your digital life? After trying out dozens of alternatives, my search ended with Cashew. Whether it’s the user interface, cross-platform availability, features, or privacy, Cashew ticks all the right boxes for me.
After a week of testing, Cashew isn’t just another app on my Pixel 8 home screen, but a reliable partner in achieving my financial goals.
Whether you are a seasoned budgeter or starting your financial journey, here are the top reasons why Cashew is the perfect financial guru to take control of your spending.
A true cross-platform solution
Unlike Budget Flow, MoneyCoach, and many others, Cashew is a cross-platform solution. Since Cashew is built on Google’s Flutter framework, it maintains a beautiful, consistent UI across all platforms.
Whether I’m managing my finances on my Pixel 8, grabbing my iPhone 15 Pro Max to quickly log a transaction, or checking my travel goal budget on my MacBook Pro via the web, the experience is familiar and seamless.
While the web version can be a little glitchy at times, it gets the job done when I need to access my data from a desktop.
Coming back to its Android app, Cashew supports the Material You theme. It looks beautiful, and the animations are intuitive. Unlike many open source apps, it doesn’t feel or look like a half-hearted attempt.
A customizable home screen
Cashew offers an incredible level of customization. This isn’t about changing a theme. I can tailor my experience from the ground up.
For instance, on the home menu, I have the freedom to edit and arrange a host of sections. As soon as I launch Cashew, I can quickly glance at my goals and budgets, as well as detailed lists of my accounts, loans, and net worth.
It goes further than rearranging sections. I can change the icon style to match my preferences, experiment with font types, and tweak the app animations.
Cashew also offers four home screen widgets to glance over net worth or log transactions on the go.
Packed with useful features
When it comes to features, Cashew leaves no stone unturned. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools that makes managing my money straightforward. I can create as many categories as I need, ensuring that every penny is accounted for exactly as I want it.
Then there is subscription tracking and scheduled transactions. I no longer miss a rent payment or forget about a streaming service.
I set up recurring entries for things like my monthly rent, gym membership, or my broadband bill. This automation keeps me on top of everything without constant manual input.
Beyond tracking, Cashew helps me plan for the future. I love setting up goals, whether it’s saving for a dream vacation, a new expensive gadget, or building an emergency fund. I can visualize my progress towards these goals and stay motivated.
Coupled with the robust budgets, I can allocate funds to different areas of my life and see at a glance where I’m doing well and where I might be overspending.
It doesn’t stop there. The spending summary provides me with a clear overview of my financial health and helps me make informed decisions. The calendar view is another handy add-on.
Cashew offers an all-in-one solution that covers every financial need I can think of, with features like multi-currency support, Google Drive backups, and the ability to attach files to transactions.
Open source nature
The fact that Cashew is an open source app is a massive differentiator for me. The entire codebase is publicly available on GitHub. This level of openness is reassuring, especially for an app that handles my financial data. An open source nature also ensures long-term viability.
Another advantage is the pricing model. Unlike many of its rivals, Cashew offers a lifetime plan for $20. You can try out the demo mode before pressing the purchase button.
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Cashew shines in a sea of finance apps. Its powerful combination of flexible budgeting, goal tracking, and an eye-catching, customizable interface makes managing my money less of a chore and more of an intuitive experience. The added peace of mind comes from its open source nature.
What are you waiting for? Download Cashew, create accounts, and tackle your financial stress in no time. Meanwhile, check out more apps that will help you boost your productivity on Android.
