Ask HN: What frustrates you most about personal finance apps?

[FrankHobson]

I’ve tried most popular personal finance apps over the last few years, and I always end up quitting.

For me, the main reasons are:

- Core functionality hidden behind paywalls

- UX that feels bloated or optimized for upsells

- $100+/year pricing for some

- Needing multiple separate tools (budgeting, tracking, investments) with manual syncing and often no decent mobile app

I’m starting an open personal finance tool as a side project because I want something I’d actually stick with long-term.

Before locking myself into the wrong design, I’d love to hear from others:

- Why did you stop using finance apps (if you used any)?

- What features are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves?

- What made a tool “click” for you — or never click at all?

Happy to hear if this feels redundant or already solved better elsewhere.

[MattiaHall]

I’ve tried Mint, YNAB, and a couple of smaller apps. I usually quit after a few months because keeping everything categorized and up to date feels like work, not help. Auto-sync breaks, rules need constant tweaking, and once you fall behind it’s hard to catch up. The only features that really mattered long-term were reliable transaction import, simple rules, and a clean mobile UI. Most apps try to do too much instead of making the basics effortless.

[HanaStan]

Same here. I still haven’t found a single app that does everything I need, so I end up using a spreadsheet and updating it manually. It’s flexible and transparent, but also tedious, which is why I keep looking for a better tool that doesn’t get in the way.