[ad_1] The post PocketGuard Review for 2021 appeared first on Millennial Money. In our PocketGuard review, you’ll learn all about what this app has to offer so you can determine whether it makes sense for your unique situation. What’s the PocketGuard App? PocketGuard is a budgeting app available for both iOS and Android devices. The free budget app syncs with checking, savings, and credit accounts to give you a complete overview of your cash flow and expenses. It also uses an algorithm to track how much you have in your bank account for everyday spending. PocketGuard launched in 2014 and operates out of the San Francisco Bay area. The app has 3.7 stars (out of 5 stars) on Google Play and 4.7 stars (out of 5 stars) on the App Store, suggesting users are pretty happy with it overall. PocketGuard Overall Rating 8.6 Bottom Line PocketGuard is a free budget app syncs with checking, savings, and credit accounts to give you a complete overview of your cash flow and expenses. It also uses an algorithm to track how much you have in your bank account for everyday spending. Pros Automatically sync data across multiple accounts Works with Android and iPhone Quick access to disposable income through In My Pocket Visualize transactions with pie charts Build multiple budgets Cons No way to input transactions manually Limited customer support No bill pay Free edition has limited functions Mobile App 8.5 Security 9.5 Customer Service and Support 7.0 User Friendly 9.0 or, skip straight to the section on how to sign up for PocketGuard PocketGuard Features Here are a list of the top features of PocketGuard. Automatic account syncing PocketGuard supports about 18,000 financial institutions across the U.S. and Canada. So if you use a major bank or credit card, you should be able to link your account without a problem. If you’re not comfortable connecting your bank account to PocketGuard, you won’t be able to use the app. In My Pocket Struggling with overspending? If so, you’re not alone. PocketGuard can help. Its “In My Pocket” feature provides instant visibility into how much you have in your account and what’s left over for spending after bills, savings, and investments. For example, suppose you make $3,500 in one month and have $2,000 worth of expenses. The app would take the difference and essentially give you an allowance of $1,500 for spending. The app doesn’t restrict or control your money in any way. So you can spend more money if you need to. But that would defeat the point of budgeting. Transaction reporting With PocketGuard, you can easily see where your money is going daily, set spending limits, and access spending pie charts. You can also use a handy hashtagging feature to track transactions across various spending categories. Simply choose a transaction, add a note, type a hashtag (e.g., “#dining” or “#entertainment”), and then hit “Save.” Moving forward, you’ll be able to check out hashtag reports in the app’s insights section to track your spending across categories. Debt payoff The app lets you set up a debt payoff strategy and stick to a payment schedule. Essentially, you create a budget and make sure to allocate money to debt payments each month. You can also track your payments over time and observe your progress toward debt-free living. Find savings PocketGuard aggregates numerous financial services for customers. The app can connect you with third-party tools to lower bills, cancel unwanted subscriptions, get shopping rebates, and improve your credit score. To access this feature, you’ll first need to answer some questions in the profile section. Once that’s done, the app sends you custom offers designed to help you save some cash. PocketGuard Pricing PocketGuard offers a free version of the app with limited features. To access the full lineup of tools, you have to upgrade to the paid version — PocketGuard Plus — which costs $7.99 per month, or $79.99 per year. You can also make a one-time purchase of $99.99 for lifetime access. There’s no mention of PocketGuard Plus on the company’s main website. But if you venture over to PocketGuard’s help site, you can find all the details there. PocketGuard Plus: An overview Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll get with PocketGuard Plus. Use multiple cash accounts: PocketGuard Plus lets you add up to ten cash accounts so you can track all of your money in one place. Form a debt payoff plan: You can build a debt payoff plan with PocketGuard based on your unique needs. The debt payoff plan offers two common debt reduction strategies, the snowball and the avalanche. (For a complete breakdown of these methods, check out this primer.) Create custom categories: PocketGuard Plus gives you more granular control over budgeting by allowing you to create custom categories. Adjust transaction dates: With PocketGuard Plus, you can change the transaction date for more precise monthly reporting. Export transactions: PocketGuard Plus lets you export data into charts and graphs using Excel or Sheets. And you can also download your transaction history as a CSV file. Create multiple goals: One of my favorite features in PocketGuard Plus is the savings goal feature. You can track multiple goals from a single app for greater visibility. Split transactions: PocketGuard lets you split or unsplit transactions as you need to. The app treats splits like regular transactions. My advice is to go all-in and pay for the premium model. I like how you can add up to ten accounts and access specific debt reduction strategies. Plus, you’ll gain more control for categorizing and managing budgets. The price is reasonable when you consider the number of features that you can access. Signing Up and Getting Started Want to get started with PocketGuard? Follow these steps: 1. Sign up for PocketGuard Just about anyone can sign up for PocketGuard. There are no eligibility requirements other than being at least 18 and having a bank account. To begin, head over to PocketGuard’s website and click “Start Now.” You can sign