ArthPulse › SMS expense tracker
SMS expense tracker: your bank alerts, turned into a clear picture
An SMS expense tracker builds your spending record from the transaction alerts your bank already sends you, so you never type a single entry. ArthPulse reads those alerts from your bank, cards and UPI apps, records each transaction, sorts it into a category, and shows where your money went, without a bank login or an account aggregator.
Why SMS, and not a bank connection?
In India, every bank already sends an SMS the moment money moves: "Rs. 500 debited from A/c XX1234". That alert is the most complete, most universal record of your money there is. Reading it means:
- Every bank works, big or small, without anyone building an integration for it.
- No login, no password, no aggregator consent to hand over. You give nothing beyond permission to read alerts that are already on your phone.
- Cards, bank accounts and UPI together, because they all send alerts.
How it works
- Install ArthPulse and sign in.
- Allow SMS access. This is the app's core function: without it there is nothing to track.
- Your recent transactions load and sort themselves. On first sign-in ArthPulse processes about the last month, so you start with a full picture.
- New transactions keep arriving, usually within about 15 minutes of the alert.
What it reads, and what it skips
| Read and recorded | Skipped |
|---|---|
| Debit and credit alerts from banks, cards and UPI apps | OTPs: never used as transactions, and on the Google Play version dropped on your phone before upload |
| Amount, date, merchant or payee, account (last 4 digits only) | Personal messages from an individual's number (dropped on the phone, Play version) |
| Salary, refunds and other money coming in | Declined or failed payments, which are not spending |
Getting the numbers right
- Amounts are checked against the message itself, so an "available balance" figure in the same SMS is never mistaken for what you paid.
- Categories are assigned automatically by AI that runs on ArthPulse's own servers, and it learns from every correction you make.
- Transfers are not spending. Moving money between your own accounts and paying a credit card bill are recorded as transfers, so your totals are not inflated.
Private by design
SMS access is a lot to ask, so ArthPulse is built to deserve it. Only financial alerts leave your phone, over an encrypted connection, to your own account. The data is never sold, the app has no ads or third-party trackers, and you can delete everything yourself at any time. Read exactly what we read and what we never touch.
Good to know
- Android only for automatic tracking. iPhones do not let apps read SMS; your data is viewable on any device through the web dashboard.
- No SMS, no record. A transaction your bank does not send an alert for cannot be tracked.
Let your bank alerts do the tracking. Free on Google Play.
Get ArthPulseQuestions
Is it safe to give an expense tracker SMS permission?
With ArthPulse, on the Google Play version, messages identified as OTPs or personal messages from an individual's number are dropped on your phone before anything is uploaded. Only bank, card and UPI alerts are sent, over an encrypted connection, to your own account. The data is never sold and there are no ads.
Which banks does SMS expense tracking work with?
ArthPulse works with the transaction SMS from all major Indian banks, credit cards and UPI apps. Nothing needs to be linked; if your bank sends you an alert, ArthPulse can read it.
How quickly does a transaction appear?
Usually within about 15 minutes of the alert arriving on your phone.
Will it pick up my older transactions?
When you first sign in, ArthPulse processes about the last month of alerts, so you start with a full picture instead of an empty screen.