Spenrol vs Walnut: which expense tracker fits you?
Walnut, now called axio after Capital Float bought it in 2018, reads your bank SMS and builds a spending history on its own. Spenrol has you log each spend yourself, usually from a screenshot or an optional bank alert, against a budget you set at the start of the month. Which one fits depends on whether you want a record or a plan.
Spenrol makes one of the apps compared here. Claims about other apps come from their own store listings, FAQs, and public pricing. Last updated: August 2026
Walnut / axio · logged from your bank SMS
A record of what you paid.
Spenrol · from your payment screenshot
Zomato
Food · Google Pay · 3 Sep
The record, plus why you paid, against this month’s budget.
Feature comparison
| Category | Walnut / axio | Spenrol |
|---|---|---|
| How spending is captured | SMS auto-read | Screenshot, manual or optional SMS |
| SMS access | Required | Optional, off by default |
| Intent tags (required/optional/impulsive) | — | |
| Budgets | Category limits | Zero-based |
| Spending score | — | |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Platform | iOS + Android | Android |
| Ideal for | Automatic full transaction history | A monthly budget and impulse habits |
When Walnut is the better choice
You don’t want to log anything.
axio reads your bank SMS and fills in your history automatically. If you know you won't keep up with logging spends yourself, even from a screenshot, go with axio.
You want every transaction in one place.
Because it reads bank messages, axio also picks up salary credits, EMIs and card payments, not only UPI. For a complete month-end view with no gaps, that’s hard to match by hand.
You want loans or deposits in the same app.
Since the rebrand, axio's Play Store listing leads with Pay Later, personal loans and fixed deposits. Spenrol doesn't offer financial products and has no plans to.
When Spenrol is the better choice
You're trying to cut impulse spending.
If ₹3,000 goes on food delivery and you can't say how, a longer history won't help much. Tagging each spend required, optional or impulsive shows you which ones to cut.
You don’t want an app reading your SMS.
Spenrol works without SMS permission, and SMS tracking is off unless you turn it on. You share each payment yourself, and screenshots are read on your phone. Your transactions are stored against your account and never shared.
You want a budget, not just a record.
Spenrol is a zero-based budget: you assign your salary to categories before the month starts, and see what’s left to spend each day. We’re also working on a check that shows your budget before a UPI payment goes through, once we have a UPI licence.
Try Spenrol for a month
Free, no paid tier. SMS access optional, no card required.
Common questions
Something else? Write to [email protected]
Is Walnut still called Walnut?
No. Capital Float bought Walnut in 2018, and the combined company became axio in July 2022. The app you download today is axio. It still tracks expenses, but its Play Store listing now leads with Pay Later, personal loans and fixed deposits.
Can I use both Spenrol and Walnut at the same time?
Yes. Some people keep axio for the automatic history and use Spenrol for the budget and the intent tags. You would be logging each spend in Spenrol yourself either way.
Does Spenrol read my SMS messages?
Only if you turn it on. SMS tracking is optional and off by default. Without it, you share a payment screenshot, which is read on your phone, or type the spend in. With it on, Spenrol reads bank alerts, uploads just the amount, date, merchant and account, and holds each payment for your review.
Is Spenrol free?
Yes. No ads and no paid tier.
Is the Spenrol app live?
Yes, on Android, free on Google Play.
Does Spenrol have spend nudges and recurring payment reminders?
Yes, both. Spend nudges (optional, Android) show how much of a category is left when you open apps like Swiggy or Amazon. Recurring payments track your bills and subscriptions and remind you 2 days before, the day before and on the due day.
- downloads
- 350+
- expenses logged
- 3,500+
- of spending tracked
- ₹26L+
“Being able to classify expenses as Required, Optional, or Impulsive makes it easier for me to understand my spending habits. It also makes me think twice before spending on something impulsively.”
Plan the month instead of reviewing it
Set a budget, share your payment screenshots, and see how much of the month was impulse. Free on Android.
Scan to download on your phone