No SMS access
Share a payment screenshot or type the spend in. Your messages and bank data stay private.
Walnut vs MoneyView: which SMS tracker should you use?
Both apps read your bank SMS and build your expense history automatically, and both are free. The real difference is how much each one pushes credit products at you. If you'd rather not give any app SMS access, there's a third option at the end.
The short version
Walnut's SMS parsing is reliable and the tracker stays out of your way. MoneyView adds credit scores and loans, which is useful if you want them and clutter if you don't. The catch with Walnut: Capital Float bought it in 2018 and it became axio in 2022, so the app you download today bundles the tracker with Pay Later and lending. Neither app has intent tags.
Feature comparison
| Category | Walnut | MoneyView |
|---|---|---|
| Data capture | SMS auto-read | SMS auto-read |
| SMS access | Required | Required |
| Expense history | ||
| Credit score tracking | — | |
| Loan products | — | |
| Budget limits | Category limits | Basic budgets |
| Intent tags (required/optional/impulsive) | — | — |
| Now branded as | axio (Capital Float) | MoneyView |
| Platform | iOS + Android | iOS + Android |
| Pricing | Free | Free (loan features vary) |
Walnut is the better choice when…
You want a quieter expense tracker.
The tracking part of Walnut does one job: capture your transactions and show where the money went. axio has added lending products around it, but the tracker itself pushes them less than MoneyView does.
You don't care about your credit score.
MoneyView regularly steers you toward its credit and loan features. If you only want an expense history, Walnut gets in the way less.
You just want a log.
Walnut records what you spent. It doesn’t coach you or nudge you toward investments. If your habits are already fine and you just want the record, it’s enough.
MoneyView is the better choice when…
Your credit score is a priority.
MoneyView has a free credit dashboard, bureau tracking and tips on improving your score. If you’re heading toward a loan, a home purchase or a credit card application, that’s useful.
You want an app that was built for credit from the start.
Walnut is now a tracker inside axio’s lending platform. MoneyView is also credit-first, but it was designed that way, so the tracker and the credit features sit together more naturally.
You need a personal loan.
MoneyView lends directly. If you need a loan and want to compare options in the same app you track expenses in, that’s convenient.
If neither fits: Spenrol
Walnut and MoneyView both tell you what you already spent. Spenrol is a budget you set before the month starts. Disclosure: we make it.
Intent tags
Tag each spend required, optional or impulsive. The tags add up to a monthly Smart Spending Score.
Screenshot capture
Paid on GPay, PhonePe or Paytm? Share the payment screenshot and Spenrol fills in the amount, merchant and category.
Common questions
Something else? Write to [email protected]
Is Walnut still available?
Sort of. Capital Float bought Walnut in 2018 and the combined company became axio in July 2022. The expense tracker still works, but it now sits inside axio alongside Pay Later and lending products. If you want a tracker without credit offers, that matters.
Can I use MoneyView just for expense tracking, without loans?
Yes. You can use it for expense tracking and credit score monitoring and never take a loan. The app is built around credit, though, so you'll see loan offers regularly as you use it.
What if I don't want to give SMS access to any app?
Then neither fits. Both need SMS access to track expenses. Spenrol is one alternative: you share a payment screenshot or type the spend in, and it doesn't need SMS permission.
How is Spenrol different from both Walnut and MoneyView?
Walnut and MoneyView build a history of what you've already spent, from your SMS. Spenrol starts from a monthly budget you set in advance, and has you tag each spend required, optional or impulsive, so you can see which ones you'd skip next time.
- downloads
- 200+
- expenses logged
- 1,500+
- of spending tracked
- ₹9.5L+
“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.”
Try a tracker that works without SMS
Free on Android, with no SMS access and no bank login.
Scan to download on your phone