Apps That Auto-Categorize Transactions Like Mint
The apps that auto-categorize transactions most like Mint are Monarch Money, Copilot and Tiller. All three sync your bank through a data aggregator and sort spending into categories for you. If you would rather not hand over a bank login, import CSV statements into Google Sheets and categorize them with a rules table instead.
Mint was the default free budgeting app for years. It synced your accounts, categorized every purchase and showed where the money went. Intuit shut it down in 2024 and pointed users to Credit Karma, which is not a budgeting tool. That left a lot of people asking the same question: what else does the categorizing for me?
The Bank-Sync Replacements
These work the way Mint did. You connect your bank once, transactions flow in, and categories are assigned automatically.
| App | How it gets transactions | Categorization | Trade-off |
|---|
| Monarch Money | Bank sync via aggregators | Automatic, with editable rules | Paid subscription; aggregator holds account access |
| Copilot | Bank sync via aggregators | Automatic, learns from your edits | Paid subscription; Apple devices first |
| Tiller | Bank feeds into Google Sheets or Excel | AutoCat rules inside the spreadsheet | Paid subscription; aggregator still involved |
| Google Sheets (DIY) | You import bank CSV exports | Your own rules table and formulas | Free; you run the monthly import |
Check each app's current pricing before you commit. Plans change often and are not listed here.
Why Some Mint Users Skip Bank Sync
Mint was free because it earned money recommending credit cards and loans based on your spending. Bank sync worked by giving a third-party aggregator ongoing access to your accounts.
Plenty of people are fine with that trade. If you are not, the alternative is simple: your bank already lets you download transactions as a CSV file. Import that file yourself and nobody else needs your login.
The catch is that categorization becomes your job. The rest of this guide shows how to make it mostly automatic.
Mint vs a Private Google Sheets Budget
| Feature | Mint (discontinued) | Google Sheets + CSV import |
|---|
| Cost | Was free, ad-supported | Free |
| Bank connection | Aggregator login | None; you download CSVs |
| Categorization | Automatic | Automatic once your rules table is set up |
| Mobile access | Full app | Google Sheets app |
| Customization | Fixed categories | Anything you can build in a sheet |
| Data export | Limited | File → Download → CSV |
| Where data lives | Intuit's servers | Your Google Drive |
How to Auto-Categorize Transactions in Google Sheets
Step 1: Set Up Two Tabs
Create a Transactions tab (Date, Description, Amount, Account, Category) and a Rules tab with two columns: Keyword and Category. For example, COUNTDOWN → Groceries, NETFLIX → Subscriptions, SHELL → Transport.
Step 2: Export Your Bank CSVs
From each account, download the last three months of transactions as CSV. Most banks put this under "Export" or "Download" on the transactions page.
Step 3: Import Each File
In Google Sheets, use File → Import → Upload and choose "Append to current sheet". Line the columns up with your Transactions tab. For a walkthrough of messy bank formats, see how to import CSV into Google Sheets.
Step 4: Fill Categories With a Formula
In the Category column, look up the first rule whose keyword appears in the description. One way:
=IFERROR(INDEX(Rules!B$2:B$200, MATCH(1, ARRAYFORMULA(ISNUMBER(SEARCH(Rules!A$2:A$200, B2)) * (Rules!A$2:A$200 <> "")), 0)), "Uncategorized")
This assumes the description is in column B. Adjust the ranges to match your sheet. Anything the rules miss shows up as "Uncategorized".
Step 5: Review the Leftovers Monthly
Filter for "Uncategorized", assign those rows by hand, and add a rule for each new merchant. After a couple of months, most of your regular spending is covered by rules. For a deeper build, including Apps Script options, see auto-categorize bank transactions in Google Sheets.
Step 6: Build the Dashboard
Add a pivot table of spending by category and month, and a budget column next to it. That covers most of what the Mint dashboard showed.
Moving Your Mint History
If you exported your Mint transactions before the shutdown, you still have a CSV. Import it the same way as a bank file. Mint's category column comes along, so you can keep those labels or map them to your new categories with the Rules tab.
Keeping Your Sheet Private
- Share a summary, not transactions. Build a separate summary tab or file for a partner, and keep raw transactions in yours.
- Tighten sharing. Check the Share settings so only people you choose have access.
- Keep an offline copy. Download the sheet as CSV every few months and store it on your own computer.
A spreadsheet on Google Drive is still a cloud document. It is private from aggregators and advertisers, but it is not stored on your machine.
When You Want It Fully Local
If the monthly formula maintenance is the part you keep skipping, Expense Sorted Local imports your bank CSV exports and categorizes them on your own computer, with free rules or optional on-device AI. There is no bank login and no cloud upload. It works alongside a spreadsheet rather than replacing it; see Local vs a Google Sheets template for when each fits, or why local transaction categorization for the privacy reasoning.
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