Smarter Budget

Privacy policy

Last updated 7 November 2026

The short version

  • We don't collect your data. There is no Smarter Budget account and no Smarter Budget server.
  • Your budget is stored on your devices and synced through your own private iCloud. We can't see it.
  • There are no ads, no analytics and no tracking in the app. This website only counts visits, without cookies and without identifying you.
  • A few optional features read free public information from the internet. They send only what's needed — such as a currency code or a place name — never anything from your budget.

Who we are

Smarter Budget is an app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. In this policy, “we” means its developer. You can reach us at developer@elementalcore.com.

Where your budget is stored

Everything you put in Smarter Budget — accounts, envelopes, transactions, notes, receipt photos, trips and plans — is stored on your device. If iCloud is turned on, it's synced between your devices through your own private iCloud database (CloudKit). Only you can read it; we have no access to it. Apple's privacy policy covers how iCloud stores data.

Backups are saved in the app's own folder in your iCloud Drive (or on the device when iCloud Drive isn't available). They're protected by Apple's iCloud encryption, including end-to-end encryption if you've turned on Advanced Data Protection.

The Apple Watch app reads the same budget from your iCloud, and your iPhone sends it a short summary (such as what's left today) so your watch face stays current.

What we collect

Nothing. The app has no account, no analytics, no advertising and no third-party code that collects data. We don't receive your budget, your usage or your device details.

Features that use the internet

Most of the app works offline. These optional features make requests to free public services. Like any web request, the service can see your device's IP address. None of them receive anything from your budget.

  • Exchange rates. When you plan in another currency, the app downloads today's rates from a free public exchange-rate list (published on the jsDelivr and Cloudflare Pages networks). Only the currency code is in the request. Rates are kept on the device for offline use.
  • Trip price estimates. When you plan a trip, the app can look up rough prices. It sends the destination's name to Wikivoyage, the attraction's name to Apple Maps to find its official website, and then reads that website's ticket page. Only place and attraction names are sent.

Apple Intelligence

Some suggestions — tidier merchant names, envelope ideas, which costs a trip or plan might need — use Apple's on-device model. They're only available when Apple Intelligence is turned on in your device's settings, run entirely on your device and are never sent to us or any cloud AI. Every feature works without it, and suggestions are always shown for you to check; the app never lets the model change an amount.

Permissions the app may ask for

  • Camera and photos — to read receipts, QR codes and screenshots you choose. Text is read on the device. A photo is kept only if you attach it to a transaction.
  • Location — only if you turn on “Suggest stores by location” (off by default), and only while you're using the app. Store locations are saved in your own budget so the app can fill in a store you've been to before.
  • Notifications — bill reminders are worked out and scheduled on your device.
  • Face ID or Touch ID — if you turn on the app lock. Apple handles this; the app never sees biometric data.
  • Files — to import a bank statement you choose. If you ask the app to remember a statement password, it's kept in this device's Keychain only, never in your budget or iCloud.

This website

smarterbudget.app uses no cookies and no third-party scripts or fonts. It counts visits with Vercel Web Analytics, served from this site: the page you view, the site you came from, your country and your type of device. It doesn't identify you or follow you from one visit to the next. Its other script runs the demo on the home page, entirely in your browser. Our hosting provider (Vercel) keeps standard server logs, such as IP addresses, for security and to run the site.

Children

Smarter Budget doesn't collect personal information from anyone, including children.

Your choices

Because your data is in your own iCloud, you're in control: delete a budget in the app, turn off iCloud for Smarter Budget in Settings, or delete the app's data from iCloud in your Apple account settings. Exports are files you choose where to save.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update it here and change the date at the top. If a change affects what leaves your device, we'll say so in the app's release notes too.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email developer@elementalcore.com.