Basalt

Privacy-First Budgeting That Stays on Your Device

Basalt is a budgeting app built on the principle that your financial data is yours alone and should never become a product. Founded by Tommy Bergeron at Brainpad Consulting, Basalt is described as "rock-solid finances that stay yours" with no ads, no data selling, and no subscription traps. The app is currently in beta with early access starting soon for macOS and iOS, with Windows and Android following after launch. At this moment, the product is not yet available to purchase; the site offers an email waitlist to be notified when beta access becomes available. The pitch is explicit: "most budgeting apps treat your financial data like a product to sell," and Basalt is built to avoid that model entirely.

The core architecture is file-based and local-first, meaning your financial data never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to sync it to another device or a cloud storage service. Your data is stored as simple text files in YAML format that you own outright and can access directly. The site says you can sync those files using iCloud on Apple devices with Advanced Data Protection enabled (which adds end-to-end encryption), or use any third-party sync service of your choosing: Dropbox, Syncthing, or anything else that handles plain files. An optional paid sync plan will arrive after launch with built-in end-to-end encryption, but it is presented as a convenience add-on rather than a requirement. The design philosophy is borrowed from Obsidian, the note-taking app that proved file-based software can be profitable without selling user data.

Tracking Money and Accounts

Basalt supports all account types, though the capture does not enumerate which specific institutions or connection methods are available at launch. The app features smart import that can read transactions from screenshots and PDFs, which is useful for statements from financial institutions or mobile-app screenshots you take yourself. You can also enter transactions manually. The app maintains transaction history with search and filters so you can find specific expenses or trace patterns across time.

The app tracks net worth alongside expenses, giving you both a snapshot of your overall financial position and a detailed view of money flowing in and out. It can detect duplicate transactions, so if you accidentally record the same expense twice, the app will flag it. The site promises auto category matching, meaning once you establish patterns, the app can suggest categories for new transactions. Custom categories let you organize spending around your own priorities rather than a preset structure. The app works offline completely, and no account is required to use it, so you are not creating credentials or connecting to a cloud service to access your own data.

Budget Categories and Alerts

Basalt includes budgets with visual alerts, which the site does not elaborate on in detail but frames as a way to keep spending under control. You define category budgets, and the app gives you visual feedback when you approach or exceed those limits. The mechanics of rollover (whether unspent money in one category carries forward or resets monthly) are not specified on the captured page. The site does not describe whether the app supports shared access for couples or families, so a reader should verify that separately if managing joint finances is a priority.

The app also tracks credit utilization, showing how much of your available credit you are using across accounts. This is a straightforward metric but useful for people optimizing credit scores. Beyond those core features, the site teases "and more coming soon to all platforms," suggesting additional functionality is planned before or shortly after launch.

Pricing and Availability

Basalt will cost $4 a month or $35 a year according to the pricing table on the site, and it will include everything: no features are locked behind the paid tier. There will be a free version with the full feature set and no time limit, meaning the app itself is free to use forever. The paid sync plan arrives later as an optional add-on. The comparison table on the site shows Basalt's pricing against YNAB at $14.99 per month or $109 yearly, Monarch Money at $14.99 per month or $99.99 yearly, Rocket Money at $6 to $12 per month or $72 to $144 yearly, Quicken Simplifi at $5.99 per month or $71.88 yearly, Copilot Money at $13 per month or $95 yearly, and Origin Finance at $12.99 per month or $99 yearly.

Critically, Basalt is not yet purchasable. The site says "Beta Coming Soon" and invites you to leave your email to be notified when early access arrives. The first 500 newsletter subscribers will get 50% off the lifetime license when Basalt launches, which suggests a one-time purchase option may also be available. Until then, there is no product to use, and no money to spend. The site also notes AI features are optional: you can bring your own Gemini API key (Google's free tier) to unlock smart screenshots and PDF import at no extra cost beyond the free tier of Gemini.

Trade-offs and Limitations

Basalt does not offer bank syncing through Plaid or a direct connection to your financial institutions. All transaction data must come from manual entry, screenshots, or PDF uploads. If your bank publishes a standard export file, you would need to manually parse it or re-enter the data. For people with dozens of accounts or complex financial lives, this is a significant overhead compared to apps that automatically pull transactions.

The app also cannot integrate with external tools or send data to tax software without a manual export. The file-based architecture means you own your data completely, but it also means you are responsible for syncing it across devices, backing it up, and keeping it secure. If you lose access to your sync service or accidentally delete the files, recovery depends on your backup practices.

The trade-off Basalt makes is explicit: privacy and ownership of your data in exchange for manual data entry and self-directed syncing. The site compares itself to YNAB, Monarch, Rocket Money, Quicken Simplifi, Copilot, and Origin, and the privacy column lists Basalt as having self-hosted local storage with no cloud lock-in. None of the others offer that approach. If privacy is your primary concern and you are comfortable with manual or semi-manual transaction entry, Basalt's philosophy aligns with that priority.

Who Should Wait and Who Should Look Elsewhere

Basalt suits people who believe their financial data is private by default and should not be monetized. It suits people who trust their own syncing and backup practices more than cloud vendors, or who want verifiable control over their files. It suits small households with simple finances who do not need Plaid auto-syncing. People in the privacy-conscious or open-source software communities are Basalt's core audience.

Basalt does not suit people who want automatic bank syncing right now; the product does not exist yet, and even when it launches, it has no Plaid integration. It does not suit people who need mobile-first access before launch (macOS and iOS come first, Windows and Android later). It does not suit people who want a hands-off money app that pulls everything automatically; Basalt is a manual or semi-manual tool. Until beta access is available, no one can actually use Basalt, so the current decision is simply whether to join the email list and wait for an invitation.