Frequently asked questions
Bufin is a free, private budgeting web app that saves your data to your own Google Drive, your own OneDrive, or just this browser.
How much does Bufin cost?
Nothing. Bufin is free: every feature, for everyone, with no plans, no trial to run out, no card and nothing held back for a paid tier. It's paid for by optional donations and by clearly-marked referral links on the tools page. Donating unlocks nothing extra, because nothing is locked.
Do I need an account to use Bufin?
No. You can start with no account at all. Bufin saves your budget in this browser's storage and asks you for nothing. Signing in with Google or Microsoft instead keeps it in your own cloud, which syncs across devices and survives a wiped browser. Both cost nothing.
Is it safe to use Bufin without an account?
It works, but understand the trade-off. Device-only budgets live in your browser's local storage: clearing site data or "resetting" the browser deletes them, private windows forget them when closed, and they exist on that one device only, with no backup anywhere. Export a copy from Settings, or sign in to move it to your own cloud.
Where is my data stored?
In storage you own. Sign in with Google and Bufin writes your budget as files in a hidden app folder of your own Google Drive; sign in with Microsoft and it uses your OneDrive the same way. Without an account, it stays in this browser. Bufin has no database of anybody's transactions.
Can Bufin see my financial data?
Not your personal budget, no. It's stored in your own Drive or OneDrive, and Bufin's servers never receive a copy. What Bufin's server does hold is your account record: name, email and profile picture from sign-in, your roadmap votes, and your two-factor setting. Shared household budgets are the exception: those entries are on Bufin's servers so the other members can see them.
Does Bufin connect to my bank?
No, and it can't. Bufin never asks for bank credentials and has no open-banking connection, so there is no login of yours for anyone to lose. Transactions get in by typing them, importing a CSV your bank exports, or photographing a receipt or statement and letting Bufin read the numbers on-device.
Is Bufin a Google Sheets template?
No. Bufin is a full web app you open in a browser: dashboards, budgets, a bill calendar, net worth, debt payoff and investment tracking. Google Drive is only where the files are kept, the way a photo app keeps photos in your own cloud. Nothing is a spreadsheet you have to maintain.
Does it work on my phone, and offline?
Yes to both. Bufin is installable to a phone home screen as a web app, there's an Android app, and the interface is built for a phone first. Once loaded, a signed-in device keeps a local mirror, so an existing budget opens and accepts changes with no signal; edits sync when you're back online.
What happens if Bufin disappears?
Your budget doesn't. The files are in your own Drive or OneDrive, under your own account, and you can export everything as JSON or Excel from Settings whenever you like. Nothing you'd need is held hostage on a server of ours. That's the point of storing it where we did.
Can I get a refund on a donation?
Probably not, and you should assume not before giving. Donations are gifts, not purchases: they buy no access, no feature and no service, and they're processed by an external platform, so any refund is that platform's decision and its payment rules, not ours. Only give what you're comfortable giving away.
Does Bufin track me?
Two answers, because there are two things. Our own counter records how many times a page was opened and a labelled button was clicked, per day, with no account id, no cookie and no IP kept. Google Analytics is the second, and it is opt-in: it sets cookies, so it does not load at all unless you accept the banner, and declining means nothing is loaded rather than loaded-and-ignored. Neither is ever sent anything from your finances, because your budget lives in your own cloud and is not ours to send. Turn either off in Settings → Privacy, or send Global Privacy Control / Do Not Track and both stay off automatically.
Can I export my data?
Yes, at any time, without asking. Settings → Data exports everything as a JSON file, or as a formatted Excel workbook. Restoring from a JSON export merges it back in. Exports are also the safety net for device-only budgets, which have no cloud copy by design.
Which countries and currencies does Bufin support?
Any currency you choose, Bufin formats and totals in it, and you can change it later. It's built in Canada and a few extras are Canadian-specific, like the TFSA/RRSP/FHSA contribution-room tracker, but nothing about the core budgeting is country-locked.
Is Bufin available in French?
Yes: fully bilingual, English and French, including every legal page. Switch languages from the header or Settings; the choice follows your account.