Emma at 40% off, with HMRC tools.
Emma was the UK’s favorite free budgeting app until 2024 when they killed the free plan and pushed everyone to Emma Pro at £9.99/month. PocketSpend gives you the same Open Banking sync, subscription finder and Pots view at £5.99/month — plus HMRC Self-Assessment tracking Emma never built.
PocketSpend
£5.99/mo
Save 40%
cheaper, every month
Emma
£9.99/mo
Why people are leaving Emma
- 1.Emma killed the free plan in mid-2024. The “free forever” promise turned into a 14-day trial then £9.99/month forever.
- 2.Emma Ultimate (£14.99/mo) gates basic features like unlimited budgets and committed spending. PocketSpend Premium has them all at £5.99.
- 3.Emma has no HMRC Self-Assessment tracker. UK sole traders and side hustlers can’t prepare their January tax return inside Emma.
- 4.Emma’s rebrand and feature reshuffles in 2024 confused long-time users. We keep the UI stable.
Feature-by-feature: PocketSpend vs Emma
| Feature | PocketSpend | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | £5.99 | £9.99 (Pro) |
| Free plan Emma killed it 2024 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Open Banking via TrueLayer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subscription finder | ✓ | ✓ |
| Committed spending | ✓ | Pro only |
| HMRC Self-Assessment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Investment tracking | ✓ | Ultimate £14.99 |
| Multi-currency | ✓ | Limited |
| Built in UK | Birmingham | London |
What PocketSpend does that Emma can't
HMRC Self-Assessment ready
Tag expenses as Allowable, Capital or Personal. Export a Schedule of Expenses in the exact format HMRC accepts for your January 31 SA tax return. Emma has no UK tax features.
Multi-currency for travellers
Hold AED, EUR, USD wallets alongside GBP. Live FX rates. Critical for expats and frequent travellers. Emma’s multi-currency is limited to viewing.
Bills jumping more than 10% alerts
Council Tax, water, broadband, gas — if any bill jumps 10%+ month-on-month, we alert you. Emma surfaces bills but doesn’t flag price hikes.
Real free plan
One bank connection, basic budgets, one savings goal — forever, no card. Emma offers a 14-day trial then mandatory subscription.
The verdict
Emma built UK Open Banking budgeting and earned a loyal following. Then they raised prices, killed the free plan, and gated the best features behind £14.99 Ultimate. PocketSpend offers Emma’s core experience plus HMRC tools at £5.99/month with a forever-free tier. If you’re paying for Emma Pro right now, switching saves £48 a year.
Common questions
Can I import my Emma data?▼
Yes. Emma allows CSV export. Import into PocketSpend in one click. Categories map via fuzzy match.
Does PocketSpend have committed spending like Emma?▼
Yes — we call it Recurring Outgoings. Auto-detects subscriptions, Direct Debits and standing orders, projects monthly committed total, subtracts from disposable income.
Will my UK bank still re-authenticate every 90 days?▼
Yes — that’s a PSD2/Open Banking legal requirement, same for Emma, Snoop, Money Dashboard, and us. Push notification reminds you 5 days before expiry. One tap to re-auth.
Is PocketSpend FCA registered?▼
Our Open Banking provider TrueLayer is FCA-authorised AISP (FRN 793171). We are a UK GDPR data controller. Same regulatory footing as Emma.
Try PocketSpend free
Free plan forever. No credit card. Cancel anytime.