The Money Dashboard UK users needed.
Money Dashboard pioneered UK budgeting from 2010 to 2022 — free, ad-supported, web-first. Then they shut down. Their users have been looking for a permanent home ever since. PocketSpend is that home: built in the UK, FCA-aligned, with a real free plan and £5.99/month Premium.
PocketSpend
£5.99/mo
Permanent replacement
cheaper, every month
Money Dashboard
Shut down
Why people are leaving Money Dashboard
- 1.Money Dashboard shut down in 2022 after its ad-supported model collapsed. The web app and mobile apps were both pulled.
- 2.MDB users lost years of categorized history. PocketSpend imports CSV history from any UK bank in seconds.
- 3.MDB’s replacement candidates (Emma, Snoop, Plum) each fell short: Emma went paid-only, Snoop is affiliate-driven, Plum is savings-first.
- 4.PocketSpend is built in Birmingham. We’re not pivoting away from UK budgeting — it’s the core product.
Feature-by-feature: PocketSpend vs Money Dashboard
| Feature | PocketSpend | Money Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Live & growing | Discontinued 2022 |
| Open Banking sync | TrueLayer | Yodlee (deprecated) |
| Free plan MDB was 100% free | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile apps | iOS + Android | Was iOS + Android |
| HMRC Self-Assessment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi-currency | ✓ | ✗ |
| CSV import from old MDB | ✓ | N/A |
| Funding | Subscription | Was ad-supported |
What PocketSpend does that Money Dashboard can't
CSV import for MDB refugees
Many MDB users exported their data before the 2022 shutdown. Drop the CSV into PocketSpend and we map your old categories automatically. Years of history preserved.
Sustainable business model
MDB’s ad-supported model failed because banks killed affiliate referrals. We charge a small subscription so we can be here in 10 years. No ads, no data selling.
Same web-first DNA
Like MDB, we have a proper web dashboard at app.pocketspend.cloud, not just a phone app. Spreadsheet-style editing for power users.
HMRC built in
MDB never had Self-Assessment tools. We do — tag deductible expenses, export Schedule of Expenses for your SA100. Critical for the growing UK side-hustle economy.
The verdict
Money Dashboard was a UK fintech treasure that died because the free + ads model could not survive Open Banking economics. PocketSpend keeps the spirit — web-first, UK-native, transaction-rich — with a sustainable £5.99/month model that means we’ll still be here in 2035.
Common questions
Can I import my Money Dashboard data?▼
Yes — if you exported your transactions before the 2022 shutdown, drop the CSV into our importer. We map MDB’s categories to ours automatically.
Why did MDB really shut down?▼
The official reason was a strategic pivot. The real reason was ad revenue collapse — banks stopped paying affiliate commissions for current account switches once Open Banking made comparison apps commoditized.
Is PocketSpend going to shut down too?▼
Our subscription model means we don’t depend on bank advertising. As long as users pay us, we operate. We’ve been profitable on the UK book since launch.
Was there ever a Money Dashboard Neon successor?▼
No. MDB launched a paid app called Neon shortly before closing, but it was also discontinued. PocketSpend is the most direct spiritual successor in the UK market.
Try PocketSpend free
Free plan forever. No credit card. Cancel anytime.