Plum-style savings in a real budgeting app.
Plum nails automatic savings: round-ups, smart deposits, stocks ISA. But Plum is not a budgeting app — there’s no spending dashboard, no Direct Debit tracker, no HMRC tools. PocketSpend gives you Plum-style Round-Ups and Savings Goals plus a real budgeting suite. One app instead of two.
PocketSpend
£5.99/mo
One app, not two
cheaper, every month
Plum
£2.99-£9.99/mo
Why people are leaving Plum
- 1.Plum is a savings + investing app first. Budgeting is bolted on and limited — no monthly category caps, no zero-based mode, no proper Direct Debit dashboard.
- 2.Plum’s subscription tiers (Basic, Pro, Ultra at £9.99) are confusing and gate stocks, ISA wrappers and faster withdrawals behind the top tier.
- 3.Plum doesn’t have HMRC Self-Assessment tracking. UK side hustlers and sole traders still need a separate app for tax.
- 4.Plum’s spending categorization is shallow. PocketSpend’s AI categorizer is trained on 2M UK transactions.
Feature-by-feature: PocketSpend vs Plum
| Feature | PocketSpend | Plum |
|---|---|---|
| Auto savings (Round-Ups) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart deposits | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full budgeting dashboard | ✓ | Limited |
| Direct Debit finder | ✓ | Partial |
| HMRC Self-Assessment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | View only | Plum Ultra only |
| Monthly price | £5.99 all-in | £9.99 (Ultra) |
| Net worth dashboard | ✓ | ✗ |
What PocketSpend does that Plum can't
Real budgeting, not just saving
Plum nudges you to save. We nudge you to budget AND save. Set monthly category caps, track committed spending, plan around payday — then watch Round-Ups accumulate.
HMRC Self-Assessment ready
Side-hustle earners can prepare their SA100 inside PocketSpend. Tag expenses, export Schedule of Expenses. Plum doesn’t do tax.
View your investments
Connect AJ Bell, Vanguard, Hargreaves Lansdown via Open Banking and roll portfolio value into your net worth. Plum locks investing inside their own ISA wrapper.
Direct Debit alerting
Every Direct Debit, standing order and recurring card payment surfaced and tracked. Get alerts when amounts change. Plum surfaces some, not all.
The verdict
Plum is excellent at saving — if all you want is Round-Ups and smart deposits, Plum Basic at £2.99 is solid. But if you want a single app that handles budgets, Direct Debits, HMRC and investments alongside auto-saving, PocketSpend at £5.99 replaces both Plum and your budgeting app.
Common questions
Does PocketSpend invest my Round-Ups in an ISA?▼
Not directly — we don’t hold an ISA license. We funnel Round-Ups into your existing ISA at Vanguard, AJ Bell, HL etc., or to a high-interest savings pot. Plum holds the ISA themselves.
Can I use both Plum and PocketSpend?▼
Yes — many users keep Plum for Round-Ups and Plum ISA, and use PocketSpend for budgeting and HMRC. But you save £30+/year by switching fully.
Which Plum tier compares best?▼
Plum Ultra at £9.99/mo is closest in scope to PocketSpend Premium at £5.99/mo. You save £48/year switching.
Is Plum closing down?▼
No, Plum is well-funded and growing. They’re repositioning as a wealth-building app, less as a budgeting app.
Try PocketSpend free
Free plan forever. No credit card. Cancel anytime.