Core Principle

Simple by Default, Powerful when Needed

That's the north star for me when building HandsOnMoney. I'm pretty sure it's quite far away now. But my promise is to iterate towards that goal.

Simple

• The app should be simple enough for a busy mom to use and not to bother about any technical complexities.

Powerful

• The geek should have the freedom to extend the app.
• The nerd should be able to do proper accounting using centuries-long practices.

Result

As a result, the busy mom gets simple and approachable Apple design language. The geek gets Shortcuts integration, CSV import/export, and sqlite3 datafile. The nerd gets app based double-entry accounting principles.

The Means

• Apple Swift - for the seamless integration with iPhone
• Apple SwiftUI - to get access to the Apple design language
• Sqlite3 - for data durability
GnuCash compatibility - to give people agency over their data

Private Data

All the accounts, transactions, splits, and plans are stored inside the application directory. This means no one except you can get access to your accounting book. It's private by design.

Offline

Working with the file on your device does not require an Internet connection. It's offline by design.

Double-entry

Double-entry accounting does not mean that you have to enter the same amount twice. It's how the data is stored. Each transaction has at least two parts - debit and credit accounts. This approach allows you to account for all income, expenses, investments, and even I-owe-you's.

Multi-currency

HandsOnMoney supports all the modern currencies. Moreover, internally it supports custom commodities (UI coming soon) which enables you to track even your Bitcoin holdings.

Durability

The data is stored in Sqlite3 format. You can choose to export CSV or Sqlite3 data file. Moreover HandsOnMoney syncs data with GnuCash file giving you agency over your data.