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The facts about other apps come from their public listings and policies as indexed on 25 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? [email protected]

COMPARED7 min readby Spenti

Expense and receipt apps in the Philippines, compared

In the Philippines, the receipt you actually keep is often a GCash screenshot. Four expense apps a Filipino user is likely to find, Lista, Money Lover, Wallet and Spendee, all scan paper receipts, but none of them documents reading a GCash or Maya receipt. We compared them on where the AI runs, whether receipts are uploaded, accounts, offline use and price, from their store listings, help pages and privacy policies. Where a document is silent we say "Not disclosed", which is not the same as "no".

GCash, Maya and the screenshot as receipt

A GCash success screen carries the amount, the reference number and the recipient, which is why people screenshot it as proof of payment. Maya is the second wallet, and the two now scan each other's QR codes through QR Ph (NoypiGeeks); the GCash receipt's invoice number matches the QR Ph payment notification (Maya developer docs). Bank-to-wallet transfers run on InstaPay, and each bank app shows its own confirmation.

GCash's own transaction history helps you look back (Globe blog), but it covers one wallet and has no documented budget categories. An expense app has to bring every wallet, bank and paper receipt into one place.

As of 25 October 2026 · Each value links to its source · Scroll to see every app
What we compared Lista Money Lover Wallet by BudgetBakers Spendee Spenti
Receipts & GCash screenshots Partly — scans receipts; Android SMS parsing from verified senders; GCash and Maya screenshots not disclosed Receipts, including batch scans — GCash and Maya screenshots not disclosed Receipts — GCash and Maya screenshots not disclosed; no PH bank sync found Receipts via Magic AI Scan (Premium) — local payment screens not disclosed Yes — paper receipts, GCash, Maya and bank screenshots; bank alerts on general rules
Where the AI / OCR runs Not disclosed Not disclosed Cloud — OCR and AI models from OpenAI Cloud — AI models run by its processor, CLEEVIO s.r.o. On your phone by default — scanning and chat; Pro can use your own AI under your own account
Uploads & cloud storage Partly — no sharing without explicit consent; AdMob receives device data; receipt-image route not disclosed Partly — App Store label lists photos or videos linked to you; receipt-image handling not disclosed Receipt photos stored on servers and sent to OpenAI — not used for training, the policy says Receipt images sent to the processor — only after you choose the feature Never to Spenti — receipt text only if you connect your own AI; personal cloud backup is opt-in
Account Required — phone number and contact details for a profile Required — name and email Required — account-based sync Required — sign-up needed No Spenti account
Offline use Not disclosed Not disclosed Not disclosed Not disclosed Yes — on this phone, after the initial download
Filipino interface Filipino on the website; in-app Filipino not verified English; Filipino not listed English; Filipino not confirmed English; Filipino not confirmed English and Filipino interface — chat on the phone in English or Thai; in Filipino with your own AI (Pro)
Platforms iOS · Android iOS · Android · Web iOS · Android · Web iOS · Android · Web iOS 16 or later
Listed prices Free · in-app purchases, amounts not found · TransUnion report ₱610 · CIBI score ₱299 Free · Premium lifetime ₱1,290 · Budget Plus ₱145/mo or ₱879/yr · Linked Wallet ₱119/mo · "Banks in the Philippines" ₱129 (snapshot varies) Free · Premium ₱299 / ₱799 / ₱1,490 · 3-year ₱2,290 · Lifetime ₱2,990 (periods not labelled) Not read for the Philippine store Free: 30 scans and 15 chat messages a month · Basic $1.99/month, Pro $4.99/month (US prices; your App Store shows the local price)

Four apps, compared

Lista lets you "sync your accounts or scan your receipts", and on Android it parses SMS from verified financial senders (lista.com.ph). Its privacy policy says it shares nothing without explicit consent except with financial partners or as the law requires, while its terms say a profile needs a phone number and contact details and that AdMob receives device data. Where receipts are read is not disclosed. Its website is partly in Filipino; the in-app language was not verified. Credit reports cost extra: Free · in-app purchases, amounts not found · TransUnion report ₱610 · CIBI score ₱299.

Money Lover scans receipts, including several at once. Its privacy policy collects your name and email and syncs through an account; it does not say where receipts are read. Filipino is not among its listed languages. Price: Free · Premium lifetime ₱1,290 · Budget Plus ₱145/mo or ₱879/yr · Linked Wallet ₱119/mo · "Banks in the Philippines" ₱129 (snapshot varies).

Wallet by BudgetBakers lists receipt scanning among its mobile features. Its privacy policy says receipt scans are processed by "OCR and AI models from OpenAI", that receipt photos are stored on its servers for sync and backup, and that they are not used to train OpenAI's public models. A help-centre article says direct OCR is not supported for bank statements and documents, which sits awkwardly with the policy. We found no Philippine bank sync. Price: Free · Premium ₱299 / ₱799 / ₱1,490 · 3-year ₱2,290 · Lifetime ₱2,990 (periods not labelled).

Spendee reads receipts with Magic AI Scan on Premium (help page). Its privacy policy says receipt images are processed by AI models run by its data processor, CLEEVIO s.r.o., and its terms require you to sign up. We did not read its Philippine store prices.

The Data Privacy Act and your account

The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173), overseen by the National Privacy Commission, reaches processors abroad that handle the data of Filipinos where there is a Philippine link (Section 6, privacy.gov.ph; DLA Piper). That protects you, but it starts from the data already being somewhere else. Every app above needs an account or a phone number, and two of them send receipt images to cloud AI. Spenti needs no account and keeps your records on the phone.

What Spenti does differently

Spenti reads paper receipts and GCash, Maya and bank screenshots with AI on your phone by default. There is no Spenti account and nothing goes to a Spenti server. After a one-time download of the receipt reader (about 230 MB), scanning works offline. Bank alerts become expenses on the phone too: the Philippines runs on Spenti's general rules, not rules tuned bank by bank, so check what it reads. On Pro you can choose your own AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter); then only the receipt text goes from the phone to that provider, under your own account.

Two limits worth knowing: chat on the phone reads English and Thai only, so asking in Filipino needs your own AI (Pro); and Spenti records what a screenshot shows, it never checks that a payment arrived. The interface is available in Filipino. The Free plan gives you 30 scans and 15 chat messages a month and never expires. Planning for December? Our 13th month pay budget guide puts this to work. More on the Philippines page.

Frequently asked questions

Answered from the checked sources

Which expense apps read GCash or Maya screenshots?

None of the apps we checked (Lista, Money Lover, Wallet and Spendee) documents reading a GCash or Maya receipt screenshot. Spenti reads GCash, Maya and bank transfer screenshots, and paper receipts, on the phone by default.

Which apps process receipts on the phone instead of the cloud?

Spenti reads on the phone by default and sends nothing to a Spenti server. Wallet uses OCR and AI models from OpenAI, and Spendee uses its processor, CLEEVIO s.r.o. Lista and Money Lover do not disclose where receipts are read.

Is there an expense tracker that needs no account or GCash login?

Lista needs a phone number for a profile; Money Lover, Wallet and Spendee need an account. Spenti has no account and never asks for a bank, GCash or Maya login or OTP.

How much do they cost in pesos?

Money Lover: Free · Premium lifetime ₱1,290 · Budget Plus ₱145/mo or ₱879/yr · Linked Wallet ₱119/mo · "Banks in the Philippines" ₱129 (snapshot varies). Wallet: Free · Premium ₱299 / ₱799 / ₱1,490 · 3-year ₱2,290 · Lifetime ₱2,990 (periods not labelled). Spenti: Free: 30 scans and 15 chat messages a month · Basic $1.99/month, Pro $4.99/month (US prices; your App Store shows the local price). Prices as the Philippine App Store showed them on 25 October 2026.

How this was checked

Verified on 25 October 2026 from the linked documents' public extracts. Corrections to [email protected].