Richify instead of Pocketbook
Pocketbook is gone and is not coming back. Here is what Richify does for the things you used it for — and, just as usefully, what it doesn't.
What happened
Pocketbook was for years the default free budgeting app in Australia: built locally, founded in 2012, and at its peak used by more than 800,000 people. Zip Co acquired it in September 2016 for about US$7.5 million, then announced on 8 July 2022 that it was closing the app to refocus on its core ANZ buy-now-pay-later business as the sector hit rising bad debts and funding costs. The app and web service shut down on 5 August 2022. Users had until 4 August to export their categorised transactions to CSV, after which Zip said the personal data it held would be deleted. If you still have that CSV, it is the only copy of your Pocketbook history that exists.
What you used it for, and how Richify covers it
Each row is a job the old app did. Here is how Richify does that job today.
| Pocketbook | How Richify covers it |
|---|---|
| Seeing every transaction auto-categorised into spending buckets | Richify does not do transaction feeds — see the honest list below. What it does instead is track balances and net worth across super, ETFs, property, savings and debt, so you answer “am I getting ahead?” rather than “where did the $9 go?”. |
| Knowing whether you could afford something | Ask Felix in plain English. The AI coach works off your actual balances and goals, and hands off to specialist agents for the deeper questions rather than giving one generic answer. |
| Free tools with no ads | The 15+ Australian calculators on richify.ai are free to use with no ads, and the Richify app is free to download with a 7-day free trial — Pocketbook was free because it ran ads, which is part of why it was not sustainable. |
| Tracking super — the thing Pocketbook never really answered | Super is a first-class account in Richify, not an afterthought, with a super calculator, salary-sacrifice, Division 293, FHSS and co-contribution tools alongside it. |
| Working out HECS-HELP repayments | A dedicated HECS repayment calculator with the indexation and repayment-threshold rules built in — Pocketbook had nothing for this. |
| Planning further out than this month | FIRE, retirement, drawdown, stamp duty, mortgage, refinance, negative gearing and CGT calculators, all on current AU figures. |
| Handling accounts in more than one country | Richify runs across 12 countries, so UK, US or NZ balances sit in the same net-worth view. Pocketbook was Australia-only. |
| Not handing your bank passwords to an app | Richify is manual-entry by design and never asks for bank credentials. Pocketbook used Yodlee credential aggregation, which is the model most Australians are now wary of. |
What Richify does not replace
Richify is not a like-for-like clone, and pretending otherwise would waste your time. These are the jobs it does not do, and the apps that still do them.
- Automatic bank feeds and transaction categorisation — the single thing Pocketbook was loved for → Frollo or WeMoney, both connecting through the Consumer Data Right rather than screen-scraping. If you bank with Up, its budgeting is built into the bank app itself.
- Long-range cash-flow forecasting off recurring transactions → PocketSmith, which is paid but is the strongest tool in Australia for this specific job.
- A free, ad-free government budget planner with no account at all → The ASIC MoneySmart Budget Planner on moneysmart.gov.au.
- Detailed share and ETF tax reporting → Sharesight, which pairs with a broker like Pearler.
Moving over
- Assume your Pocketbook history is gone. Zip deleted the personal data it held after 4 August 2022, and no app has a “Pocketbook import” button. If you saved a CSV export back then, keep it — it is the only copy that exists.
- Start from the current month rather than trying to rebuild years of history. Enter your balances: bank, super, ETFs or shares, property, HECS and any loans.
- If you want the transaction-level tracking back, add one of the CDR apps above alongside Richify. Plenty of Australians run one of each — a spending tracker for the month, a wealth tracker for the direction.
- Ask Felix one real question you actually care about — whether you can afford something, or when HECS clears — rather than exploring the app feature by feature.
Last reviewed:
Questions
Is Pocketbook still available in 2026?▼
No. Pocketbook shut down on 5 August 2022. Owner Zip Co (which acquired Pocketbook in September 2016) wound down the app to refocus on its core ANZ buy-now-pay-later business. Zip announced the closure on 8 July 2022; users had until 4 August 2022 to export their categorised transaction history to CSV, after which the service was discontinued and Zip said the personal data it held would be deleted. The app is no longer downloadable from the App Store or Google Play, and old installations no longer connect to bank feeds.
Why did Pocketbook shut down?▼
Pocketbook (founded 2012, acquired by Zip Co in 2016) was Australia's most popular free personal finance app at its peak with 800,000+ users. It shut down because Zip Co decided to focus on its core ANZ buy-now-pay-later business and discontinued non-core products, as the BNPL sector hit rising bad debts and funding costs. Pocketbook also faced sustainability challenges: it was free with ads, which generated little revenue, and bank-linking via Yodlee was costly to maintain. Zip announced the closure on 8 July 2022, effective 5 August 2022.
What should I use instead of Pocketbook?▼
It depends which half of Pocketbook you miss. For automatic transaction categorisation, Frollo and WeMoney are the closest Australian replacements and connect via the Consumer Data Right; Up Bank has budgeting built in if you bank there. For the whole-of-wealth question Pocketbook never really answered — super, property, shares and HECS in one net-worth picture, plus 15+ AU calculators and an AI coach — that is what Richify is built for. Many people run one of each. Avoid MoneyBrilliant, which old alternative lists still name: Westpac closed it on 16 December 2022, a year after buying it from AMP.
Can I import my old Pocketbook data into Richify?▼
No, and no other app can either. Pocketbook gave users until 4 August 2022 to export their data via CSV, and Zip deleted the personal data it held after that. No app today supports a 'Pocketbook Import' button. The practical approach when moving to any new finance app is to start fresh from the current month, then optionally backfill 6–12 months from your bank statements — most banks let you download up to 7 years of statements as PDF or CSV.
Does Richify auto-link to bank accounts like Pocketbook did?▼
No — by design. Pocketbook used Yodlee bank-credential aggregation. Richify is manual-entry: you add account balances, super, and investments, and bank credentials are never requested or stored. If auto-linked transaction tracking is what you need, Frollo and WeMoney provide it through the CDR Open Banking regime, and Up Bank has it built into the bank app.
Is Richify free like Pocketbook was?▼
Richify is free to download and comes with a 7-day free trial, with no ads. The app includes Felix the AI coach, the seven-specialist team — Ada, Lily, Pepper, Morgan, Dua, Charlie and Sam — and multi-account tracking, while all 15+ Australian calculators (super, HECS, FIRE, stamp duty, drawdown, retirement, mortgage, refinance, compound interest, currency converter, net worth) are free to use on richify.ai without the app. Unlike Pocketbook's ad-supported model, we don't sell ads or data.
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Get Richify — 7-day free trial❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pocketbook still available in 2026?
No. Pocketbook shut down on 5 August 2022. Owner Zip Co (which acquired Pocketbook in September 2016) wound down the app to refocus on its core ANZ buy-now-pay-later business.
Zip announced the closure on 8 July 2022; users had until 4 August 2022 to export their categorised transaction history to CSV, after which the service was discontinued and Zip said the personal data it held would be deleted. The app is no longer downloadable from the App Store or Google Play, and old installations no longer connect to bank feeds.
Why did Pocketbook shut down?
Pocketbook (founded 2012, acquired by Zip Co in 2016) was Australia's most popular free personal finance app at its peak with 800,000+ users. It shut down because Zip Co decided to focus on its core ANZ buy-now-pay-later business and discontinued non-core products, as the BNPL sector hit rising bad debts and funding costs.
Pocketbook also faced sustainability challenges: it was free with ads, which generated little revenue, and bank-linking via Yodlee was costly to maintain. Zip announced the closure on 8 July 2022, effective 5 August 2022.
What should I use instead of Pocketbook?
It depends which half of Pocketbook you miss. For automatic transaction categorisation, Frollo and WeMoney are the closest Australian replacements and connect via the Consumer Data Right; Up Bank has budgeting built in if you bank there.
For the whole-of-wealth question Pocketbook never really answered — super, property, shares and HECS in one net-worth picture, plus 15+ AU calculators and an AI coach — that is what Richify is built for. Many people run one of each.
Avoid MoneyBrilliant, which old alternative lists still name: Westpac closed it on 16 December 2022, a year after buying it from AMP.
Can I import my old Pocketbook data into Richify?
No, and no other app can either. Pocketbook gave users until 4 August 2022 to export their data via CSV, and Zip deleted the personal data it held after that.
No app today supports a 'Pocketbook Import' button. The practical approach when moving to any new finance app is to start fresh from the current month, then optionally backfill 6–12 months from your bank statements — most banks let you download up to 7 years of statements as PDF or CSV.
Does Richify auto-link to bank accounts like Pocketbook did?
No — by design. Pocketbook used Yodlee bank-credential aggregation.
Richify is manual-entry: you add account balances, super, and investments, and bank credentials are never requested or stored. If auto-linked transaction tracking is what you need, Frollo and WeMoney provide it through the CDR Open Banking regime, and Up Bank has it built into the bank app.
Is Richify free like Pocketbook was?
Richify is free to download and comes with a 7-day free trial, with no ads. The app includes Felix the AI coach, the seven-specialist team — Ada, Lily, Pepper, Morgan, Dua, Charlie and Sam — and multi-account tracking, while all 15+ Australian calculators (super, HECS, FIRE, stamp duty, drawdown, retirement, mortgage, refinance, compound interest, currency converter, net worth) are free to use on richify.ai without the app.
Unlike Pocketbook's ad-supported model, we don't sell ads or data.
Educational information only, not financial advice. Product details change — verify directly with each service before signing up.
