Frequently Asked Questions

MonAi is an AI-powered expense tracker for iOS and Android. Log expenses by speaking naturally, typing in plain language, or automating entries. The AI handles categorization, amounts, and dates so you just focus on your life.

• iOS: Apple Pay automation via Shortcuts, SMS and email-based tracking, home screen voice widget
• Android: Notification-based tracking from banking apps
• Both: Voice input, manual entry, shared lists, budgets, tags, recurring transactions, CSV export/import

Built by Flo (indie developer), Charlie (content), and Zeki (Android). Intentionally minimalist.

Yes! MonAi is available on both platforms. While the core experience is the same, there are some platform-specific features:

• iOS: Apple Pay automation via Shortcuts, SMS and email-based tracking, home screen voice widget, Face ID lock, Liquid Glass design on iOS 26+, AI reports (open beta)
• Android: Notification-based tracking (detects banking app notifications automatically), Google Family Library support. AI reports coming soon.

Both platforms support voice input, manual entry, shared lists, budgets, tags, recurring transactions, and CSV export/import.

Yes. Every new user gets a 7-day free trial with full access to all premium features. No commitment — if it's not for you, just cancel before the trial ends and you won't be charged.

MonAi's AI understands natural language in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and German. The voice and text input work regardless of language — just speak or type naturally and the AI handles the rest. The app interface and support are available in English, Spanish, and German.

MonAi offers a 7-day free trial, then you can choose between a monthly or annual subscription. Prices vary by region but MonAi is one of the most affordable expense trackers available — for less than the price of a coffee, you're investing in clarity and control over your finances.

There's also a family plan that lets up to 5 people share a single subscription through Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Library.

MonAi uses real-time artificial intelligence to turn your voice, text, and payment notifications into organized budget data. This technology has a direct cost — every processed transaction uses AI tokens, plus there are servers, storage, and ongoing development to keep everything fast, smart, and secure.

MonAi is built by a small indie team, not a big corporation. Your subscription directly supports continued development, new features, and personal support for every user.

The family plan works through your platform's family sharing feature — Apple Family Sharing on iOS or Google Family Library on Android. One person purchases the family plan, and up to 5 family members get premium access.

Family members may need to tap "Restore purchase" in the app (Plans/Subscription view, scroll to bottom) to activate their access after joining the family group.

Yes! We offer student discounts on a case-by-case basis. Just reach out to monai@florianvates.com and let us know you're a student.

• iOS: Open MonAi Settings, go to the premium page, select your subscription, then tap "Manage" to find the cancel option.
• Android: Open MonAi Settings, scroll down to your active premium membership, tap on it, then tap your subscription to find cancel at the bottom.

Your premium access continues until the end of the current billing period after cancellation.

All payments are handled by Apple or Google, so refunds need to be requested directly through them:

• iOS: Visit Apple's refund page
• Android: Open Google Play Store > Order History > Request Refund

Open MonAi, go to the Plans/Subscription view, scroll to the bottom, and tap "Restore purchase." Wait a few seconds — in most cases, this reactivates your premium access.

Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple ID or Google account you originally used to purchase.

Cross-platform subscriptions aren't automatic due to App Store and Play Store limitations. However, we can transfer your subscription manually.

Just email monai@florianvates.com with your RC ID from both your old and new device. You can find your RC ID at the bottom of the Plans/Subscription view, or in Settings > Contact.

Just speak naturally. Say something like "I just went to the movies for $19, popcorn was $4" and MonAi's AI will parse it into separate transactions with the right amounts, categories, and descriptions. It works in multiple languages.

On iOS, there's also a home screen widget with a microphone button for quick voice entry.

Yes! Create a list and share it via an invitation link. The other person taps the link to join. Both users should create a MonAi Account (Settings > Register/Login) for the most reliable syncing experience.

You can choose which lists to share and which to keep private. Shared lists sync automatically.

Yes. Long press on any category bar or go to Settings > Budget to create budgets. You'll see visual progress bars showing how much you've spent relative to your limit, and you can enable notifications to warn you before you overspend.

When adding a transaction, set a date and choose a frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). The recurring transaction will be automatically booked each time you open the app on or after the scheduled date.

To edit a recurring transaction, open any instance of it, make your changes, and the app will ask whether to apply the change to just that one, all future ones, or all past ones.

Tags let you add extra detail to any transaction using #hashtags. Use them to track payment methods (#creditcard, #cash), accounts (#checking, #savings), people (#shared), or anything else. It's a flexible way to slice your data without being locked into rigid categories.

Each list can have its own currency, so you can create separate lists for different currencies (e.g., one in EUR, one in USD). Changing the currency setting adjusts the display format but doesn't convert existing entries.

On iOS, there's also a currency converter for when you're traveling — it automatically converts transactions from a foreign currency to your base currency.

AI Reports lets you chat with your financial data using AI. Ask questions like "How much did I spend on food this month?" or "What are my biggest expenses?" and get instant, personalized answers based on your actual transactions.

The feature is currently in open beta on iOS. Android support is planned once the iOS beta is finalized.

Yes. Open the transaction, and on the edit screen you'll find a selector to choose which list it should belong to.

By default, MonAi resets your balance to 0 at the start of each month for a clean overview. If you enable Rollover in settings, leftover budget from the previous month carries into the current one — which is why the displayed balance might differ from your current month's transactions alone.

Direct bank synchronization requires expensive licensing, regulatory compliance, and unreliable bank APIs. It would also significantly increase the subscription price. Instead, MonAi offers multiple automation methods (Apple Pay, notifications, SMS, email) that capture most transactions automatically without the downsides of direct bank connections.

By design. MonAi is intentionally minimalist — the goal is to keep the app simple and useful, not to bloat it with features. Most finance apps become overly complicated because they keep adding things, and that's exactly what MonAi wants to avoid.

That said, MonAi is always evolving. If you're looking for advanced charts, direct bank connections, or detailed statistical analysis, MonAi might not be the right fit — and that's okay.

Open MonAi, go to Settings > "Automatically Track Apple Pay" and follow the in-app guide. It uses Apple Shortcuts to automatically log a transaction every time you tap to pay. The AI even auto-assigns categories based on the merchant name.

First, make sure you're on the latest version of MonAi and the latest iOS version. Then work through these steps:

• After updating: You may need to create a new shortcut and delete the old one — just updating the app isn't always enough.
• First payment after setup: Your phone must be unlocked during the first Apple Pay tap. An "Always Allow" permission popup appears that you must approve — if the phone is locked, you'll miss it and the automation won't work.
• Remember that Apple Pay automation only works when tapping your phone to a terminal — it does not work for online purchases.
• If issues persist, send a screenshot of your Shortcuts privacy settings screen to monai@florianvates.com so we can diagnose the issue properly.

As a last resort, try going to iOS Settings > Shortcuts > Advanced and enabling "Allow sharing large amounts of data" and "Allow deleting large amounts of data," then restart your device.

If nothing helps, this may be related to a known Apple bug in the Shortcuts framework. We've shipped improvements on our end and continue to work with Apple on a fix.

On iOS: Yes! Using Apple Shortcuts, you can set up automations that trigger when you receive an SMS or email from your bank. The automation passes the message content to MonAi, which extracts the transaction details automatically.

Set it up in Shortcuts > Automations > "+" > Message (or Email), filter by sender or keywords, then add the "Transaction from prompt" action.

On Android: MonAi uses notification-based tracking instead — it detects push notifications from your banking apps and logs transactions automatically. This is even easier to set up since it works directly with any app that sends payment notifications.

MonAi reads push notifications from your banking apps. When a payment notification comes in, MonAi automatically extracts the amount and details and logs the transaction for you.

Email and SMS-based tracking are not supported on Android. Reading all emails or messages to detect banking ones would be a major privacy concern — we won't offer it until we find a proper way to pre-filter without exposing unrelated personal data.

The easiest way: register a MonAi Account (Settings > Register/Login) on your old device, then log in with the same email on your new device. Your data syncs automatically.

Alternatively, you can export your data as CSV from Settings on your old device and import it on the new one.

MonAi has a CSV import feature, but it currently only accepts MonAi's own export format. If you have data in a different format, you can use ChatGPT or a similar tool to convert your CSV into the MonAi format, or send it to us and we'll help you convert it.

AI-powered import that handles any CSV format is planned for the future.

First, make sure both you and the person you're sharing with are using the MonAi Account login (Settings > Register/Login). The account-based sync is much more reliable than the legacy iCloud sync.

If you're already logged in, check the account screen in Settings to verify sync status. Shared lists should update at least every time the app is opened.

If it's the beginning of a new month (1st-3rd), this is expected! MonAi resets the balance to 0 at the start of each month for a clean overview. Your data is still there — just switch to the previous month to see it.

If you want your balance to carry over, enable Rollover in app settings.

If it's not the start of the month, check that the correct list is selected — you may have accidentally switched to a different one. If that doesn't help either, contact support at monai@florianvates.com and we'll look into it.

Go to MonAi Settings > Your Lists, then swipe to delete the current list (or open it and press delete). A new empty list will be created automatically. This effectively resets everything.

The easiest way is to use a MonAi Account. Register on your old device (Settings > Register/Login), then log in on your new device. Your data transfers automatically, regardless of platform.

Alternatively, export your data as CSV on the old device, transfer the file (via email, cloud storage, etc.), and import it on the new device.

Try these steps in order:

• Force-close the app completely
• Restart your device
• Make sure you're on the latest iOS/Android version
• Make sure you're on the latest version of MonAi from the App Store or Play Store
• If it persists, try deleting and reinstalling (export your data via CSV first if possible)

If none of that works, reach out to monai@florianvates.com with your device model and app version.

Error 11 means the device's voice recognition service disconnected — this happens randomly on some phones. Simply try again or restart the app. In most cases, that's enough to fix it. If the problem persists, let us know what device you're using.

This can happen for a few reasons:

• No valid payment method on your Apple ID or Google account
• Parental controls or Screen Time restrictions blocking in-app purchases
• Network connectivity issues

Try verifying your payment method in device settings, checking for restrictions, switching networks (WiFi vs cellular), and restarting the app and device.

Contact us at monai@florianvates.com with the email address you used to register and we'll help you recover your account.

This happens when Chrome is your default browser on iOS. Chrome doesn't reliably handle app deep-links from magic link emails.

Fix: Copy the link below the button in the email and paste it into Safari. The MonAi website will open with an "Open" banner at the top — tap that to open the app directly.