An Expense Tracker That Does Not Need a Connection
Most expense apps stop being useful the moment the signal does. The receipt scan queues, the categorisation waits on a server, and the app you opened to record something now asks you to try again later.
One download of the AI model over Wi-Fi, then no connection required.
HeyJerni does the work on the phone, so a basement carpark, a paddock or a plane is not an interruption.
Why most expense apps need the internet
Receipt reading is the usual reason. Apps that scan receipts almost always upload the image to a server, where OCR and categorisation run, and send the result back. Without a connection there is nothing to send it to.
Sync is the other reason. If your records live in an account, the app has to reach that account to show them to you, and to write anything into them.
HeyJerni has neither problem, because it has neither part. The AI model is on the phone and the records are on the phone. There is no request to fail.
What works with no connection
The honest split. Two things need the internet and neither is part of tracking an expense.
| Feature | Needs a connection | Works offline |
|---|---|---|
| Scanning a receipt | No | Yes, the model runs on the device |
| Reading merchant, amount and date | No | Yes |
| Categorising and merchant memory | No | Yes |
| Asking questions about your spending | No | Yes, computed from local records |
| Apple Pay auto-log | No | Yes, the trigger is from iOS |
| Accountant Pack and backup export | No | Yes, until you send the file somewhere |
| First download of the AI model | Yes, once | Around 1.3 GB, Wi-Fi recommended |
| Banner ads in the free version | Yes | Ads simply do not appear offline |
Where this stops being a technicality
Underground and indoors
Shopping centre carparks, basements, older buildings with thick walls. The places you actually pay for parking and supplies are often the places with no bars.
Remote job sites
A site an hour past the last tower is where the tool purchase happens. Recording it should not have to wait until you drive back into coverage.
Travelling with data off
Roaming switched off overseas, or an aeroplane with the receipts from the trip still in your pocket. Sorting them out on the flight home works.
When you would rather it stayed off
Offline by architecture is also the strongest possible privacy claim. If the app can do all of this with the radio off, it was never sending your receipts anywhere.
Getting set up so offline actually works
Download the model on Wi-Fi first
Around 1.3 GB, once. Do this before the trip or the job, not from a car park with one bar.
Set up Apple Pay auto-log
The Shortcuts automation is set up while you have a connection but does not need one afterwards, since the trigger comes from iOS.
Export when convenient
Exports are generated on the device. Sending the file to your accountant is the only step that waits for a connection.
Choose this if you
- Work somewhere with unreliable coverage
- Travel with mobile data turned off
- Want scanning to be instant rather than queued
- Prefer the app to have no server to depend on
Look elsewhere if you
- Want records to sync across devices, which needs a connection by definition
- Want transactions imported from your bank
- Want a shared account with someone else
- Are not on an iPhone
Frequently asked questions
Does receipt scanning really work with no internet?
What does need a connection?
Why is the model so large?
Can I ask questions about my spending offline?
Does Apple Pay auto-log work offline?
Related pages
Test it in aeroplane mode
Download HeyJerni, let the model finish downloading, then turn the radio off and scan a receipt. That is the whole demonstration.
