Help & Support

Centli is a private, manual-entry money tracker — your data lives on your device, and you fill it in yourself. Below are guides for the things people ask about most.

Adding transactions

Capture what you spent or earned, exactly how it happened.

Add a transaction in one tap

Logging what you spent or earned is the thing you'll do most in Centli, so it's built to take a few seconds. Tap the + button, fill in a handful of fields, and save.

Tap the + button. It's the round button at the bottom of the Transactions screen and the dashboard, always within thumb reach.
Enter the amount. Type what you spent or received, and choose whether it's an expense or income.
Pick a ledger and account. The ledger is the bucket it counts toward (Groceries, Rent…); the account is the wallet or card it came from.
Add the rest, then save. Optionally set who it was with, the date, a note, and whether it's cleared or pending. Tap Save and it lands in your list right away.

Centli needs an amount, a ledger, and an account before it will save — those three are what make the math work. Everything else is optional.

Edit an existing transaction

Got an amount or ledger wrong? Every transaction stays editable. Open it and change any field you like.

Open the transaction. Tap any row in a list to open its detail screen.
Tap Edit. This reopens the same form you used to add it, pre-filled with everything you entered.
Change what you need. Amount, ledger, account, date, who it was with, the note, or cleared/pending — all of it is editable.
Save. Your changes apply immediately and balances update to match.

Delete a transaction

Logged something by mistake, or twice? You can remove a transaction from its detail screen.

Open the transaction. Tap the row to open its detail screen.
Tap Delete. Centli asks you to confirm so you don't remove the wrong one.
Confirm. The transaction disappears from your lists and reports, and your balances update right away.

Deleting is meant to be permanent. If you only got a detail wrong, edit the transaction instead of deleting and re-adding it.

Duplicate a transaction

Buying the same thing again? Duplicate an existing transaction to make a fresh copy dated today, instead of retyping everything.

Open the transaction and tap Edit. Open the one you want to copy and switch into edit mode.
Tap Duplicate. It sits next to Delete at the bottom of the form.
Review the copy. Centli creates a new transaction dated today with the same amount, ledger, account, and who it was with. Adjust anything that's different, and it's saved.

For something that repeats on a schedule — rent, a subscription — set up a recurring transaction instead. Duplicate is best for one-off repeats.

Add a note and who it was with

Two optional fields help future-you remember the story behind a transaction: a free-text note, and who it was with.

Who it was with. The “Whom” field records the merchant or person. For an expense it's who you paid; for income it's who paid you.
Add a note. Free-form text for anything worth remembering — “birthday gift for Sam,” “split with roommates,” a confirmation number.
Save. Both show up on the transaction's detail screen and travel with it everywhere it appears.

Mark a transaction cleared or pending

A cleared transaction has actually posted to your account; a pending one hasn't yet. Tracking this helps you tell what's already left your account from what's still on the way.

Find the Status pills. When adding or editing a transaction, the Status section shows two choices: Cleared and Pending.
Pick one. Tap Cleared once it's posted to your bank, or Pending if it's still in flight.
Smart defaults. A transaction dated today or in the past starts as Cleared; one dated in the future starts as Pending. You can flip it any time.

Pending transactions still count in your ledgers and budgets — the status is about timing, not whether the money is real.

Reuse a transaction with Quick Add

If you buy the same coffee or pay the same person often, save it as a Quick Add shortcut. Next time it's one tap to pre-fill the merchant, ledger, and account.

Save a shortcut. While adding a transaction, turn on “Save as a Quick Add,” or use “Save to Quick Adds” from a transaction's detail screen.
Use it later. Your saved Quick Adds appear above the keypad when you start a new transaction. Tap one to fill in the merchant, ledger, and account.
Adjust and save. Set the amount (and tweak anything else), then save. The shortcut just saves you the repetitive typing.

Ledgers & budgets

Shape your money around the buckets that matter to you.

Create a new ledger

Ledgers are the buckets Centli sorts your money into — Groceries, Rent, Coffee, Salary, whatever matches how you think. There's no fixed list; you build the ones you need.

Open Ledgers. Go to the Ledgers area and tap the button to add a new one.
Name it. Short names read best — “Groceries,” “Rent.” Centli picks a matching icon from the name automatically.
Set a budget and color (optional). Give it a spending budget and pick a color so it's easy to spot.
Save. Your new ledger is ready to use the next time you add a transaction.

You can also create a ledger on the fly: while adding a transaction, type a new name in the ledger picker and tap “Create.”

Set a spending budget

Give a ledger a budget and Centli tracks your spending against it. Stay under and the ring stays calm; go over and it stands out so you notice.

Open the ledger. Create a new ledger or edit an existing one.
Enter a budget amount. Type how much you want to allow for this bucket.
Choose the period. Daily, weekly, or monthly — pick the rhythm that fits this ledger.
Save. Your dashboard now shows progress against the budget as you add transactions.

Budgets are a guide, not a gate. Centli never blocks a transaction for being over budget — it just shows you where you stand.

Pick a color for a ledger

Each ledger gets a color that shows up on the dashboard and in your lists, so you can spot it at a glance.

Open the ledger. Create a new ledger or edit an existing one.
Tap a color. Choose from the palette of preset swatches.
Save. The color applies everywhere the ledger appears.

Centli picks each ledger's icon from its name automatically — name it clearly (“Car,” “Groceries”) and you'll usually get a fitting glyph.

Star a ledger to keep it up top

Star the ledgers you use most so they stay highlighted and easy to reach in your ledger list.

Open the ledger. Create a new ledger or edit an existing one.
Turn on Star. Flip the star toggle in the ledger's options.
Save. Starred ledgers are marked with a star so your go-to buckets are quick to find.

Move a transaction to another ledger

Filed something under the wrong bucket? Re-bucket it in a couple of taps — no need to delete and re-add.

Open the transaction. Tap the row, then tap Edit.
Change the ledger. Tap the ledger field and pick a different one.
Save. The old ledger's total drops and the new one's rises by the same amount.

Track a loan with a loan ledger

Money you owe or money owed to you works differently from everyday spending. A loan ledger keeps it separate from your regular budgets.

Create a ledger. Start a new ledger as usual.
Turn on “This is a loan”. The loan toggle switches the ledger to loan mode instead of a spending bucket.
Log payments against it. Record what you borrow, lend, or repay as transactions on this ledger to watch the balance move toward zero.

Loan ledgers are kept out of your spending budgets, so a big repayment doesn't look like you blew your monthly budget.

Archive a ledger

Done with a ledger but don't want to lose its history? Archiving hides it without deleting any of its transactions.

Open the ledger and tap Edit. Switch the ledger into edit mode.
Tap Archive. The ledger drops off your active list and out of the ledger picker.
Its history stays. Past transactions are kept — you just won't see the ledger when adding new ones.

Archiving is reversible. Use Delete only when you want the ledger and all of its transactions gone for good.

Restore an archived ledger

Changed your mind about an archived ledger? Bring it back, exactly as it was.

Find your archived ledgers. Open the Ledgers area and look for the archived section.
Open the ledger. Tap the archived ledger you want back.
Restore it. It returns to your active list with its color, budget, and full history intact.

Delete a ledger

Deleting a ledger removes it permanently. Centli guards this so you can't do it by accident.

Open the ledger and tap Edit. Switch the ledger into edit mode.
Tap Delete. Centli asks you to confirm before anything is removed.
Confirm. The ledger is removed. If you might want it later, archive it instead.

Centli won't let you delete a ledger that still has transactions in it — move or remove those first, or archive the ledger to keep the history.

Accounts

Track every wallet, card, and stash you draw from.

Add a new account

Every transaction is paid from an account — checking, a credit card, a cash wallet. You add accounts by hand; Centli never connects to your bank.

Open Accounts and add one. Go to the Accounts area and start a new account.
Choose a type. Checking, Savings, Credit, or Investment. The type sets the account's look and behavior.
Name it and set a balance. Give it a recognizable name (“Visa,” “Joint checking”) and enter what's in it today.
Save. It's now selectable whenever you add a transaction or transfer.

Set a starting balance

The starting balance is what's in an account on the day you add it to Centli. Every transaction after that moves the balance up or down from there.

Open the account. Add a new account or edit an existing one.
Enter the balance. Type the amount that's actually in the account right now. For a credit card, this is what you currently owe.
Save. Centli uses it as the baseline and keeps the running balance from there.

If an account's balance ever drifts from your bank's, the starting balance is the usual fix — adjust it and the current balance recalculates.

Choose an account type

Picking an account type does more than set an icon — it tells Centli how the account behaves.

Pick a type when you add the account. Choose Checking, Savings, Credit, or Investment.
The type sets the look. Each type gets its own icon and color automatically, so accounts are easy to tell apart in your lists.
Credit accounts track what you owe. Choose Credit and you can set a credit limit; Centli then shows how much of it you've used.

Transfer money between accounts

Moved money from checking to savings, or paid down a card? Record it as a transfer so both accounts stay accurate without it counting as spending.

Start a transfer. From the Accounts area, choose Transfer.
Pick the two accounts. Select where the money comes from and where it goes, then enter the amount.
Save. One account goes down and the other goes up by the same amount.

A transfer just moves your own money around, so Centli keeps it out of your income and expense totals.

Delete an account

Closed an account for good? You can remove it from Centli.

Open the account. Find it in the Accounts area.
Delete it. Centli asks you to confirm before removing anything.
Confirm. The account is removed. Transactions you logged against it stay in your history.

Centli won't delete your last remaining account, and it warns you when an account still has transactions — you always need at least one account to log to.

Recurring & schedules

Let Centli handle the bills you can predict.

Create a recurring transaction

Rent, a subscription, a paycheck — anything that lands on a schedule can be a recurring transaction, so you don't have to remember to log it.

Open Recurring and add one. Go to the Repeating/Recurring area and start a new schedule.
Set the details. Amount, expense or income, ledger, and account — just like a normal transaction.
Choose how often. Daily, weekly, every two weeks, monthly, and more. Pick a start date.
Set when it ends. Never, on a specific date, or after a number of times. Centli previews the next few dates before you save.

Centli doesn't post recurring entries silently. Each due entry shows up for you to add (or skip) so a forgotten bill never quietly throws off your numbers.

Change the cadence or amount

Subscription price went up, or you want to change how often something repeats? Edit the schedule once instead of every entry.

Open the schedule. Tap the recurring rule in the Repeating/Recurring list.
Edit it. Change the amount, ledger, account, or how often it repeats.
Save. Your changes apply going forward. Entries you've already added stay as they were.

Add or skip a scheduled entry

When a recurring entry is due, Centli lists it as pending so you decide what to do — add it for real, or skip it this time.

Open your pending entries. Centli surfaces the recurring entries due this period that you haven't logged yet.
Add the ones that happened. Tap Add to turn a pending entry into a real transaction.
Skip the ones that didn't. Tap Skip to clear an entry for this cycle — the schedule keeps running normally afterward.

Pause a recurring schedule

Taking a break from a subscription? Pause a schedule to stop new entries without losing the rule — useful for seasonal bills.

Open the schedule. Tap the recurring rule in the Recurring list.
Toggle it to Paused. While paused, Centli won't surface new due entries for it.
Resume any time. Switch it back to Active and it starts scheduling again.

End or delete a recurring transaction

Done with a recurring transaction for good? You can either let it end on its own or delete the rule.

Set an end, or delete. Open the schedule. To stop it on a date or after a set number of times, edit its end setting. To remove it now, choose Delete.
Confirm a delete. Centli asks you to confirm so you don't remove a schedule by accident.
Your history is safe. Ending or deleting a schedule only stops future entries — the transactions it already created stay in your records.

Syncing & your data

Your data is yours — on your device, and synced when you want.

How syncing works

Centli is local-first: your data lives on your device and works fully offline. With Centli Pro, it also syncs privately to your other devices through your Centli account.

On its own, Centli is private and offline. Everything you add is stored on your device. No bank login, no third party reading your accounts.
Pro adds cross-device sync. With Centli Pro, your data backs up to your private Centli cloud account and shows up on your other signed-in devices automatically.
It just stays in step. Add a transaction on your phone and it appears on your tablet shortly after — no manual export or import.

Sync is tied to your Centli account, not to anyone else's view of your data. Centli doesn't sell or share your financial information.

Check your sync status

Wondering whether your data is backed up and up to date? The sync indicator at the top of the dashboard tells you at a glance.

Look at the dashboard. The sync pill at the top shows whether syncing is on and current.
Tap it for details. A short explainer tells you what's syncing and what it means for your data.
If something looks stuck. Make sure you're online and signed in. Reopening the app prompts Centli to catch up.
Sync now (Android). On the Backup & sync screen, tap “Sync now” to push a refresh immediately instead of waiting.

Export a report (PDF or spreadsheet)

Need your numbers outside the app — for taxes, a spreadsheet, or your records? Export a report from any ledger, account, or your transactions list.

Open what you want to export. Go to a ledger, an account, or your transactions, and choose Report/Export.
Choose a format and range. Pick PDF or Spreadsheet, then set the date range you want.
Share or save. Centli builds the file and hands it to the share sheet — save to Files, email it, or send it anywhere.

On the free plan, exported reports include a small Centli watermark. Centli Pro removes it.

Reset or delete your data

Want a clean slate, or to leave Centli entirely? Both options live in Settings, under the Danger zone.

Open Settings → Danger zone. Scroll to the bottom of Settings.
Reset all data. Wipes your accounts, ledgers, and transactions so you can start fresh, while keeping your Centli account.
Delete account. Removes your Centli account entirely. Centli asks you to confirm either choice first.

These can't be undone. If there's any chance you'll want your data later, export a report first.

Frequently asked

Why does Centli not connect to my bank?

Centli is a private ledger you fill in yourself, not a bank aggregator. Every transaction is one you entered or imported — there's no Plaid, no screen-scraping, and no third party with read access to your bank.

Bank connections want your login. Aggregators store your banking credentials on their servers to re-fetch your data. We'd rather not be one more place your login lives.
Your data stays with you. Centli keeps your records on your device, and (with Pro) in your own private Centli account — not exposed to anyone else.
Built for fast entry. Quick Add shortcuts and recurring transactions make logging take seconds, so manual entry stays painless.

We're not against bank links on principle — we just won't ship one until it can be done without your bank credentials passing through a Centli server.

Is my financial data private and secure?

Yes — privacy is the whole point. Centli keeps your money data to yourself by default and gives you tools to lock it down.

Local-first. Your data lives on your device and works completely offline. Centli never asks for your bank login.
Your own cloud account. With Centli Pro, your data syncs through your private Centli account so it reaches only your devices. We don't sell or share your financial information.
Lock the app. Turn on a passcode or biometric lock in Settings so only you can open Centli, even if someone else has your phone.