Finance App Saudi Arabia: Budget Apps Compared

Short answer: the finance apps that can actually budget with Saudi bank accounts are local ones built on SAMA's open banking rules, such as Drahim and Malaa. The famous US budget apps either refuse Saudi banks or leave you typing everything in. We should say this up front: Subgrove isn't a budgeting app. It tracks recurring subscriptions, which is one line of a budget.

Why Saudi Budget Apps Are Different

An app that categorises spending automatically has to read your bank transactions. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Central Bank sets the rules for that.

SAMA issued its Open Banking Framework on 2 November 2022, with account information services first and banks and fintechs expected to launch "within the first quarter of next year 2023." On 26 March 2026, SAMA announced it had started licensing fintech companies to provide open banking services, after a regulatory sandbox phase.

Saudi Finance Apps You Can Verify Today

• Drahim. Drahim has been "granted an Open Banking license by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), becoming the first Saudi application to offer open banking services under official regulatory oversight," according to Al Rajhi Bank's announcement of 30 March 2026. Its App Store listing describes connecting your bank accounts in one place, with "an automatic engine that categorizes all your purchases, transfers, and commitments." The app is free, with a paid Drahim Plus tier billed in riyals, and it supports English.
• Malaa. Its App Store listing says its bank integration "is compliant with the Saudi Central Bank's guidelines for open banking." It lets you "create budgets for different categories of spending, like groceries, transportation, and entertainment," and assigns each transaction to the right budget automatically.
• Your bank's own app. Every card payment and transfer shows up in your Al Rajhi, SNB or STC Bank app. But it only covers that one bank.

Both Drahim and Malaa also sell investment products.

What the US Apps Can't Do Here

• Rocket Money doesn't work here. Its help centre says it is "only available to users located within the United States and with U.S. based banks." See Rocket Money in Saudi Arabia.
• Copilot Money doesn't work here either. Its FAQ says: "Not available outside the US. Copilot Money only supports US-based financial institutions and accounts."
• YNAB works, but only with manual entry. Its help centre says: "We also don't support institutions outside of the US, Canada, the UK, and select European countries." You type transactions in or import a file. It costs $14.99 USD a month or $109 USD a year after a 34-day free trial, and it recommends a separate plan per currency. Our YNAB alternatives guide covers the case where subscriptions are the real problem.

Where a Subscription Tracker Fits in a Budget

Food and fuel go up and down each month. Subscriptions stay the same. They're fixed, they renew on their own, and after the first month you stop noticing them.

A budget app looks back at what you spent last month. A subscription tracker looks ahead to the next renewal, while you can still cancel. Use the budget to see that streaming cost too much. Use the tracker to see that Shahid renews on Sunday.

Currencies complicate this. Many people in the Kingdom pay some services in riyals and others, like ChatGPT or software tools, in US dollars. Expats often have a subscription back home too, in Indian rupees, Pakistani rupees or Egyptian pounds. Adding all of that into one number means choosing an exchange rate, and the number changes whenever the rate does.

How Subgrove Handles That Line

Subgrove only does this job:

• Every subscription keeps its own currency. SAR, USD, INR, PKR and EGP sit side by side, with a monthly and yearly total for each currency. Nothing is converted into one figure. See multi-currency tracking.
• You get a reminder before every renewal. The free plan includes push and email reminders, a renewal calendar and a weekly digest of what renews that week.
• There's no bank connection. If you want to find recurring charges, paste a bank-statement CSV into the subscription finder. It runs in your browser and uploads nothing.
• It runs on any phone. It's a PWA that installs from the browser on iPhone, Android or desktop, and works offline.

What You Give Up — Honestly

Subgrove won't budget for you. It doesn't track groceries, rent or savings goals, and it doesn't categorise spending. It doesn't read your bank, so it won't find a forgotten subscription unless you enter it or it appears in a statement you paste. It doesn't cancel anything or move money. For the whole budget, an open banking app like Drahim or Malaa does far more. Subgrove is the renewal-warning layer you add on top.

Getting Started

You can sign up from Saudi Arabia. The free plan covers five subscriptions. Pro is $1.99 a month, $10 a year or $15 once, billed in USD, so check whether your card adds a foreign-transaction fee. Our subscription tracker app for Saudi Arabia guide has the tracker checklist.

Common Questions About Finance Apps in Saudi Arabia

What is the best budget app in Saudi Arabia? If you want automatic categorisation, use an app built on SAMA's open banking framework, such as Drahim or Malaa. If you'd rather not connect a bank, YNAB works with manual entry.

Does YNAB work in Saudi Arabia? Yes, but only with manual entry. Its bank sync covers the US, Canada, the UK and parts of Europe.

Can I use Rocket Money or Copilot in Saudi Arabia? No. Both are limited to US-based banks.

Is Subgrove a budgeting app? No. It tracks recurring subscriptions and reminds you before each renewal. Use it alongside a budget app, not instead of one.