Methodology

How apps are selected

We currently focus on budgeting and personal finance apps with meaningful traction in the US market, with priority for apps that fit one of these themes: spreadsheet-connected, privacy-conscious, Plaid-connected, or commonly searched as a YNAB alternative. We start narrow on purpose and expand as we have sourced data to back each entry.

How pricing is verified

Each app's pricing field carries a verificationStatus:

• verified — pricing was confirmed against the app's official pricing page or App/Play Store listing on the date listed in the source.
• needs_verification — pricing is plausible but has not yet been re-checked against the official source.
• unknown — pricing has not been researched.

We publish entries with needs_verification rather than guessing prices. App makers can submit corrections via the contact page.

How features are verified

Feature support is recorded as true, false, or "unknown". We avoid asserting a feature exists without a public source. If a feature is gated behind a tier (e.g. Premium-only bank sync), the notes field describes the gating and the pricing block reflects the cost of the relevant tier.

How privacy claims are evaluated

Privacy summaries draw from each app's published privacy policy and security/help pages, not from marketing copy. We record:

• Where transaction data is stored.
• Whether the company sells or shares data per the privacy policy.
• Whether data export and account deletion are documented.
• How AI/categorization is performed (on-device vs. cloud), when documented.

Claims like "private by design" are only repeated if backed by a documented practice (e.g. on-device categorization, end-to-end encryption, no server-side budget storage).

How rankings are scored

Each best-of page opens with explicit ranking criteria. Rankings are derived from the structured data; if an app has too many unknown fields in the criteria, it is excluded or labeled clearly. We do not invent affirmative claims to fill gaps.

We do not award fake aggregate ratings. We do not mark up content that is not visible to users. We do not assert hands-on experience we do not have.

Editorial independence

Lumis Finance is independently owned and is not owned by any app covered on the site. Every product is evaluated through the same fields, public-source requirements, and page-specific ranking criteria. Paid placement does not alter editorial rankings.

See the about page for more about the publication and its standards.

How sponsored content is handled

At launch, Lumis Finance has no paid placements, claimed listings, or sponsorships. If that changes:

• Sponsored content will be visually distinct from editorial content.
• Paid placement will not alter rankings on best-of pages.
• Claimed-listing tiers will be disclosed on every affected app profile.

How corrections are accepted

App makers, employees, and readers can submit corrections via the contact page. We aim to respond to factual corrections quickly and update lastUpdated on the affected entry.