Comparison · Checked 9 August 2026
Klera vs Cashew
Cashew is the better-looking app and the more flexible one, it is open-source so you can verify its privacy claims rather than trust them, and it runs on Android, iOS and the web with sync through your own Google account. Klera is narrower and deeper: it stays on one device, but it covers investments with live valuation and XIRR, a full loan manager, and an udhaar ledger with UPI settle links for money lent to friends — the things a spending tracker usually leaves you to handle elsewhere.
Disclosure: Klera is our app, so treat this as an interested source and check anything that matters to you. We have tried to describe Cashew the way its own users would, and the "where Cashew wins" section below is not padding — if it fits you better, use it.
Side by side
| Klera | Cashew | |
|---|---|---|
| Works offline | Yes — every feature | Yes, locally; sync optional |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Interface and customisation | Focused, deliberately fixed | Excellent, highly customisable |
| Platforms | Android (iPhone in development) | Android, iOS and web |
| Multi-device sync | Not yet | Yes, via your Google account |
| Account required | Never | Only if you want sync |
| Backup | Encrypted to your Drive, passphrase-locked, automatic | Google Drive sync and export |
| Budgeting | One monthly total across four buckets | Flexible budgets and strong forecasting |
| Search and filtering | Good | Excellent |
| Investments & net worth | Stocks, gold, FDs, SIPs, insurance with live value and XIRR | Not a focus |
| Loan manager | Amortisation schedule, rate changes, auto-EMI | Loans tracked simply |
| Udhaar / money lent to friends | Dedicated ledger with UPI settle links and statement PDF | Not a distinct feature |
| Statement import | PDF, Excel, CSV with duplicate detection and undo | CSV import |
| Indian context | UPI-first, Hinglish entry, ₹ and FY Apr–Mar presets | General-purpose, multi-currency |
| Ads | Yes, on the free tier | No |
| Bank sync | No | No |
Where Cashew wins
- It is open-source. You can read the code and confirm what it does with your data instead of taking a privacy policy at its word — a stronger guarantee than anything we can offer, and we would rather say so than talk around it.
- It shows no ads. Klera is ad-funded, and if that is disqualifying for you, this is the straightforward answer.
- It is the better-designed app, and more customisable — you can shape the home screen around how you think about money rather than how we do.
- It runs on Android, iOS and the web, and syncs through your own Google account. Klera is Android-only with no sync yet, which is a real gap and not one we can talk our way out of.
- Search, filtering and forecasting are stronger, and its budget model is more flexible than our fixed four buckets.
Choose Cashew if: you want an open-source app you can audit, you want it on your laptop as well as your phone, you want no ads, or the interface is the thing that decides whether you keep using a tracker at all.
Where Klera wins
- Investments are a first-class feature: stocks, gold, fixed deposits, SIPs and insurance policies, valued live, with true XIRR returns and a single net-worth figure that nets everything against your loans and card dues.
- A real loan manager — full amortisation schedule, EMIs, mid-loan interest-rate changes, payoff progress and optional auto-recording of the monthly EMI. Useful in a country where most people are carrying a home or vehicle loan.
- Udhaar. A dedicated two-way ledger for money lent and borrowed informally, with partial settlements, settlement history, dignity-minded reminders, UPI settle links and a per-person statement PDF you can send.
- It is built for the Indian context rather than adapted to it: UPI-first accounts, plain-Hinglish quick add, financial-year (April–March) export presets, and a category P&L summary that suits filing season.
- Statement import does more of the work — PDF, Excel and CSV parsed entirely on your phone, auto-categorised, with three-layer duplicate detection, an import history and one-tap undo.
- Nothing requires an account, ever, including the backup — that goes into your own Drive encrypted with a passphrase we never hold.
Choose Klera if: you want investments, loans and spending in one place, you lend money to friends and want that tracked properly, or you want an app that already speaks UPI, Hinglish and the April–March financial year.
Common questions
Is Cashew better than Klera?
For design, customisation, openness and cross-platform reach, yes — Cashew is the better app and we would recommend it on those grounds. Klera is better if you want investments with XIRR, loan amortisation and an udhaar ledger in the same app, or if you specifically want an Indian-context tracker. They are both good answers to "offline expense tracker"; they are aimed at different people.
Is Cashew really open source and does that matter?
Yes, and it genuinely matters. Open-source means the privacy claims are checkable rather than promised, which is a stronger position than any closed app can offer, ours included. The caveat worth knowing is that open-source does not guarantee maintenance — Ivy Wallet was also open-source and is now abandoned. Cashew is actively developed.
Does Klera sync across devices like Cashew?
Not yet — this is the clearest gap between the two. Klera keeps your ledger on one device and backs it up encrypted to your own Google Drive, which covers moving to a new phone but not using two phones at once. Encrypted multi-device sync is planned as an optional extra. If you need your tracker on a laptop today, Cashew is the answer.
Does Klera show ads and Cashew not?
Correct. Klera is free in full — no paywall, no subscription, every feature included — and is funded by a small number of native ad slots on screens like Home and Insights, never on the add-expense keypad and never on backup, export or delete screens. No ad network is given your transactions or balances, and we never sell your data. Cashew is funded by an optional paid upgrade instead. Both are legitimate models; pick the trade you prefer.
Can I switch from Cashew to Klera?
Yes. Export your transactions from Cashew as CSV and import the file into Klera, which parses it on your phone, auto-categorises rows and flags duplicates before anything is saved — and lets you undo the entire import if it looks wrong. Budgets and goals need to be re-created by hand.
Read next
Try Klera with the network off.
Free, no sign-up, nothing to cancel. If it does not fit, Cashew is a good app.