TrackWorth vs Copilot Money: Which Finance App Respects Your Privacy?

Copilot Money has built a loyal following as a sleek, modern finance app with automatic bank syncing and polished budgeting tools. TrackWorth takes a fundamentally different approach: manual-first tracking with no bank connection required. Both help you understand your finances, but they make very different trade-offs when it comes to privacy, automation, and cost.

If you have been searching for a Copilot Money alternative — maybe you are uncomfortable sharing bank credentials, or you live outside the US and Copilot does not support your institutions — this comparison will help you decide which approach is right for your situation.

The core difference: bank connection vs manual control

Copilot Money is built around automatic bank syncing. You connect your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts through Plaid, and Copilot pulls in your transactions, balances, and spending data automatically. This is convenient — you set it up once and your financial picture stays current without manual effort.

The trade-off is that you are sharing your bank credentials with a third-party aggregation service. Plaid acts as a middleman between your bank and the app. For many people, this trade-off is acceptable. For others — especially those in security-sensitive roles, people who have experienced data breaches, or anyone who simply prefers not to share bank login details with third parties — it is a dealbreaker.

TrackWorth does not connect to your bank at all. You enter your asset and liability balances manually, typically once a month or whenever you want to update your numbers. For a deeper look at why this approach matters, see our guide on finance tracking without bank connections.

Copilot Money at a glance

Copilot is an iOS-first personal finance app (with a web companion) that combines budgeting, spending tracking, and investment monitoring in a single interface. It has earned a reputation for beautiful design, smart categorization of transactions, and a smooth user experience. The app was originally US-only, and while it has expanded support over time, its strongest coverage remains with US financial institutions.

• Automatic bank syncing with smart transaction categorization
• Beautiful, polished iOS interface with web companion
• Budgeting, spending insights, and investment tracking
• Requires bank login through Plaid — no manual-only option
• $14.99 USD/month (or $95.88/year) with no free plan
• Strongest support for US institutions — limited international coverage
• No FIRE calculator or dedicated net worth trend tracking

TrackWorth at a glance

TrackWorth is a privacy-first net worth tracker that gives you a complete picture of your financial health without requiring any bank connection. It includes a net worth dashboard, historical trend tracking, asset allocation, goal tracking, a FIRE calculator, budget tracking, and live exchange rates for 20+ currencies. It is Canadian-made and works for users anywhere in the world.

• No bank credentials required — complete privacy
• 20+ currencies with automatic live FX rate conversion
• FIRE calculator, net worth history, asset allocation, and goals
• Free tier — permanently free, not a trial
• No automatic transaction import — balances entered manually
• Transaction categorization is simpler than Copilot's AI-powered system

Side-by-side comparison

Privacy: the fundamental divide

This is the issue that brings most people to this comparison. Copilot Money requires you to connect your bank accounts through Plaid. Plaid stores your credentials and acts as a data intermediary, pulling transaction and balance information from your financial institutions and passing it to the app.

For many users, this is a fine trade-off. Plaid is a well-established company used by thousands of fintech apps. But it is not without controversy — Plaid has faced class-action lawsuits over data collection practices, and some users are simply uncomfortable with the idea of a third party having standing access to their banking data.

TrackWorth sidesteps this issue entirely. Because you enter balances manually, no third party ever sees your bank credentials. Your data is stored securely, and the only information in the system is what you choose to put there. The trade-off is that your balances are not automatically updated — you need to log in periodically and update your numbers. For most people tracking net worth (rather than individual transactions), this takes about five minutes per month.

Pricing: $15/month vs free

Copilot Money charges $14.99 USD per month, or $95.88 per year if you pay annually. There is no permanently free plan — only a trial period. At roughly $180 USD per year on the monthly plan, it is one of the more expensive personal finance apps on the market.

TrackWorth has a permanently free tier that covers 5 assets and 5 liabilities — enough for most people starting out. The Pro plan, at $7.99 CAD per month (or $69.99 CAD per year), unlocks unlimited assets and liabilities, CSV export, and additional features. Even at the Pro level, TrackWorth is significantly less expensive than Copilot, especially for Canadians who would be paying Copilot in USD.

When to choose Copilot Money

Copilot is the right choice if you value automatic transaction tracking above all else. If you want every purchase, transfer, and payment to appear in your app without lifting a finger, and you are comfortable sharing bank credentials through Plaid, Copilot delivers a polished experience. Its AI-powered categorization is genuinely useful for understanding spending patterns.

Copilot works best for US-based users with accounts at major American financial institutions. If your banks are well-supported by Plaid and you live in the US, the automation is seamless. The app also shines on iOS — the interface is one of the best in the category.

When to choose TrackWorth

TrackWorth is the right choice if privacy is a priority, if you are outside the US (especially in Canada), or if you care more about net worth tracking than transaction-level budgeting. It is also the obvious choice if you do not want to pay $15 USD per month for a finance app.

TrackWorth is particularly strong for people who hold assets in multiple currencies, are planning for early retirement (FIRE), or want to track financial goals with visible progress over time. The manual entry approach takes a few minutes a month and gives you full control over your data. For a broader look at why manual tracking works, see our guide on finance tracking without bank login.

The bottom line

• Choose Copilot Money if automatic bank syncing and AI transaction categorization are your top priorities, and you are willing to pay $15 USD/month for the convenience.
• Choose TrackWorth if privacy matters, you want a free option, you need multi-currency support, or you care more about net worth trends than individual transactions.
• For Canadians specifically, TrackWorth offers better institutional support, CAD pricing, and Canadian-hosted data — while Copilot remains primarily US-focused.

For more comparisons, see how TrackWorth stacks up against YNAB.