Help with Pentos

Pentos is made by one person. Email reaches me directly and I answer every message, usually within a few days.

Start in the app

Settings has a Getting Started guide that walks through accounts, envelopes, the register, and importing a statement. It is faster than any web page for learning how the app fits together, and it works offline like everything else.

Getting your data out

One tap exports your entire budget as a portable backup file you can restore on any iPhone running Pentos, or as plain CSV for spreadsheets. Both live in Settings, and both write through the standard share sheet, so the file goes wherever you send it: Files, AirDrop, or your own cloud storage.

Keep a backup file if there is any chance you will reinstall. Pentos stores your budget only on your device, so deleting the app deletes the data with it and there is no copy anywhere else to restore from.

Common questions

Which devices does Pentos run on?

iPhone, in portrait, on iOS 18 and later. There is no iPad or Mac version.

Is there a subscription?

No. Pentos is a one-time purchase with no subscription and no in-app purchases. Every feature is included, and future updates come with it.

Does it need an internet connection?

Never. Pentos makes no network connections at all, so it behaves exactly the same on a plane as it does at home.

Where is my data stored?

In a database on your iPhone, and nowhere else. Statement files you import are read on device and never leave it.

Can I get my data out?

Yes. Export a portable backup file that restores on any iPhone running Pentos, or plain CSV for a spreadsheet. It is your data and you can take it whenever you like.

What file types can I import?

CSV, OFX, QFX, and QIF. Pentos remembers each account's column layout and flags duplicates before they land, so re-importing the same file is always safe.

Can I bring in data from another budgeting app?

Through a file, yes. Most budgeting apps will export your history as CSV, and that is the file to bring over. With CSV, the first time you import into an account Pentos asks you to map the columns so it knows which one is the date, the payee and the amount. OFX, QFX and QIF name their own fields, so those need no mapping. It does not read another app's own file format.

What language is the interface in?

English.

What happens if I delete the app?

Your data goes with it. Keep a backup file if you might come back, because there is no copy anywhere else to restore from.

What Pentos does not do

Worth knowing before you buy, so nothing comes as a surprise:

• iPhone only, portrait only, iOS 18 and later. No iPad or Mac app.
• No connection to your bank of any kind. Transactions arrive by import or by hand.
• Nothing is shared between devices. One device holds one budget, and moving it means moving a backup file.
• The interface is English only.
• Undo covers the current session. It does not survive quitting the app.

Contact

Email pentos.appproton.me with questions, bug reports, or ideas.

For a bug, it helps to include your iOS version, what you were doing when it happened, and whether it happens again if you repeat the steps. Screenshots are welcome; nothing is collected automatically, so anything you send is only what you chose to send.

See also the privacy policy and the overview of what Pentos does.