There are three formats for logging expenses by voice: an app with voice entry, a WhatsApp bot, or a voice note you transcribe later. A bot needs nothing installed; an app lets you review each transaction before it saves and adds it to your budgets. Pick the one you'll actually keep using every day.
The hard part of logging expenses is rarely knowing what you spent: it's stopping what you're doing to type it. That's why speaking works, and why several ways of doing it have appeared. This guide compares them as formats, not brands: what matters is what happens to the audio once you've sent it.
What formats are there for logging expenses by voice?
| App with voice | WhatsApp bot | Voice note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you install | The app | Nothing, if you already use WhatsApp | Nothing |
| Review before saving | Depends on the app | Depends on the bot | You do it when you transcribe |
| Where your data ends up | In the app and its service | It also goes through WhatsApp | On your phone, unsorted |
| See your month and budgets | In the same app | Depends on the bot, usually elsewhere | No |
| With no signal | Depends on the app | It sends when signal returns | Works anyway |
When does a WhatsApp bot make sense?
When installing one more thing is what stops you. WhatsApp is already open, and sending audio doesn't add a new habit. Before you start, check three things: who processes your audio, how you fix an amount it misheard, and how you get your data out if you stop using it.
When does an app with voice make sense?
When you want the dictated expense to end up somewhere: your monthly budget, the costs you share with a partner, or what you've already paid by card. An app can show you what it understood before saving, on the same screen where you'll later check your month.
Kesef is an app: it doesn't work over WhatsApp. If WhatsApp is the only format you'd use, this isn't the option for you.
How should you dictate so it's understood?
Say the expense, the amount and, if it matters, how you paid. One recording can hold several. Kesef handles things like this Argentine example, where money slang is common: "súper 32 lucas, nafta 45 lucas y un café 3.500". That's three transactions, each with its amount.
- In Argentine Spanish, "40 lucas" means 40,000 and "2 palos" means 2,000,000.
- "Mangos", "plata" and "guita" are your default currency; "verdes" are dollars.
- One sentence can carry the date and the payment method as well as the amount.
How much does it cost in Kesef?
Voice is part of Kesef Pro, with 3 free sessions in total to try it. They don't renew each month: after those three, it's Pro. One session can save several transactions, and you always review before saving. Typing has no cap on the free plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kesef work over WhatsApp?
No. Voice entry is inside the app, on iPhone and Android. Kesef doesn't have a WhatsApp bot.
How many expenses fit in one recording?
In Kesef, several: you say them all together and it separates each transaction, with its amount and category. Each recording lasts up to 30 seconds, and you review the list before saving.
Is voice free in Kesef?
You get 3 free sessions in total, then it's part of Kesef Pro. Typing expenses has no cap on the free plan, and neither do groups.