Loam vs FinArt: a private SMS expense tracker for the UAE and beyond

FinArt is an SMS expense tracker built in India and also marketed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Like Loam, it reads bank alerts instead of your bank login, but on iPhone it stores your data and forwarded messages on its cloud by default. Loam reads bank texts on the phone, and tracks your whole wealth, not just spending.

Feature by feature

	Loam	FinArt
Price
Price	$30 a year or $3 a month	AED 109.99 a year or AED 19.99 a month on iPhone (US $24.99 a year)
Free trial	30 days, no payment details needed	5 days
Free plan	No, the trial is the free part	Yes on iPhone, for manual tracking
Ads	None	None
Privacy and your data
Account required	None, not even an email	None on Android; Apple or Google sign-in for sync on iPhone
Bank login	Never	No
Where your data lives	On your phone, plus your own iCloud or Google device backup	FinArt’s cloud (Firebase) by default on iPhone; an on-device private mode
AI and your finances	Never sees your finances. Only a bank text format Loam has never seen goes out, until Loam learns its pattern	On iPhone, forwarded messages go to its server; it says Android processes them on the phone
Analytics and tracking	None	Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics, per its iPhone privacy policy
App lock	Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint	Face ID, Touch ID or app lock
Export	CSV or JSON	CSV; PDF with receipts on iPhone
Getting transactions in
Bank sync	No, by design	No
Bank text messages	Yes, read on the phone. Automatic on Android; a Shortcut on iPhone	Yes: read on Android; on iPhone forwarded by Shortcuts and kept up to 30 days unless private mode is on
Manual entry	Yes	Yes
Voice entry	Siri, without opening the app	Not advertised
Receipt scanning	No	Attachments and PDF statement import
Categorising	Merchant rules you set, suggested once you file a shop by hand twice	AI categorisation
What it tracks
Credit cards	Yes, with statements and installment plans	Per-card spend, billing cycles and due dates
Deposits and CDs	Yes: interest payouts, floating rates and maturity	Not offered
Stocks and ETFs	Yes, with average cost and gain	Not offered
Crypto	Yes, priced for you	Not offered
Gold and silver	Gold by karat and silver by fineness, priced off spot	Not offered
Property	Yes	Not offered
Loans and mortgages	Mortgages, loans and installment plans	Installments as transactions; a ledger for personal loans
Currencies	80, and totals also readable in a steadier one, such as USD	Multi-currency (paid on iPhone)
Planning
Budgets	Monthly category budgets, tagged needs or wants	Monthly category budgets
Spending insights	Per category, five months back, with what to do	Category trends and income vs expense
Net worth over time	No; the forecast looks forward instead	No
Long-term forecast	5, 10 or 20 years of your deposits and investments, with your own return per holding	No
Inflation-adjusted view	Consumer prices, monetary debasement and currency devaluation, filled in for you	No
Runway	Yes: months of your budget the assets you choose would cover	No
Savings goals	No goals; a monthly savings target and savings rate	Not advertised
Recurring charges	Spots monthly charges, their yearly cost and when one goes up	Bill reminders and a subscription manager
Everyday use
Apps	iPhone and Android	Android and iPhone
Web app	No	Yes
Sharing with a partner	No	Family sync with view or edit control
Notifications	None, ever	Bill reminders, budget alerts and a daily summary
Languages	English and Arabic	11 on iPhone, including Arabic
Where it works	Anywhere, with banks that text in English or Arabic	Any bank that sends alerts; built for India, marketed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Which should you pick?

FinArt is stronger at	Loam is stronger at
Reads email alerts and imports PDF statements as well as SMS. A web app and family sync with view or edit control. Personal and business profiles, and a ledger for money lent to people. A long track record on Android.	Net worth: deposits, stocks, crypto, gold, property and loans. FinArt tracks spending only. Runway and a 5 to 20 year forecast, in today’s buying power if you want. Your totals read in a steadier currency such as USD, useful when your own currency loses value. Bank texts read on the phone and not kept. FinArt keeps forwarded iPhone messages on its servers for up to 30 days unless its private mode is on.

FinArt is stronger at

Loam is stronger at

Reads email alerts and imports PDF statements as well as SMS.
A web app and family sync with view or edit control.
Personal and business profiles, and a ledger for money lent to people.
A long track record on Android.

Net worth: deposits, stocks, crypto, gold, property and loans. FinArt tracks spending only.
Runway and a 5 to 20 year forecast, in today’s buying power if you want.
Your totals read in a steadier currency such as USD, useful when your own currency loses value.
Bank texts read on the phone and not kept. FinArt keeps forwarded iPhone messages on its servers for up to 30 days unless its private mode is on.

Pick FinArt if you want email and statement import, a web app and family sync. Pick Loam if you want to see your savings and investments grow, not only where your salary went.

More comparisons

Try Loam free for 30 days.

In beta now on iPhone and Android. No account, no bank login, no payment details for the trial. Then $30 a year or $3 a month.

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FinArt details are taken from its own website and app store listings in September 2026 and may have changed since. FinArt is a trademark of its owner; Loam is not affiliated with it.