We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure for more information.
An honest review of the Snoop AI app: what is it, how much does it cost, and is it a good budgeting app? We’ve answered all your questions here.
I first published this review in November 2022, and have now been testing and using Snoop for the past 10 months so thought it was time to give you a full update on my opinions on this budgeting app.
Let’s dive in!
Snoop is a multi-award-winning budgeting and money management app that was first launched in 2022. It automatically tracks your spending and finds smart ways to save on your bills, track your spending, and view multiple bank accounts in one central place.
It's an intuitive and user-friendly app that is perfect for anyone looking for an app that revolves solely around budgeting and finding ways to cut back on your household bills and expenses.
About Snoop
Snoop was first launched in 2020 by ex-managing director John Natalizoa and ex-CEO of Virgin Jane-Anne Gadhia. At the end of July 2023, however, the app was acquired by Vanquis Banking Group.
The Snoop app leverages AI and Open Banking data to provide personalised insights into how one might make savings on household bills and other expenses, and provides advice for effectively managing your budget beyond that.
Snoop Main Features
| Features | Snoop | Snoop Plus (£4.99/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Track from payday to payday | X | ✔️ |
| Custom categories | 3 | Unlimited |
| Create spending alters | 1 | Unlimited |
| Create refund alerts | 1 | Unlimited |
| Add offline accounts | X | Unlimited |
| Custom spend reports | 3 | Unlimited |
| Track total net worth | X | ✔️ |
| Filter spend analysis | X | ✔️ |
| Your BilssBills by pay cycle | X | ✔️ |
Where CAN yOU fIND snOOP?
The Snoop app is available for download on both iOS and Android devices and is free to join.
Simply download it to your device and then enter your details (name and phone number) before entering a one-time code. You will then be asked for your email address and asked to create a pin code to enter the app securely.
Once in the app, you can add your accounts through the open banking system and start to track your spending. I just have my main bank account connected to help me track my day to day spending, but you could choose to link up all bank accounts to get an overview of your net worth as well as your spending.
What I lIke:
- Easy to use and navigate
- All of your accounts are visible in one place
- Actually helpful money-saving tips, vouchers, and cashback deals
- FCA regulated – to give you peace of mind.
- Automatically categorizes your spending
- Daily spending and bank account balance updates
What I Don’t Like:
- You have to click several buttons to view your spending breakdown – other apps are slightly better and readily present this data
- Purely budgeting – doesn’t offer savings or investments like Plum
- You have to pay for the paid version for quite a lot of features that would be really valuable
Security
Like any app that wants access to your finances, Snoop wants to ensure that its security is tight. It uses an open banking model to look at what you are spending on each of your accounts. It does not have access to your login information on your accounts or passwords and can only see your transactions.
Additionally, the app is not allowed to move money from your account or between accounts – this has to be done by you. The app is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure that your money is safe, giving you peace of mind.
Pricing
There are two pricing options with the Snoop app. The app itself is free to download to your mobile device and there is a free version of the app that can be used.
For a Snoop plus account, you’ll pay £4.99 per month. This is the same price as an Emma Plus account or a Plum Ultra account.
The subscription provides you with extra features including:
- Total net worth tracking
- Tracking your spending from payday to payday instead of month to month
- Unlimited budget categories, spending alterts, refund alerts, offline accounts, and custom spend reports
- Filtering your spend analysis
- Sorting your bills by pay cycle not by month
Is Snoop Plus Necessary?
I’ve been using the free version of the app for the past 10 months and have found it to be a wholly helpful, intuitive, and useful budgeting app even without any of the paid features.
However, the paid version does undeniably have some features that would be very helpful to someone looking for precise budget tracking.
User reviews of Snoop
Snoop has just over 40 reviews on TrustPilot (as of August 2023), which strikes me as surprisingly few considering it’s been around for three years now.
The app gets an ‘Average’ rating of 3.3 stars. Particularly notable, the app gets mostly positive reviews up until 2022, and the reviews posted in 2023 are all negative.
Similar Apps to Snoop
There are a few financial apps on the market that are similar to the Snoop app that you may want to consider.
Overall: Would I Recommend Snoop?
If you are looking for an app that pulls together all of your spending on one platform and has easy-to-understand recommendations on how you can save money, then the Snoop app is a good one to download. It is a great introduction to managing your finances and getting on top of your money.
If you are looking to delve a little deeper into understanding how you can make the most out of your money, Snoop may be a little too basic, and other apps such as Emma or Plum may have more features that appeal to you.
FAQs
Is Snoop safe to use?
Snoop ensures that your data is kept safe by using a 256-bit encryption. Additionally, the software doesn’t save your login details or even see them, and is not able to move your money.
Do I need an account to use Snoop?
Yes, you will need to sign up for an account with Snoop, however, there is a free version and a paid version, meaning that you do not need to spend money on it if you don’t want to.
How much does Snoop cost?
Downloading the Snoop app to your mobile device is free. When you access the app, there is a free version, with more basic features and a more advanced version of the app which costs £3.99 per month or £31.99 a year.
How does Snoop make money?
Firstly, Snoop makes money through the Snoop plus subscription part of its application. On top of this, the app also makes money from free users, but not by charging them. The app sells anonymous data on its user’s spending habits, allowing companies to discover trends and understand their market data. On top of this, part of the Snoop platform focuses on recommending different services and products to you that can financially benefit you – but it will receive a commission for doing so.