Comparison
Skimp vs axio (Walnut)
Last verified 6 October 2026
axio, the app that used to be called Walnut, is the established choice: free, mature, and installed more than a crore times. It also collects your SMS and personal details and sells credit in the same app. Skimp does less, keeps everything on the phone, and has nothing to sell you.
This page is written by the developer of Skimp, so read it with that in mind. Every statement about axio links to where it comes from, and the section on when to choose axio is not there for show.
What axio is
axio is the best-known SMS-based expense tracker in India. Walnut, Capital Float and Walnut 369 were merged into the axio brand, and Amazon completed its acquisition of the company in September 2025. The app reads bank SMS to track spending, balances and bills, and offers pay-later credit, personal loans and fixed deposits alongside the tracker.
- Made by
- Axio Digital, owned by Amazon since September 2025
- Gets transactions from
- Bank SMS, read automatically
- Price
- Free, with no ads label and no in-app purchases on Google Play. The company earns from the credit products offered in the app.
- Runs on
- Android
- Website
- axio.co.in
Side by side
“Not verified” means we found no source that settles it either way. It does not mean axio lacks the feature.
| Feature | Skimp | axio |
|---|---|---|
| Reads bank SMS automatically | YesOn the device, with a review queue for uncertain ones | Yes |
| No internet permission | YesAndroid blocks any network connection | NoDeclares data collected off the device |
| Works without an account | YesNo sign-up, phone number or email | NoPhone number collected for account management |
| Every feature free | YesNo paid tier, no in-app purchases | YesEarns from credit products |
| No ads | Yes | YesNo ads label on Play; promotes its own credit |
| No loans or cards sold in the app | Yes | NoPay Later, personal loans, fixed deposits |
| Budgets with alerts | YesOverall and per category, at 80% and 100% | Yes |
| Recurring and subscription tracking | YesRecurring rules plus detected subscriptions | PartialBill and card due reminders |
| Lend and borrow (udhaar) ledger | Yes | Not verified |
| Export to CSV or PDF | YesBoth | Not verified |
| Encrypted backup | YesAES-256-GCM, your passphrase | Not verified |
| Sync across devices | NoNo server; move data with a backup file | Not verified |
| iPhone app | NoiOS does not let apps read SMS | Not verified |
| Multiple currencies | NoRupees only | Not verified |
| Investments and net worth | No | Not verified |
| Open source | NoProprietary | No |
The differences that matter
What happens to your messages
axio's Data Safety section on Google Play declares SMS or MMS as collected (optional, for app functionality), along with name, phone number, address, location and credit score, and declares name and location as shared. Skimp's declares no data collected and none shared, and the app has no internet permission, so it has no means of sending anything.
Whether you need an account
axio declares a phone number and user IDs as collected for account management. Skimp has no account: nothing to sign up for and nothing that ties your ledger to an identity.
What the app is for
axio's own store listing presents the tracker next to axio Pay Later, personal loans and fixed deposits, with credit provided through an RBI-registered NBFC. That is a legitimate business, and it means your spending data sits with a lender. Skimp is only a tracker.
Maturity
axio has had years of real-world messages to tune its parser against, and it adds bill and credit-card due reminders, which Skimp does not have. Skimp is new, recognises fewer banks, and sends anything it is unsure of to a review queue.
Choose axio if
- You want reminders for credit-card and utility bill due dates
- You want the app with the largest user base and the longest track record
- You use, or want, pay-later credit or loans from the same app
Choose Skimp if
- You do not want your SMS or spending data to leave your phone
- You do not want to register a phone number to track expenses
- You do not want loan and credit offers inside a budgeting app
- You want to split one payment across categories, track money lent to people, or keep an encrypted backup
Skimp is in a closed test ahead of a public release. Join the waitlist to be told when there is a build to install, or read what it does and does not do.
Sources
Read on 6 October 2026. Apps change their pricing, permissions and policies, so check the source if a detail matters to you.
What Skimp itself does is documented in its privacy policy and Data Safety answers. Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us at support.skimp.rabugotra.com and it will be corrected.