Name: Keep the Diff
Author: Lee

Qapital saves for you in the background. You set a goal, set a rule, and money moves toward the goal as you spend. That works well for some people and feels like too much machinery for others. If you want to save without a bank link or a monthly membership, here is how Qapital works and what the alternatives look like.

What Qapital does

Qapital's own site says it helps you put money away automatically toward goals. Its help center explains the Round Up Rule: each time you make a purchase with an account you have enabled for rules, Qapital rounds the purchase up and moves the difference into one of your goals. The default round up is $2, adjustable from $1 to $5. Transfers are batched up to four times a week, Monday through Thursday. You can read that on the Round Up Rule help page.

The site also lists budgeting, investing through Qapital Invest, LLC (an SEC registered investment advisor), a shared feature called Dream Team for sharing finances with a partner, and a checking account provided by Lincoln Savings Bank, Member FDIC. The site also notes that Qapital itself is a fintech company and that the banking comes from its partner bank.

What Qapital costs

The Qapital home page lists its current plans and a free trial. Its footer says the monthly fee is deducted after the trial ends and you connect a bank account.

Why people look for an alternative

The bank connection

Round ups need access to the account they are rounding up. That is how the app knows what you spent. If you would rather not link an account to a savings app, the mechanism itself is the obstacle.

A monthly fee for savings

A monthly membership fee is small. The fee is also a cost that comes out of the same savings it is meant to build. Some people prefer a tool with a free plan, even if it does less.

Savings that happen without your attention

Automatic saving is the point of Qapital. For some people it also means the savings never feel like a decision. They do not notice what they kept, so the habit never forms.

A different idea: record the choice and move the money yourself

Keep the Diff does not move money. Keep the Diff records a decision. When you decide not to buy something, or to buy a cheaper version, you log what you were ready to spend and what you actually spent. Planned spend minus actual spend equals the Diff. That Diff adds up by week, by month and toward a goal that has a photo.

You still decide where the money goes. If you want it in a savings account, you move it there yourself, on whatever schedule suits you. A weekly transfer of that week's Diff is a good rhythm, and it is easy to see in the app.

Checked October 2026 against Qapital's site and help center. Confirm details on each maker's site.

	Qapital	Keep the Diff
How you save	Rules move money to goals automatically	You log choices and move the money yourself
Bank connection	Needed for rules and for fees after the trial	None, by design
Goals	Yes	Yes, with a photo. One on Free, more on Premium.
Round ups	Yes, $1 to $5	No
Checking and investing	Offered	No
Cost	Monthly plans after a free trial	Logging is free. Premium adds sync, goals, widgets and more.

The honest comparison

Qapital saves while you are busy. Keep the Diff only records what you tell it, so nothing is moved on its own.
Qapital can hold your checking and investments. Keep the Diff holds no money at all.
Qapital is automatic. Keep the Diff makes the saving visible, so you can see what each decision was worth.
Qapital needs a connected account. Keep the Diff never touches your accounts.

If automation is what you need, Qapital does that job and a recording app does not replace it. If you were using round ups as a way to feel good about saving, a record of your own choices can give you that feeling.

Use both

The two work together. A weekly habit is to open Keep the Diff, look at the week's total, and set up a transfer for that amount in your own bank. The record tells you how much, and the transfer puts the money in an account you own. Reverse budgeting describes the idea of paying yourself first.

Doing it in Keep the Diff

Pick a goal and add a photo of what you are saving for. Then log decisions as they happen. Skip a coffee, a Diff. Cancel a subscription, a recurring Diff on Premium. The free plan logs without limits, there is no bank connection, and nothing resets if you miss a week.

Keep the Diff is on the App Store and Google Play, and there are downloads for Mac, Windows and Linux on the download section of the home page. You can also try it in your browser first. Premium pricing is on the Premium page.

A Qapital alternative without linking your bank