A money saving app for Windows, with no budget and no bank login
Windows gets the thin end of personal finance software: a web app in a browser tab, or nothing. Keep the Diff ships a real Windows installer, and it works exactly like the Mac and phone versions because it is the same app.
What the app does
Two numbers. What you were ready to spend, and what you actually spent. The difference is the Diff and it is yours, counted by week and by month. There is a "Didn't buy it" button for the common case, where the actual number is zero.
There is no budget. The app never tells you what you are allowed to spend, it never shows a red number, and buying something anyway costs you nothing but that entry.
On Windows specifically
- A signed installer. Signed through Azure Trusted Signing, so Windows installs it without a SmartScreen warning and names Little Bird Trading LLC as the publisher.
- A normal EXE, installed for your account without asking for an administrator, uninstallable from Add or Remove Programs like anything else. No store account needed.
- The app updates itself, so the copy you install today keeps up.
- Lives in the system tray. Open the app, log a Diff, visit this website, or report a bug or request a feature, without bringing the window forward.
- Premium is buyable inside the app. Click Premium and pick a plan; payment happens on Stripe's own page and the app unlocks itself. No card details ever touch the app.
New in 1.2.7
- Premium Lifetime. Pay once for every Premium feature, now and later, on up to 10 devices.
- Sunday recap. Every Sunday at 6 pm, a short note of what you kept that week. You can turn it off in Settings.
- Rate and share. Rate Keep the Diff or share it with a friend, right from Settings.
- Sign in with Microsoft. Use your Microsoft account to sign in, so Premium follows you to every device.
Your numbers stay on your PC
Everything you log is written to a file in your own app data folder. No account needed, no analytics, no tracking. The app has no bank integration and never reads a transaction feed.
Two ways to install the app, and which to pick
The Microsoft Store version and the direct installer are the same application, built from the same source, signed with the same certificate. The difference is who handles updates.
The Store keeps it current for you and installs the way Windows expects, which is the right choice unless you have a reason to avoid the Store. The direct installer is a normal signed .exe, and the app checks for its own updates and tells you when one is ready. Pick the Store if you have no strong feeling; pick the installer if you manage software yourself or the machine has no Store access.
Either way the app installs for your account without asking for an administrator password, so you do not need to be the machine's admin to run it.
What the app needs
Windows 10 or later, on 64 bit. Keep the Diff is a desktop application, so it opens without a browser and works with no connection. The download is small and the app starts in about a second on a machine of any recent vintage.
Nothing else is required. There is no runtime to install first, no account needed before the first screen, and no bank to connect at any point.
Questions people ask before installing
Does the Windows app sync with my phone? Yes, with Premium, and only if you turn sync on. Unlock the desktop app with the code your phone gives you, then switch on Sync across your devices in Settings. Everything is encrypted on each device before it leaves, with a key we never have.
Will SmartScreen warn me? No. The installer is code signed, which is the thing SmartScreen checks, and the Store version is not subject to it at all.
Is the free version time limited? No. Logging decisions, this week's total, your recent history and the weekly recap are free. Premium adds full history with export, categories, goals and App Lock.
Also on your other devices
The same app runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Linux and Android. One Premium subscription covers every device you own.