PocketGuard, a budgeting app with more than 1.2 million users, launched Pace, a new feature that warns users when their spending rate is outpacing their monthly budget. The alert fires before the money runs out, not after. The feature aims to solve a problem familiar to many households: realizing too late that the money won’t last until the next paycheck.
The Problem with Traditional Budgeting
Most budgeting apps show a running total of what’s been spent. That number doesn’t tell users whether their current spending rate will last through the end of the month.
“You could have $600 left on the 15th of the month and think you’re doing fine,” the company notes. “But if you’re spending at double your normal rate, that money will be gone in a week.”
How Pace Works
Pace analyzes three things simultaneously: how much money remains, how many days are left in the month, and how fast the user is spending compared to their plan. The app compares what a user planned to spend this month with what they are now likely to spend by month’s end, based on spending so far and their typical spending patterns over the past six months.
By looking at budgets, bills, goals, debt payoff plans, and recent spending history, Pace shows whether a user is on track, spending faster than expected, or likely to finish the month under plan. The goal is to give people an early signal while there is still time to adjust.
Example: Sarah budgeted $800 for groceries and dining in March. By the 12th, she’s spent $450, and her bank balance looks healthy. But Pace detects she’s spending 40% faster than her budget allows and projects she’ll run dry by March 22nd, over a week before her next paycheck. The alert gives her time to adjust before it’s too late.
The system learns individual spending patterns over time, so its predictions become more accurate the longer someone uses it.
“Most budgeting tools tell you what happened after the fact. With Pace, we’re giving users a real-time financial co-pilot that flags problems days before they become crises. We wanted to remove the guesswork entirely, because awareness is the first step to real financial control,” says Dmitry Savransky, CEO of PocketGuard.
Looking Back to Spend Smarter
Alongside Pace, PocketGuard added a budget history feature that lets users review complete monthly spending snapshots, showing exactly where money went and when patterns shifted. This financial rearview mirror helps identify recurring blind spots: subscriptions that quietly accumulated, dining costs that crept up after a job change, or seasonal expenses that catch people off guard every year.
Guidance, Not Guilt
The company is clear about its intent: the goal isn’t to shame users, but to give them actionable information while there’s still time to choose.
“We’re not trying to be the budget police,” they note. “We’re giving people a heads-up so they can decide what to do about it.” Pace works automatically, no spreadsheets or manual tracking required. It alerts when there’s a problem and stays quiet when things are on track.
Availability and Pricing
Pace is available now on iPhone through the PocketGuard app. Android support is expected later this year.
FAQ
What is PocketGuard? A budgeting app with 1.2 million users, a 4.7-star rating, and connections to 10,000+ financial institutions. PocketGuard calculates the actual safe-to-spend amount after bills, budgets, provides debt payoff plans, and enables management of the savings goals.
So what’s Pace exactly? A new feature inside PocketGuard. It looks at your spending habits over the past six months, your upcoming bills, current budget, saving goals, and the progress of your debt payoff strategy, then tells you whether you’re on track to finish the month within your plan, trending under it, or heading toward a shortfall. Most apps tell you what happened. Pace tells you what’s about to happen.
How early does it flag a problem? Early enough to actually do something about it. Days, not hours. And it filters out normal day-to-day fluctuations, so you only hear from it when something genuinely needs attention.
What does it cost? Pace is available through PocketGuard Plus at $12.99/month or $74.99/year.
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About PocketGuard
PocketGuard is a personal finance application focused on simplifying budgeting and spending management through automated tracking and predictive analytics. More than 1.2 million people currently use PocketGuard to manage their budgets and track spending.
For media: yana.karban@pocketguard.com, PR&Comms, PocketGuard
