A lot of finance apps only work if you connect your bank through an aggregator. That's a reasonable default for many people — and a hard no for others. This guide explains, fairly, how the aggregator model works and why opinions differ, then walks through the credential-free ways to get your transactions in. The goal here is choice, not fear: bank sync isn't unsafe, it just isn't the only door.
How the aggregator model actually works
When an app offers "connect your bank," it usually routes you through an aggregator such as Plaid or Flinks. In the modern flow you authenticate on your bank's own screen (or via an official API), and the aggregator receives a token that lets it read your transactions — you're authorizing scoped, often read-only access rather than handing your raw password to the app. It's regulated infrastructure that millions of people use without incident.
So why do some people opt out? A few honest reasons: they'd rather not have a third party holding a standing connection to their account; their bank isn't well supported by the aggregator in their country; or they simply prefer to move data manually on their own schedule. None of these means sync is dangerous — it means the trade-off (convenience for a persistent connection) isn't the one they want to make. Both positions are legitimate.
The credential-free alternatives
Every one of these gets your transactions into an app without a live bank connection:
- CSV / Excel export. Almost every bank lets you download a date range of transactions as a CSV. It's the universal format.
- OFX / QFX / QBO. The older "download to Quicken/Money" formats, still offered by many banks, carry cleaner structured fields than CSV.
- PDF statements. The monthly statement you already receive can be parsed for transactions — useful when a bank's export is limited.
- Screenshots. For accounts with no export at all (some regional banks, some credit cards), a screenshot of the transaction list can be read directly.
A concrete walkthrough: CSV in four steps
- Log into your bank in a browser and open the account.
- Set a date range — say the last 90 days — and choose Download or Export, then the CSV format.
- Save the file. You've now got your transactions with no app ever seeing your login.
- Upload that CSV to your finance app and map the columns (date, description, amount) once.
Total time after the first setup: about a minute a month. That's the actual cost of the credential-free path — a small, deliberate habit instead of an always-on connection.
Which format should you use?
If your bank offers more than one, there's a rough hierarchy. Prefer OFX/QFX/QBO when available: the fields are structured, so dates, amounts, and descriptions map cleanly with little manual fixing. Fall back to CSV next — universal, but you may have to tell the app which column is which the first time, and some banks split debits and credits into two columns. Reach for PDF statements when export is limited or you need older history that the download tool won't reach. Use screenshots as the last resort, for accounts that offer no export at all; they work, but they carry the least structured data.
Whatever the format, do a one-time sanity check after your first import: confirm the number of transactions matches the statement, and that a few amounts and signs line up. Getting the mapping right once means every future import from that account is a thirty-second job.
Where Orbiq fits
Orbiq is built so the credential-free path is the default, not an afterthought: it imports screenshots, PDF statements, CSV, and OFX directly, and can migrate from other budgeting apps. To be fully transparent, Orbiq also offers optional bank auto-sync for people who want it — through Plaid, a regulated provider, for Canadian and US banks on the Connect tier — the credential-free import and the sync option coexist, because different people want different doors. You choose. The features page lists every supported format, and the home page has the overview. If you're juggling more than one currency while you're at it, see the two-currency budgeting guide.