Budgeting apps shouldn't feel like a part-time job
Lums hit #11 organically on Product Hunt yesterday! 📈 A massive thank you to everyone who supported us by upvoting, commenting, and downloading the app.
The launch conversations highlighted one thing we’ve felt since day one: most budgeting apps ask for way too much effort before giving you any value.
Usually, you download an app and spend the next hour fixing categories, adjusting settings, and correcting transactions. By the time you're "set up," you've already lost the motivation that made you download it in the first place.
@yulia_kuznetsova3 put it perfectly! She said she added her accounts to Lums and it just showed her where her money was going. No fixing things first. Just clarity.
@selina4 shared something similar. After months of bills piling up and small charges slipping by, having everything side-by-side finally made things click.
This is the philosophy behind Lums: you shouldn't need to be a spreadsheet expert to understand your own money.
We'd love to hear from you, what's the most frustrating setup experience you've had with a finance app? What would "effortless" actually look like for you? Drop your thoughts below 👇
Replies
vibecoder.date
I hate when finance apps cannot connect to my banking apps.
It's a problem for customers outside the US mainly.
Lums
@build_with_aj Very true! Especially outside the US. We’re actively working on ways to make Lums valuable even without direct bank connections.
And when connections are available, they truly unlock the best money management experience!
This philosophy applies to every category, not just finance I think.
I recently had a terrible experience with an app where I spent time answering ~30 onboarding questions. I thought I was customizing the experience, but at the very end, I was hit with a hard paywall just to enter the dashboard.
It felt like they were holding my time hostage. Zero value provided, just work followed by a payment demand.
If the setup feels like a job, users will quit. Immediate utility like you mentioned is the only way to earn trust.
Lums
@valeriia_kuna ‘Holding time hostage’ is the perfect way to put it. We've seen so many apps mistake 'data collection' for 'onboarding.' If a user hasn't seen a single insight before being asked to pay, the app hasn't earned that right yet! Thanks for sharing this!
@marionkesteloot Exactly! So you're on the right way with your app!