What is Cleo?
Cleo is an AI financial assistant app for iPhone and Android that links to your bank through Plaid, analyzes your spending, and talks with you about money in a casual, often blunt tone. It helps you budget, set savings goals and automate them with Autopilot, and offers a credit-building card for US users.
Budgeting apps often show charts that people stop checking after a week. This one turns money management into a conversation: you ask questions, get honest feedback on your habits, and can even ask to be roasted about your spending. Its 3.0 release added voice and memory, so conversations build on what it already knows about you, which suits younger users who find traditional banking tools dry.
Main Features
- Analyzes your transactions and answers money questions in a chat, 24 hours a day.
- Gives blunt spending feedback, including a Roast Me mode that calls out bad habits.
- Tracks spending and helps you set goals that adjust as your situation changes.
- Autopilot automates your money goals once you set them.
- Offers savings goals with automatic saving, with banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
- Provides the Cleo Card for building credit, issued by WebBank with a $1 minimum deposit.
- Links bank accounts through Plaid and does not store your bank details.
- Remembers past conversations and supports voice as of the 3.0 release.
How to Get Started with Cleo
- Download the free app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Link your bank account securely through Plaid.
- Ask about your spending or set a savings goal in the chat.
- Turn on Autopilot or upgrade to a paid plan if you want savings, credit building or advances.
Cleo Pricing
The app is free to download and use. Per its help center, Plus plans cost $1.99 to $5.99 a month or $44.99 a year, Pro $8.99 a month, and Builder $10.99 to $14.99 a month.
Who Should Use It?
- Young adults building their first budget
- People who want spending feedback without spreadsheets
- US users trying to build or rebuild credit with a secured card
- Savers who want goals automated in the background
- Anyone who prefers chatting over reading financial charts
Cleo Alternatives
- Intuit Assist: AI help inside Intuit tax and accounting products
- FinanceRants: personal finance content rather than an app that links your bank
- Mercury: banking for businesses, not personal budgeting
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cleo free?
The core app is free, including chatting about your spending and budgeting. Paid subscriptions range from $1.99 a month for Plus up to $14.99 a month for Builder and add extras such as credit building and cash advances.
Is Cleo safe to connect to my bank?
Accounts are linked through Plaid, a provider that complies with PCI DSS, and the company says it never stores your bank details. Note that it is a fintech company, not a bank; deposit services come from partner banks that are FDIC members.
Who can use the Cleo Card?
You must be at least 18 and have a valid Social Security number, birthdate and US address. You do not need to be a US citizen. The card is issued by WebBank, subject to approval, with a $1 minimum deposit.