Sumptus: Using natural language input to easily track expenses
The best way to stay on a budget is to keep a running log of your expenses; that (and taxation entities like the IRS) is why so many companies require their employees to keep detailed records of exactly what they spend. But many of the expense tracker apps on the market make it difficult and time-consuming to enter information, resulting in the bad tendency for people to just stuff receipts in an envelope until it's time to get the expense report sent out. Sumptus (US$3.99) from Wesix hopes to change that by using natural language entry to ease the entry of expenses.
What do the developers mean by natural language entry? Probably the best way to describe it is to show the process of entering an expense. Rather than tediously enter information into a bunch of different fields as with other expense apps, Sumptus simply requires a short note - something like "Lunch 10" - which is then stored by Sumptus as a note for a lunch costing US$10.
Sumptus can handle multiple budgets, so it's possible to keep track of expenses associated with different projects as well as personal home budgets. Expenses can be saved in different currencies as well, perfect for those who travel extensively for work or pleasure.
If you want to do some simple analytics of your expenses, Sumptus will grab your data, then present you with a pie diagram showing those areas that may need your attention.
One feature I really liked was being able to easily break out expenses with simple math. For example, let's say you bought admission to a museum - two adults at $31 each. Just type in "Museum admission 2x31" and you'll get the correct entry of $62.
However, this doesn't work properly if you try adding two more entries for children admissions. Try "Museum admission 2x31 + 2x10", and you won't get the right answer of $82 - instead, it parses the expression as (((2x31)+2)x2) or $640. Just keep your expressions simple and you won't have any problems.
Exporting reports is as simple as tapping a share button, which generates a budget report ready for printing or sending to others. That report is in HTML format - I'd like to see Wesix add the ability to export as PDF or a CSV file, which are infinitely more useful in business.
All in all, though, Wesix has done a top-notch job with the first release of an easy-to-use budgeting and expense app. I look forward to seeing how Sumptus evolves in the future.
