Docs 01
Garden in brief
Garden is a personal finance application that runs on your machine. It keeps accounts, transactions, budgets, and goals; categorises imports; finds recurring charges; and produces a profit and loss statement, net-worth statement, proof-of-income letter, rental application packet, year-end summary, SBA Form 413, Schedule C, and Form W-9. Learn surfaces concepts when your ledger triggers them.
Garden is not tax preparation, e-filing, or a substitute for a CPA or attorney. See the financial disclaimer.
Installing
Web — Open Garden in a browser. With optional sync off, data is stored locally in the browser on your machine; nothing is uploaded.
Desktop (macOS) — download the application and drag it to Applications.
iPhone — In progress; the site will say when it is available.
Your first twenty minutes
- Add an account. Start with checking and enter its current balance.
- Import a statement. Export a CSV, OFX/QFX, QIF, XLSX, or CAMT.053 file from your bank and drop it in. Garden identifies the date and amount columns and previews the result before saving. See importing.
- Review categories. Correct Garden's guesses; it offers to remember each merchant correction.
- Open Documents. Generate a profit and loss statement and net-worth statement.
Coming from another app
Garden imports YNAB, Monarch, Copilot, Mint, Actual, Lunch Money, and Tiller directly, including categories and accounts. See moving from another app.
Your data
Your ledger stays on your device: no account, sign-in, or server holds it in the local-and-import path.
Optional bank connections use SimpleFIN; no other provider is in this build. You buy and manage your bridge directly from SimpleFIN. Bank data passes through Garden's relay in readable form for the seconds needed to reach your device, then is never stored. Use manual import if you do not want bank linking.
Export everything anytime in an open format. The privacy policy has the full detail and identifies the build gate for each claim.