How to Scan Receipts to Track Expenses with a Receipt Scanner App

Why scan receipts instead of typing expenses?

Typing every purchase is where most expense tracking habits fall apart. A receipt already contains the information you need, so photographing it is usually faster and more accurate than retyping the total from memory later in the day.

Scanning also helps with purchases that are easy to forget, such as a supermarket run with many items or a pharmacy visit. Instead of a pile of paper in your wallet, you end up with a clean, categorized record.

How do you scan a receipt in catetin.ai?

The process takes a few seconds once you are used to it. The AI handles the reading; you just confirm that the result looks right.

1. Open catetin.ai and tap Add Transaction.
2. Select the receipt photo option.
3. Point your camera at the receipt and take a clear photo.
4. The AI reads the amount, category, date and merchant automatically.
5. Check the details and edit anything that needs fixing.

Can you scan receipts on the free plan?

Yes. On the Free plan, receipt scanning works through the AI chat: you send a receipt photo in the chat and the AI turns it into a transaction. You can send 1 photo per chat, and the Free plan includes 3 receipt scans per month.

Premium includes 50 receipt scans per month and Pro includes 250. If you need a few more without changing plans, one-time quota top-ups add scans that never expire: Mini adds 8, Standard adds 25 and Max adds 50.

Tips for more accurate receipt scans

AI receipt reading is good, but it is not magic. A blurry, crumpled or faded receipt may need a quick check, and the AI might occasionally choose a category you would not have picked. Both are easy to correct.

• Lay the receipt flat and photograph it in good light, avoiding shadows over the total.
• Make sure the whole receipt, especially the total and date, is inside the frame.
• Scan thermal receipts soon after purchase, before the print fades.
• Double-check the total when a receipt shows tax, tips or discounts on separate lines.
• If a category is wrong, edit it; manual edits are always free and unlimited.

What happens to your receipts after scanning?

Each scan becomes a normal transaction, so it shows up in your dashboard totals, Expense Trend and Spending Breakdown by category. Over a month, this gives you an honest picture of where your money goes, whether that is S$8 hawker meals or larger grocery shops.

If you track spending in a shared group, a receipt scanned by one member appears in the group record for everyone. When you need the data elsewhere, you can export transactions as CSV and open them in Excel or Google Sheets.

Get started with receipt scanning

Download catetin.ai from the App Store or Google Play, or use it in your browser at web.catetin.ai. Desktop apps are also available. Sign in with Google or Apple, then try scanning the next receipt you get; it is the quickest way to see whether photo-based tracking suits you.

Frequently asked questions