Put your finances on autopilot with automatic transfers and budgeting tools.
Astra is a savings automation app that lets you automatically transfer funds between accounts, create routines to automate your savings and track your progress toward goals. But you can’t use it to automate bills.
Cassidy Horton is a writer for Finder, specializing in banking and investments. She has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University. Cassidy enjoys educating people about financial services, exploring the Pacific Northwest and watching endless reruns of The Office.
Expert review
Astra is an intuitive app that allows you to fast-track your savings goals. It uses automation to enable interaction between your accounts in a seamless way. It allows you to set up dynamic rules to automate transfers between accounts making the process of saving money almost effortless. Astra is also free and at that price point, the app is definitely worth trying. It can be a great way to put your savings on autopilot.
But if you’re looking for a more hands-on approach to your daily cash flow or want greater control over your personal investment accounts, Astra may not be the app for you. Apps like YNAB and Acorns are better options for this. YNAB allows you to track every dollar in your account while Acorns provides a number of investment options.
How to sign up
Get started with Astra in six steps:
Go to the provider’s site and follow the steps to apply.
From the provider site, select App and then Download App.
Enter your phone number.
Download the app on the iOS or Android app store.
Enter your full name, mailing address, date of birth and Social Security number to create a verified account.
Link all your checking and savings accounts by signing into the bank accounts through the app.
How does Astra work?
Astra syncs with over 10,000 financial accounts through Plaid. Once you connect your accounts, you can view all your balances in the Astra dashboard. Astra lets you split your existing bank accounts into virtual subaccounts for your savings goals.
Also, set up automations to automate transfers based on predefined rules. For example, one rule could say, “Starting February 1, 2021, transfer all funds over $1,000 from my Chase checking account to my Marcus savings account on the first of every month.”
If the app tries to make a transfer that will bring your balance below $0, it’ll decline the transfer.
What are the pros and cons of Astra?
Astra is designed to reduce the complexity of your financial life and has these pros and cons:
Pros
Automate your transfers. Instead of having to remember to transfer money, Astra does it for you using dynamic automation rules you create.
Fast-track your savings goals. Astra allows you to set up savings goals for each of your accounts and track your progress toward those goals.
Free to use. Astra is free to use, unlike competitor Digit that charges $5 a month and Qapital that charges $3, $6 or $12 depending on the plan.
Can’t overdraw on your account. If you have a low balance or insufficient funds in your account, the app won’t initiate transfers. You can set up threshold notifications to limit these transfers.
Cons
Can’t pay bills. The app only lets you automate transfers between accounts and can’t pay bills to external vendors.
Transaction limit. There is a limit of $1,000 per transaction, which is low compared to other apps. For instance, Qapital allows transfers and withdrawals up to $7,000 each day and Stash limits daily transfers to $10,000.
Can’t connect to PayPal. You can’t connect your PayPal account to Astra, which could be a drawback if you use it to send and receive money.
Looking for an app with higher transaction limits? Check out our best money savings apps guide to learn more about the apps that make saving easier.
Is Astra safe to use?
Yes, Astra is safe to use. The app links to your accounts through Plaid, an encrypted software owned by Visa. The app also has integrated fraud protection and SSL encryption.
Compare Astra to other budgeting apps
Use this table to see how Astra stacks up against the competition:
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Transfers between accounts typically take anywhere from two to eight business days to process. You can always check the status of transfers in process on the Timeline tab.
No. Astra only allows transfers between accounts held by a single user. If you try to connect accounts that belong to another user, the app will flag your account and you may be removed from the platform.
No. Astra is not a bank, so it’s not covered by FDIC insurance. Its goal is to simply automate the transfer of funds between accounts and make the process of managing your finances more simple. It’s recommended that large balances are held in accounts registered with your financial institution and not in your Astra Wallet.
At Finder, we value and respect our editorial independence. We keep our reviews completely factual so you can use them to make better decisions. While we may receive revenue and referral fees from advertising and affiliate links, advertisers do not approve our reviews.
Astra is an intuitive app that allows you to fast-track your savings goals. It uses automation to enable interaction between your accounts in a seamless way. It allows you to set up dynamic rules to automate transfers between accounts making the process of saving money almost effortless. Astra is also free and at that price point, the app is definitely worth trying. It can be a great way to put your savings on autopilot.
But if you’re looking for a more hands-on approach to your daily cash flow or want greater control over your personal investment accounts, Astra may not be the app for you. Apps like YNAB and Acorns are better options for this. YNAB allows you to track every dollar in your account while Acorns provides a number of investment options.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.