User Guides & Tutorials

How to Use Zoption

Step-by-step walkthroughs to help you master your budget, adjust balances, scan receipts, and reach your financial goals.

Accounts & Balances

How to Adjust Current Account Balances

Keep your Zoption balances in exact sync with your real-world cash, bank accounts, and e-wallets without messing up your ledger.

Locate your Account on the Dashboard

On your Dashboard under 'Account balances', you will see your Cash, Bank, and any custom accounts (like GCash, Maya, or Savings).

Tip: You can adjust any account at any time, including default Cash and Bank accounts.

Click the 'Adjust balance' icon

Click the Sliders icon (Adjust balance) directly next to the account name, or click the 'Adjust balance' button in the section header.

Type your real-world actual balance

Type the exact amount you currently have in your wallet or bank account. Zoption will calculate the difference automatically.

Tip: If your new balance is higher, Zoption books it as an Income Adjustment. If lower, it books as an Expense Adjustment under Uncategorized.

Save or Undo if needed

Click 'Save adjustment'. If you made a typo, you can immediately click 'Undo adjustment' to reverse the transaction and restore your previous balance.

Budgeting

How to Use Envelope Budgeting

Allocate monthly spending limits per category so you know exactly how much you have left to spend.

Open the Budgets tab

Navigate to the Budgets page from the sidebar or mobile bottom bar. You'll see your monthly spending breakdown.

Create envelopes for your key spending categories

Set budget targets for Groceries, Dining Out, Utilities, Transportation, and Personal Care. Each category functions as an envelope of money.

Track envelope progress throughout the month

As you log expenses, Zoption updates your envelope progress bars in real time. Green means well within budget, yellow means close, and red alerts you to overspending.

Share envelopes with household members

Need a shared grocery or household budget? Click 'Share envelopes' to generate a secure, encrypted link for your partner or roommate.

Tip: Shared budgets let both parties see remaining envelope amounts without sharing personal bank credentials.

Transactions

Fast Transaction Entry: Voice, Receipts & SMS

Log expenses in seconds using camera receipt scanning, natural voice dictation, or SMS auto-fill.

Camera Receipt Scanning

Click 'Scan receipt' on the dashboard or use the mobile camera. Take a photo of your paper receipt or upload an e-receipt screenshot. Zoption extracts the total, date, merchant, and line items.

AI Voice Dictation

Open the AI Assistant or tap the microphone icon on mobile. Say something natural like 'Paid 250 pesos for lunch at Jollibee using GCash'. The assistant parses the amount, account, and category instantly.

Bank & E-Wallet SMS Notification Parsing

Copy transaction SMS alerts from GCash, Maya, BDO, or BPI and paste them directly into Zoption's Quick Paste modal. It detects the amount, reference number, and merchant.

Importing Data

Importing Bank Statements & CSVs

Bulk import past bank and e-wallet statements with smart column mapping and duplicate detection.

Download your statement CSV

Log into your online banking or e-wallet (BDO, BPI, UnionBank, GCash, Maya, Bank of America, etc.) and download your transaction history as a CSV file.

Upload to the Import Hub

Go to Import in Zoption and drag-and-drop your file. Zoption recognizes standard bank formats automatically.

Review duplicate checks & category matches

Zoption checks each row against existing ledger transactions to prevent double-counting. Confirm the categories and import in one click.

Subscriptions

Tracking Subscriptions & Recurring Bills

Never miss a renewal date or pay for an unused service with scheduled bill tracking and cancellation guides.

Add your active recurring services

Add services like Netflix, Spotify, gym memberships, internet bills, or insurance premiums with their renewal cycle (monthly or annual).

Track renewal reminders and cash flow impact

See upcoming charge dates on your Calendar and review your 30-day and annual subscription burn rate.

Use Step-by-Step Cancellation Guides

Want to cancel a service? Zoption provides direct links and instructions on how to cancel subscriptions across major platforms without hassle.

Privacy & Sync

Offline Use & Zero-Knowledge Encryption

Understand how your financial data is protected and how to use Zoption anywhere, even without an internet connection.

Local-First Architecture

On the mobile app, your workspace is stored in an encrypted local SQLite database. You can record transactions, check budgets, and review balances completely offline.

Automatic Background Sync

When you reconnect to Wi-Fi or cellular data, Zoption syncs your changes automatically with conflict resolution.

Client-Side Encryption

Your sensitive financial ledger is encrypted before it leaves your device. Only you possess the credentials to decrypt your records.