Show HN: Write It Down – Personal finance tracker

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Simplicity vs. AI Hype

  • Many commenters welcome a non‑AI, single‑purpose tool and are tired of products that bolt on LLMs “for the hype.”
  • Several note that tech goes through hype cycles (blockchain, microservices, AI, etc.), but most end up as just another tool, not a universal solution.
  • A recurring theme: users care more about something that works and is easy than about technical sophistication or flexibility.

Spreadsheets for Personal Finance

  • A lot of people already use custom spreadsheets (often for many years) and feel they understand and trust them more than apps.
  • Manual entry is seen as a feature by some: it keeps them “in touch” with their spending, unlike fully automated sync.
  • Others argue manual tracking is too much effort, especially with many transactions and multiple household members.

AI’s Role in Finance and Beyond

  • Some argue consumer personal finance is mostly a solved problem with simple rules; AI adds little and mistakes are unacceptable.
  • Others strongly disagree, expecting AI to handle taxes, categorization, reconciliation, and analysis as models improve.
  • There’s substantial concern about hallucinations, overconfidence, lack of friction, and the risk of trust leading to un‑checked errors.
  • One subthread highlights huge claimed productivity gains from AI in video production, suggesting video is a major disruption area.

Privacy, Data Ownership, and Google Sheets

  • Supporters like that a Google Sheet can be copied and used indefinitely without relying on a vendor backend.
  • Critics push back on marketing that frames Sheets as “owning your data,” pointing out it still lives with a large “AI megacorp” and is tied to a real‑identity account.
  • Some say they’d prefer Excel/LibreOffice versions to avoid Google entirely.

Marketing, Trust, and Presentation

  • Multiple commenters say the landing page copy feels like LinkedIn/AI prose: repetitive, generic, and “AI‑sounding.”
  • The testimonial photos coming from randomuser.me make several people suspect fake reviews; there’s debate and defensiveness about this.
  • Suggestions include removing obvious AI illustrations, using real or source‑linked testimonials, and clearer wording (“testimonials” vs. “opinions”).

Pricing, Adoption, and Alternatives

  • Many view $5 one‑time as fair or even underpriced for a polished template; others say it’s “just a spreadsheet” and wouldn’t pay at all.
  • Commenters are surprised a simple sheet can gain thousands of users in a crowded space; the consensus is that focus and simplicity resonate.
  • Several share their own tools (web apps, CLI tools, self‑hosted budgets, Telegram bots), underscoring the wide variety of preferences but broad agreement that simple, user‑controlled solutions are valuable.