How Tiller connects to your bank
When you connect a bank account to Tiller, here’s what happens:
You pick your bank
The provider signs in to your bank
The provider retrieves your transactions
Tiller syncs to your spreadsheet
Why Plaid?
Plaid is a financial data platform used by Venmo, Cash App and thousands of fintech apps. It gives apps a secure, reliable bank connection without sharing your bank login with them.
Tiller vs SheetLink: how they connect
Tiller uses Plaid and Yodlee; SheetLink uses Plaid. They also differ in how they sync:
| Feature | Tiller Money | SheetLink |
|---|---|---|
| Bank connection | Plaid and Yodlee | Plaid |
| Sync method | Automatic (daily) | Manual: you press Sync now (privacy-first) |
| Bank connection use | Kept active on Tiller’s side, used every day | Plaid access token encrypted at rest, used only when you press Sync now |
| Platform | Google Sheets + Excel | Google Sheets + Excel add-in (Pro and Max) |
| Annual price | $99/year | Free, or Pro at $4.99/mo ($49/year) |
| Free tier | 30-day trial only | 1 bank, your last 7 days, forever |
Compare SheetLink and Tiller in full ›
Is Plaid safe?
Plaid is used by major financial apps. Its security features include:
- Encryption: data is encrypted in transit and at rest
- Your login stays out of apps: the apps you connect never see your bank username or password
- OAuth support: with many banks you sign in on the bank’s own site, so your password never leaves it
- Read-only connections: a transactions connection can read data but can’t move money
- SOC 2 Type II certified: independently audited security standards
Why SheetLink’s approach is more private
Both tools rely on a bank data provider, but SheetLink takes a more privacy-focused approach:
- Your bank login never reaches SheetLink: Plaid handles sign-in. The Plaid access token that links your bank is encrypted at rest.
- Manual sync: you control when to sync by pressing Sync now. No automatic background connections.
- Transactions aren’t stored: they pass through SheetLink’s server in memory on their way to your sheet.
- Transparent: SheetLink’s Chrome extension is open source, and the code for its CLI and MCP server is public on GitHub, so you can see how they work.
Trade-off: convenience vs privacy
Tiller’s automatic syncing is convenient, but it means your bank connection is used every day, whether or not you open the sheet. SheetLink’s manual approach takes one click to sync. It never sees your bank credentials, and it only uses its encrypted Plaid access token when you press Sync now.
Other bank connection methods
Besides Plaid, apps use other bank connection providers:
- Yodlee (Envestnet): one of Tiller’s two providers, and used by Empower (formerly Personal Capital)
- MX: used by YNAB (alongside Plaid) and many credit unions
- Intuit’s own bank feeds: Mint used them, and QuickBooks still does
- Finicity: Mastercard’s open banking provider
- Akoya: a newer bank data network owned by major banks
Plaid is widely supported and developer-friendly, which is why many financial apps, SheetLink included, choose it, and Tiller uses it alongside Yodlee.
Questions
Does Tiller Money use Plaid?
Yes. Tiller uses two bank data providers, Plaid and Yodlee, and picks one for each bank. Between them, Tiller says it supports more than 20,000 institutions. When your bank connects through Plaid, you go through Plaid’s sign-in flow, the same one used by Venmo, Robinhood and thousands of financial apps.
Is Plaid safe to use with Tiller?
Yes, Plaid is widely used and SOC 2 Type II certified. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, many banks let you sign in on their own site through OAuth, and a transactions connection like Tiller’s or SheetLink’s is read-only: it can’t move money. The main difference between tools is when they use your connection. Tiller keeps your bank connections active for automatic daily sync. SheetLink keeps a Plaid access token, encrypted at rest, but only uses it when you press Sync now, and your transactions pass through its server in memory without being stored.
Does SheetLink also use Plaid?
Yes, SheetLink connects to every bank through Plaid. Tiller uses Plaid for some banks and Yodlee for others. The bigger difference is how sync works: Tiller syncs automatically every day, while SheetLink only syncs when you press Sync now, never sees your bank login, and encrypts its Plaid access tokens at rest. SheetLink is also cheaper: a free tier for one bank and your last 7 days, and Pro at $4.99 a month or $49 a year, against Tiller’s $99 a year.
What banks does Tiller connect to via Plaid?
Tiller connects to more than 20,000 institutions through Plaid and Yodlee, including Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Capital One, most major credit unions, and thousands of smaller institutions. SheetLink connects to 10,000+ banks and credit unions in the US and Canada through Plaid, so most large banks work with both.