What happened to Mint?
On November 2, 2023, Intuit announced it was shutting down Mint.com after 17 years. The service closed in March 2024. Users were forced to migrate to Credit Karma (also owned by Intuit) or find alternatives.
Many longtime Mint users were frustrated by:
- Loss of features: Credit Karma lacks many budgeting features Mint had
- Forced migration: no choice but to move to Credit Karma or lose data
- Loss of historical data: years of transaction history gone
- Platform risk: a reminder that free services can disappear anytime
Choose the right tool
Choose SheetLink if you…
- Want to own your financial data (not rent it)
- Were frustrated by Mint shutting down
- Want spreadsheet power for custom budgets
- Value privacy (no ads, no data selling)
What Mint had
- Free (paid for by ads and offers)
- Bank sync with automatic categorization
- Simple budgeting and bill tracking
- Shut down in March 2024
Feature comparison: SheetLink vs Mint (when it existed)
| Feature | SheetLink | Mint (discontinued) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active | Shut down in March 2024 |
| Price | Free (1 bank, last 7 days), Pro $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | Free (ad-supported) |
| Sync method | Manual: you press Sync now | Automatic (background) |
| Free tier | 1 bank, your last 7 days | Fully free (no longer available) |
| Ads and offers | No ads, no data selling | Ads and card offers based on your data |
| Data ownership | You own the Google Sheet | Locked in Mint’s platform |
| Platform risk | Low: your data is in your own Google Sheet | High: the service shut down |
| Bank connectivity | Plaid (10,000+ banks) | Intuit’s own bank connections |
| Automatic categorization | Plaid’s categories, on every plan | Built in |
| Budgeting | Build your own in Sheets | Pre-built budgets |
| Spreadsheet flexibility | Full Google Sheets power | Export only |
| Mobile app | Google Sheets app | Native iOS and Android (was) |
| Business use cases | Personal only |
Pricing: SheetLink vs Mint (before the shutdown)
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| SheetLink Free | $0 | 1 bank, your last 7 days |
| SheetLink Pro | $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | Every bank you connect, up to 2 years of history |
| Mint (discontinued) | $0 | Free, paid for by ads and credit card offers on the dashboard. Shut down in March 2024 |
SheetLink syncs when you press Sync now, so you control when your data is accessed. No ads, no data selling.
The real cost of “free”
Mint was free, but you paid with your attention: Intuit made its money from ads and credit card offers matched to your finances. When it shut Mint down, years of history were gone unless you had exported them. SheetLink has a free tier (one bank, your last 7 days), and Pro is $4.99 a month ($39.99 a year) for up to 2 years of history. Either way, your data stays in your own Google Sheet.
Where SheetLink improves on Mint
You own your data
With SheetLink, your financial data lives in your own Google Sheet. You control it, you can export it anytime, and no one can shut off your access. Mint kept your data in its platform: when it shut down, that data was gone unless you’d exported it beforehand. SheetLink removes that platform risk.
Privacy-first, no ads, no data selling
Mint was “free” because its dashboard was full of ads and credit card offers targeted with your financial data. SheetLink has a free tier and charges a small fee for Pro ($4.99 a month) instead. No ads, no data selling, and your transactions aren’t stored on SheetLink’s servers.
Spreadsheet power for custom analysis
Mint had pre-built budgets and reports, but you were limited to its features. SheetLink gives you raw transaction data in Google Sheets. Build custom budgets, create pivot tables, analyze spending patterns and forecast cash flow: anything spreadsheets can do. Far more flexibility than Mint’s fixed structure.
Works for business bookkeeping, not just personal finance
Mint was personal finance only. SheetLink works for freelancers, contractors and small businesses who need to track business expenses. Categorize transactions, build P&L statements and separate business from personal spending, all in Google Sheets.
How to replace Mint with SheetLink
Install the SheetLink Chrome extension
Connect your banks through Plaid
Import your historical Mint data (if you have it)
Build your budget in Google Sheets
Enjoy true data ownership
Questions
What happened to Mint?
Intuit shut down Mint.com in March 2024 and forced users to migrate to Credit Karma. Many users were unhappy with the forced migration and with how many of Mint’s features Credit Karma lacked. SheetLink is a direct replacement for people who want to own their financial data in Google Sheets or Excel.
Is SheetLink a good replacement for Mint?
Yes. SheetLink uses privacy-first manual sync to bring bank transactions into Google Sheets or Excel, much like Mint synced them to its own platform. SheetLink has a free tier (one bank, your last 7 days) and Pro at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. You get more control and flexibility with Google Sheets, and your data isn’t locked in a platform that could shut down.
Does SheetLink cost money like Mint was free?
SheetLink has a free tier (one bank, your last 7 days of transactions) that works forever. Pro is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, for every bank you connect and up to 2 years of history. Mint was “free” because it made its money from ads and credit card offers matched to your finances. SheetLink is privacy-first, with manual sync, no ads and no data selling.
Can I import my Mint data into SheetLink?
Since Mint shut down, you can’t export new data from it. If you exported your Mint transaction history as a CSV before the shutdown, you can import it into Google Sheets by hand. SheetLink then syncs new transactions going forward, picking up where Mint left off.
Why does SheetLink use manual sync instead of automatic?
Privacy and control. Manual sync means you decide when to fetch transactions: in Google Sheets and Excel, SheetLink doesn’t continuously access your bank accounts in the background, and it only fetches transactions when you press Sync now. Plaid handles your bank sign-in, so SheetLink never sees your bank credentials, and the Plaid access tokens that link your accounts are encrypted at rest. That means no background monitoring and complete transparency about when your financial data is accessed.