Caban, a Filipino-made finance app, tracks utang and shared expenses for free

The Filipino-developed finance app Caban can track budgets and account for shared expenses, incorporating cultural attitudes around money.

When culture molds spending as a shared responsibility, the usual tactics for financial literacy may not work for most Filipinos. 

A 2025 study by the Boston Consulting Group  found that finances are often viewed as a shared household task, where expenses and roles are delegated among members. Even in the larger community, there are many instances where money serves a social function: think paluwagan, ambagan, or pasalo.

A Filipino-made app that launched early this month is looking to incorporate these cultural practices into financial health and budgeting.

Caban Money Tracker is a familiar budgeting app at its core, but it adds collaborative tools for tracking personal debts, pooled funds, shared bills, and more—all for free.

Tracking down ‘utang’

Named after the Filipino word for “vault,” the Caban app positions itself as a one-stop hub for budget and expense management.

The app comes with standard tools such as expense logging, budget setting, analytical charts, and custom budget categories. Users can also set budget limits, supported by clear visual guides. A clean, easy-to-navigate interface helps set Caban apart when it comes to these basic functions.

Advanced features that are often locked behind paywalls in other apps are free to use on Caban. Users can seamlessly integrate credit cards, subscriptions, loans, and e-wallets for consolidated tracking. The app also sends reminders for due dates and indicates which accounts cover specific expenses.

Where Caban stands out most is its shared expense tracking and utang reminders. To use these features, however, all members of a group must download the app.

The Waisplit (a play on the words “wais” and “split”) feature simplifies bill splitting among friends or shared household expenses. The app also has a separate tab for logging shared budgets, including the option to add shared bank and e-wallet accounts. Reminders are issued for personal debts that remain unpaid.

Caban recorded more than 1,000 downloads within a week of going live on the Google Play Store last January 9.

The app also emphasizes data security, using Google Firebase for encrypted storage alongside regular security audits. Its website clearly lists what user data is collected and how it is processed.

From a “Threads” post to 1,000+ downloads

Caban’s breadth came from community input, shaped in a distinctly Filipino way.

Carl Michael Baylon, Caban’s developer, posted his idea for the app on Threads on November 30, 2025. The post drew hundreds of replies, many of which directly influenced the features eventually built into the app.

It was clear that many Filipinos were frustrated with available budgeting apps on the market—often complicated, messy to look at, limited in features, and carrying expensive add-ons.

“I’ve always been passionate about financial health, but I was tired of hitting paywalls for basic features and using tools that didn’t ‘get’ our culture,” Baylon told radar Business. 

The app is a passion project for Baylon. An engineer by profession, his interest in programming and mobile app development began in senior high school, after taking a specialized strand.

After releasing the app under the moniker Dimosu Tech, Baylon plans to develop more programs aimed at community use, including a platform for consolidating volunteer opportunities and an online hub for outreach activities.

For now, Baylon is continuously updating Caban based on feedback from Threads. Its most recent feature allows users to add a widget to their Android home screen, making it easier to monitor budget limits and current expenses at a glance.

What’s Next for Caban?

Baylon told radar Business that Caban will eventually offer an optional paid subscription, which will use artificial intelligence to analyze spending habits and suggest ways to improve financial decisions. An iOS version is also in the works and is currently awaiting beta testing.

As Filipinos become more conscious of their financial health, technology must keep pace with these changes and reflect local realities. This becomes possible through tools developed by Filipinos, for Filipinos—products that evolve alongside the communities they serve.

 

 

Filipino-developed finance app Caban tracks budgets and shared expenses while reflecting local attitudes around money.

 

 

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