User Guide

How to use Orbiq

Everything from first sign-in to advanced goals and multi-currency — step by step.

Getting Access

Orbiq is open for registration. Head to orbiq.online and sign up with your Google account — no waitlist, no approval process required.

Requirements

  • A Google account
  • Access from Canada or India
If you have any questions or run into issues during signup, contact orbiq.support@gmail.com.

Try the Demo

Demo Mode

Not ready to import your own data? Demo Mode loads the full application with pre-populated sample transactions, budgets, goals, and recurring payments — no real data required.

How to launch

  1. 1
    Sign in at orbiq.online with your Google account
  2. 2
    Click Try Demo in the navigation or settings area
  3. 3
    Sample data loads — transactions, categories, budgets, goals, recurring payments
  4. 4
    A guided tour auto-starts, walking through every feature step by step

What you can explore

  • Dashboard, charts, and budget views
  • Goals with linear projection — see on-track vs behind-pace indicators
  • AI categorization suggestions and confidence scores
  • Multi-currency view switcher
  • Recurring payment detection
Demo mode does not affect your real data. Click Exit Demo at any time to return to your personal dashboard.

Signing In

Orbiq uses a two-step process to keep your financial data secure.

Step 1 — Cloudflare Identity Verification

On your first visit (or after a session expires), you will see a Cloudflare access screen:

  1. 1
    Enter your approved email address
  2. 2
    Check your inbox for a one-time code from Cloudflare
  3. 3
    Enter the code to proceed

Step 2 — Google Sign-In

  1. 1
    Click Sign in with Google
  2. 2
    Select your Google account (must match your approved email)
  3. 3
    You are redirected to your dashboard

You do not need a separate Orbiq password. Orbiq never sees your Google password.

Signing Out

Click your profile picture (top-right) and select Sign Out. Your session is immediately invalidated on the server — any copy of your session token stops working instantly.

Install as App

Orbiq is a Progressive Web App (PWA) — you can install it on your phone or desktop and use it like a native app, with a home screen icon and a full-screen experience.

Installing on iPhone / iPad

  1. 1
    Open orbiq.online in Safari
  2. 2
    Tap the Share button (box with arrow pointing up)
  3. 3
    Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
  4. 4
    Tap Add — the Orbiq icon appears on your home screen

Installing on Android

  1. 1
    Open orbiq.online in Chrome
  2. 2
    Tap the Install banner at the bottom, or tap the three-dot menu → Add to Home Screen
  3. 3
    Tap Install

Installing on Desktop (Chrome / Edge)

  1. 1
    Open orbiq.online in Chrome or Edge
  2. 2
    Click the install icon (⊕) in the address bar, or look for an Install Orbiq prompt in the browser menu
  3. 3
    Click Install — Orbiq opens as a standalone window
After two or more visits, Orbiq automatically shows an install prompt at the bottom of the screen. You can dismiss it and it will not reappear for 14 days.

Offline

If you lose connectivity, Orbiq shows an offline banner. Your last-loaded data remains visible; new imports and syncs resume automatically when you are back online.

Dashboard Overview

The dashboard is your financial command centre. It shows:

SectionWhat it shows
Net for the monthIncome minus expenses for the current month
Spending by categoryBar chart of top spending categories
Budget progressWhich budgets are on track vs. over
Spending paceAre you spending faster or slower than usual for this point in the month?
Anomaly alertsUnusual charges detected vs. your historical patterns
Top merchantsWhere most of your money is going
Monthly trendMonth-over-month comparison chart

Use the month selector at the top to navigate any previous month. Use the currency selector to view all amounts in CAD, USD, or INR.

Setting Up Your Accounts

Before importing transactions, set up your bank accounts in Orbiq.

  1. 1
    Navigate to Accounts in the sidebar
  2. 2
    Click Add Account
  3. 3
    Fill in: Name, Type (Chequing / Savings / Credit Card), Default Currency, Credit Limit, Statement Day, and Utilization Target
For credit card prepayment alerts to work accurately, set the Credit Limit, Statement Day, and Utilization Target on each credit card account.

Importing Bank Statements

Orbiq never connects to your bank directly. You export a file from your bank's website and drop it into Orbiq. Orbiq auto-detects the format and routes it to the correct import flow — no extra steps needed.

Supported formats at a glance

FormatExtensionsBest for
CSV / Excel.csv, .xls, .xlsxMost Canadian banks (BMO, RBC, CIBC, Amex, EQ Bank, TD, Scotiabank)
Bank file (OFX / QFX / QBO).ofx, .qfx, .qboQuicken-compatible exports — no column mapping, transactions are already fully structured
Screenshots.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp, .heicMobile banking app screenshots, paper statement photos — AI reads the image and extracts transactions
Drop any file on the Import page — Orbiq detects the format by extension and routes it automatically. You never choose the import method manually.

CSV and Excel import

The most common path. Export your statement from your bank's website and drop it in.

BankHow to export
BMOSign in → Accounts → Select account → Download transactions → CSV
CIBCSign in → Credit Cards → Transaction History → Download → CSV
RBCSign in → My Accounts → Download Transactions → CSV
Amex CanadaSign in → Statement → Download → Excel (XLS)
EQ BankSign in → Account → Transaction History → Export → CSV
TD / ScotiabankSign in → Accounts → Download or Export transactions → CSV or PDF
  1. 1
    Navigate to Import in the sidebar
  2. 2
    Drag and drop the file, or click to browse
  3. 3
    Orbiq detects your bank and shows a preview — check dates, amounts, and descriptions
  4. 4
    Select which Account to import into
  5. 5
    Click Confirm Import

Orbiq skips duplicate transactions automatically (detected by a hash of date + amount + description), applies your categorization rules immediately, and sends uncategorized transactions to the AI.

Manual column mapping

If your bank format is not auto-recognized, a column mapping screen appears. Assign the date, amount, and description columns once — your mapping is saved and applied on future uploads from the same file layout.

OFX / QFX / QBO bank file import

OFX-format files (used by Quicken, Mint, and many Canadian institutions) are structured data — no column guessing. Orbiq parses them directly and can auto-match multiple accounts by their last 4 digits.

  1. 1
    Export an .ofx, .qfx, or .qbo file from your bank (look for "Download to Quicken" or "Export financial data")
  2. 2
    Drop the file on the Import page — Orbiq detects the extension and opens the bank file flow
  3. 3
    Account matching: Orbiq reads each account block in the file and tries to match it to an existing Orbiq account by last 4 digits. Matched accounts are confirmed automatically; unmatched ones show a picker. You can also create a new Orbiq account on the spot.
  4. 4
    Sign review: A preview shows sample transactions with amounts already signed correctly. Credit card accounts default to flipping signs so purchases appear as positive expenses — toggle the flip if the preview looks wrong.
  5. 5
    Click Confirm Import — Orbiq de-duplicates by bank transaction ID (more reliable than hashing), so re-downloading the same period never creates duplicates
If the file contains multiple accounts (e.g., a combined chequing + credit card export), Orbiq handles all of them in one pass. Each account is mapped and confirmed separately.

Screenshot import

No CSV? No problem. Drop a mobile banking screenshot or a photo of a paper statement — Orbiq's AI reads the image and extracts each transaction for you to review before importing.

  1. 1
    Take a screenshot of your banking app transaction list (PNG, JPG, WEBP, or HEIC — up to 5 images per batch)
  2. 2
    Drop the images on the Import page — Orbiq detects them as screenshots and opens the screenshot flow
  3. 3
    Select the Account to import into and tap Parse Screenshots
  4. 4
    Orbiq processes the images and shows a list of extracted transactions. Each row shows date, description, amount, and direction (expense/income). Rows with low confidence are flagged.
  5. 5
    Review flagged rows — tap any row to edit the date, amount, or description inline before importing
  6. 6
    Click Finalize Import to save the reviewed transactions
FlagWhat it means
Possible duplicateA transaction with the same date and amount was already imported — review before confirming
Direction unclearThe AI could not determine whether this is a debit or credit — set it manually
Amount unclearThe amount was partially obscured or ambiguous in the image — verify and correct
Missing amountNo amount was detected — enter it manually before importing
Screenshot import accuracy depends on image quality. Use clear, unobstructed screenshots at native screen resolution. Avoid blurry or cropped images.

Import history & rollback

Every import is recorded. Navigate to Import → History to see each past import with the file name, date, transaction count, and duplicates skipped.

To undo an import, click it in the history list and select Roll Back. This removes all transactions brought in by that specific import — transactions that already existed or were added by other imports are untouched. Rollback is permanent; export a backup first if you are unsure.

Categorizing Transactions

Categories form the basis of your budgets and spending analysis. Orbiq categorizes transactions in three passes — the fastest and most accurate method available runs first.

Three-pass automatic categorization

  1. 1
    Your rules run first. If a transaction matches a saved rule (e.g., "Netflix" → Entertainment), it is categorized instantly — no AI involved.
  2. 2
    Keyword heuristics. Common, unambiguous merchants (grocery stores, internet providers, major dining chains) are categorized deterministically before any AI call. Fast and always correct for known patterns.
  3. 3
    AI fills the gaps. Any transaction still uncategorized is sent to the AI, which returns a suggested category with a confidence score. Low-confidence suggestions (especially "Other / Miscellaneous") are flagged for your review rather than applied silently.
All transaction data sent to the AI is scrubbed for personal information before it leaves the app — names, account numbers, addresses, and exact amounts are redacted or generalized. The AI only sees what it needs to suggest a category.

Reviewing uncategorized transactions

  1. 1
    Click Uncategorized in the sidebar (the badge shows the count)
  2. 2
    For each transaction, review the AI suggestion and its confidence score
  3. 3
    Accept the suggestion, pick a different category, or skip
  4. 4
    Optionally check Save as rule — future transactions matching the same description will be categorized automatically, no AI needed

AI quota and rate limits

When running Suggest All on a large batch, Orbiq may reach the AI provider's rate limit. When this happens, Orbiq shows your partial progress — how many were processed, how many matched, and how many remain — so you know exactly where to continue after a short wait. You are never left with a silent failure.

Bulk categorize

Select multiple transactions with checkboxes in the transaction list and use Bulk Categorize to assign the same category to all at once.

Creating and managing categories

  1. 1
    Navigate to Categories
  2. 2
    Click New Category → set name, icon, and class (Expense / Income / Transfer / Investment)
  3. 3
    Enable Exclude from summary for inter-account transfers so they do not inflate your spending totals

Categorization rules

Navigate to Rules in the sidebar to manage all saved rules. Orbiq offers two powerful rule-building modes:

  • Simple mode — keyword and category matching. Select a category and enter a keyword (exact or contains match) — perfect for quick, common patterns like "Netflix" → Entertainment
  • Advanced mode — nested conditions, logical operators (AND/OR), and rule groups. Build complex rules like "(Merchant contains 'Grocery' AND amount > 50) OR (Description contains 'Market')" for sophisticated categorization

Switch between modes anytime — Simple rules convert to Advanced and back without data loss. Rules are prioritized from top to bottom; the first match wins.

Tags

Tags are colored labels you attach to transactions — independent of categories. Use them to group spending across any cross-cutting theme: a vacation, a home renovation project, a client, a one-off event. A transaction keeps its category and gains as many tags as you like.

Creating Tags

  1. 1
    Navigate to Tags in the sidebar
  2. 2
    Click New Tag
  3. 3
    Enter a name (e.g. Bali-2026) and pick a color
  4. 4
    Click Save — the tag is now available across the whole app

Tagging Transactions

  • One at a time: open a transaction → click inside the Tags field → type to search or pick from the list → save
  • Bulk apply: select multiple transactions with checkboxes → click Apply Tag in the bulk action bar → pick one or more tags
  • By date range: click Tag by Date Range in the Transactions header → set a start and end date, optional account/category filter, and choose tags → Orbiq tags all matching transactions server-side in one step

Filtering and Searching by Tag

  • Use the Tag filter in the transaction list filter bar to show only transactions with a specific tag (OR logic — any selected tag matches)
  • Type #tagname in the search box to filter by tag inline, e.g. #bali dinner finds transactions tagged bali that also contain "dinner"

Tags in Charts

In the Chart Builder, select tags as a filter or choose Group by Tag to see spending broken down per tag.

When grouping by tag, a transaction with multiple tags appears in full under each tag bucket — totals across buckets can exceed your total spend. This is expected and is noted in the chart.

Renaming and Deleting Tags

Open Tags in the sidebar → click the edit icon on any tag to rename or recolor it, or the trash icon to delete it. Deleting a tag removes it from all transactions automatically.

Budgets

Set spending limits per category and track how you are doing in real time.

Creating a Budget

  1. 1
    Navigate to Budgets
  2. 2
    Click Add Budget
  3. 3
    Select a category and set a monthly amount — fixed (e.g., $500 for Groceries) or percent of income (e.g., 15%)

Reading the Budget Dashboard

Each budget card shows: amount spent, budget limit, a progress bar (green → yellow → red), and amount remaining. The Global Limit at the top covers your total monthly cap across all categories.

Email alerts for budget status can be configured in Settings → Notifications.

Credit Card Health

Orbiq tracks your credit card utilization and helps you pay down your balance before your statement closes — the date your credit bureau records your utilization.

Credit Card Health settings (credit limit, statement day, utilization target) apply only to accounts set up as Credit Card type. Chequing and savings accounts do not have these fields.

Setting up a credit card account

For the health dashboard to work accurately, each credit card account needs three values set:

FieldWhat to enterWhy it matters
Credit LimitYour card's total credit limit (e.g., 5000)Used to calculate current utilization %
Statement DayDay of the month your statement closes (e.g., 25)Orbiq knows which transactions count toward the current statement cycle
Utilization TargetYour target utilization %, e.g. 30Orbiq compares current utilization against this target to determine status

Go to Accounts → click your credit card → click Edit to set these values.

Reading the Credit Card Health dashboard

Navigate to Credit Card Health in the sidebar. For each credit card, Orbiq shows:

  • Current balance — sum of all charges since the last statement date
  • Credit limit — from your account settings
  • Current utilization % — balance ÷ limit × 100
  • Your target % — your self-set goal
  • Status indicator — On target / Approaching / Over target

Prepayment alerts

If utilization is trending above your target before your statement date, Orbiq sends an email alert. Make a payment before the statement closes to keep your bureau utilization low.

  1. 1
    Go to Settings → Notifications
  2. 2
    Enable Credit Card Prepayment Alerts
  3. 3
    Choose: Daily reminders (every day you are over target) or One-time alert (only when you first cross the threshold)

Recurring Payments

Orbiq automatically identifies recurring charges from your transaction history using a two-mode detection engine.

Detection Modes

ModeHow it worksWhen to use
Quick ScanFully deterministic — checks interval regularity, amount stability, and day-of-month consistency against a built-in database of known subscriptions and utilities. No data leaves the app.Default. Fast and private.
Smart ScanSame statistical pipeline, but unknown merchant names are classified by AI to fill in a confidence score. Only merchant strings (never amounts or account IDs) are sent externally. Results are cached globally so each merchant is only classified once.When Quick Scan misses unusual merchants or local businesses.

Running a Scan

  1. 1
    Navigate to Upcoming in the sidebar
  2. 2
    Click Auto-Detect — Orbiq runs a Quick Scan and shows detected subscriptions with frequency, last charged amount, and next expected date
  3. 3
    Optionally click Smart Scan to classify any unrecognized merchants with AI assistance
  4. 4
    Review suggestions and click Add on any you want to track

Managing Recurring Payments

  • Click Add Recurring Payment to log a subscription manually
  • Click any existing payment to update amount, frequency, or next due date
  • Mark payments as auto-pay to distinguish from manual bills
  • Enable Amount varies for utilities or variable-rate bills
If a recurring charge amount changes unexpectedly, Orbiq flags it on the dashboard and can notify you by email.

Goals & Investment Tracking

Orbiq's goal tracker goes beyond a progress bar. It applies linear projection to estimate when you will actually reach your goal based on your current saving pace.

Creating a Goal

  1. 1
    Navigate to Goals
  2. 2
    Click Add Goal
  3. 3
    Set: goal name, target amount, optional target date, and optional linked category

Category-Based Goals

Link a goal to a spending or savings category. Transactions in that category automatically update the goal balance — no manual logging required.

GoalLinked Category
Vacation FundTravel
Investment PortfolioInvestments
Emergency ReserveSavings
Home RenovationHome Improvement

Linear Projection

Orbiq calculates your projected arrival date based on contribution rate over recent months. The projection updates each time you import new transactions.

  • Ahead of pace: projected date is earlier than your target — shown in green
  • Behind pace: projected date is later than your target — shown in amber with a gap indicator
  • No target date: projection shows estimated completion at current rate

Adding Money Manually

Open the goal → click Add Money → enter amount and date. Useful for cash savings or transfers not captured in imported statements.

Multi-Currency

Orbiq supports CAD, USD, and INR natively — at the data model level, not just as a display conversion.

Setting Your Home Currency

Go to Settings → Preferences → set Home Currency (default: CAD). All dashboard totals convert to your home currency automatically.

Per-Account Currency

Each account has a default currency. Transactions imported from that account are recorded in that currency, with the original amount and exchange rate preserved per transaction.

Viewing in a Different Currency

Use the currency selector on the dashboard to switch views. Every chart, budget, and goal recalculates instantly. Exchange rates are fetched for the exact transaction date — not today's rate.

You can manually override the exchange rate on any individual transaction if the auto-fetched rate is incorrect.

Custom Charts

Build and save your own visualizations from your transaction data.

  1. 1
    Navigate to Charts
  2. 2
    Click New Chart
  3. 3
    Choose chart type (bar, line, pie), data source, date range, and filters
  4. 4
    Click Save Chart to persist it on your Charts page

Saved charts recalculate in real time as you import new data and can be deleted at any time.

Email Notifications

NotificationDescription
Credit card prepayment alertBefore your statement date if utilization is high
Recurring payment reminderBefore an upcoming recurring charge
Anomaly alertUnusual spending vs. your historical baseline
Monthly summaryEnd-of-month spending breakdown digest

Configuring

Navigate to Admin → Notification Settings. Toggle each type on or off. For prepayment alerts, choose between daily reminders or a one-time threshold alert. All notifications go to the email associated with your Google account.

Backup & Restore

Exporting Your Data

  1. 1
    Navigate to Admin → Backup
  2. 2
    Click Export Database
  3. 3
    Save the backup file to a safe location (encrypted storage or external drive)

The export includes all transactions, categories, budgets, rules, accounts, and settings.

Restoring from Backup

Restoring overwrites all current data. Export a fresh backup first if you want to preserve current state.
  1. 1
    Navigate to Admin → Backup
  2. 2
    Click Import / Restore
  3. 3
    Upload your backup file and confirm

Recommendations

  • Export at least monthly
  • Store in at least two separate locations
  • Test your backup by restoring it in a fresh session periodically

Subscription & Support

Monthly Subscription

Orbiq is CAD $9 per month, billed in Canadian dollars. Payments are processed securely via Stripe.

  • No annual lock-in — cancel any time, no questions asked
  • Your data remains accessible and exportable after cancellation
  • Subscription management: orbiq.online/app/settings?tab=billing

Buy Us a Coffee

If Orbiq has saved you time or money and you want to show support without a recurring subscription, make a one-time donation via PayPal: Donate here.

Account Settings

Personal Preferences

Navigate to Admin → Settings to configure: Home Currency (CAD / USD / INR) and display name.

Resetting Your Data

Admin → Reset allows selective deletion of transactions, budgets, categories, rules, or all data. This is irreversible — export a backup first.

FAQ

Does Orbiq access my bank account directly?
No. Orbiq never connects to your bank. You export statements manually from your bank's website and upload the CSV, Excel, OFX, or screenshot file.
Is my data shared with anyone?
Your transaction data is stored on the Orbiq server and is never sold or used for advertising. When AI categorization is used, transaction descriptions are scrubbed for personal information (names, account numbers, addresses, exact amounts) before any data leaves the app. The AI receives only what it needs to suggest a category.
What file formats can I import?
CSV, Excel (.xls / .xlsx), OFX / QFX / QBO bank files, and screenshots (PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC). Drop any file on the Import page — Orbiq detects the format automatically.
What happens if I can't access the app?
Orbiq is accessible from Canada and India only. If you are traveling elsewhere and need access, contact orbiq.support@gmail.com.
Can I use Orbiq on my phone or tablet?
Yes. Orbiq is designed for all screen sizes — phone, iPad, and desktop. Install it as a home screen app for a full-screen, native-feel experience. See Section 4 for install steps.
What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription?
Your data stays on the server. You can export a full backup at any time before or after cancelling. There is no lock-in.
Is the CAD $9 really CAD and not USD?
Yes. It is Canadian dollars. We are explicit about this because many SaaS tools list prices in USD without disclosure. CAD $9 is CAD $9.
What if a transaction is categorized incorrectly?
Click the transaction, select the correct category, and optionally save a rule so future similar transactions are categorized correctly automatically.
How do I prevent duplicate transactions when importing?
Orbiq detects duplicates automatically. For CSV/Excel/PDF files, it hashes each transaction's date, amount, and description. For OFX/QFX/QBO files, it uses the bank's own transaction ID — more reliable and handles re-downloads of the same period without duplicates.
Can I undo an import?
Yes. Go to Import → History, find the import you want to undo, and click Roll Back. This removes only the transactions from that specific import. Other data is untouched.
Can I track cash transactions?
Yes. You can manually add transactions from the Transactions page — useful for cash expenses or transactions not in exported statements.
Why does my credit card show a utilization target but my chequing account doesn't?
Credit limit, statement day, and utilization target are only relevant for credit cards. Chequing and savings accounts do not have these fields — Orbiq only shows settings that apply to the account type you set up.
The AI categorized most things correctly but put some in "Other". Why?
Orbiq caps the AI's confidence for "Other / Miscellaneous" at a low threshold. If the AI is not sure, it would rather show a low-confidence suggestion for you to confirm than silently assign everything to a catch-all bucket. Review those in the Uncategorized queue and create a rule to handle them next time.
How do I get help?
Contact orbiq.support@gmail.com with any questions or issues.