Mobile App • 0→1 Development

Pocket Clear shipped a privacy-first iOS expense tracker from scratch

HyperNest Labs built a complete iOS expense tracking app from concept to App Store launch, focusing on offline-first architecture and user privacy.

8 weeks

Build time

Live

App Store

AES-256

Privacy

100%

Offline

Build your mobile app

Client snapshot

Company
Pocket Clear
Industry
Consumer Finance / Mobile
Stage
0→1
Headquarters
Remote

Timeline

  1. Week 1-2

    Product design, architecture planning, and offline-first database design.

  2. Week 3-4

    Core expense tracking features with local encrypted storage.

  3. Week 5-6

    Visual reports, custom categories, and dark/light theme support.

  4. Week 7-8

    Pro features (cloud sync, budgets), App Store submission and launch.

Problem → Action → Outcome

A quick operator-level summary of what changed.

Problem

A founder wanted to build a privacy-first expense tracking app that works offline without connecting to banks or harvesting user data.

Action

HyperNest embedded founding engineers who built the complete iOS app from scratch using Swift, implementing offline-first architecture with AES-256 encryption.

Outcome

Pocket Clear launched on the App Store in 8 weeks with 100% offline support, free unlimited transactions, and a simple $1/month Pro tier.

The challenge

The founder wanted to build a simple expense tracker that respects user privacy—no bank connections, no ads, no data harvesting. The app needed to work completely offline while offering optional cloud sync for Pro users.

  • Build a native iOS app with offline-first architecture
  • Implement AES-256 encryption for local data storage
  • Design an intuitive two-tap transaction entry experience
  • Ship both free and Pro tiers with in-app purchases

What we built

Our founding engineers built Pocket Clear from scratch using Swift and SwiftUI, with a Core Data backend for offline storage and CloudKit for optional sync.

Native iOS development with Swift and SwiftUI
Offline-first Core Data architecture with encryption
CloudKit integration for Pro tier cloud sync
Custom iOS keyboard for quick transaction entry
Beautiful charts and reports using Swift Charts

Impact

Pocket Clear launched on the App Store in under 8 weeks, offering a clean alternative to bloated expense tracking apps.

Shipped production iOS app in 8 weeks
100% offline functionality with AES-256 encryption
Free tier with unlimited transactions
Pro tier at $1/month with cloud backup and budgets

Stack & capabilities

Tools, platforms, and competencies we owned for this engagement.

Mobile

  • Swift
  • SwiftUI
  • Core Data

Backend

  • CloudKit
  • StoreKit 2

Security

  • AES-256
  • Keychain
  • CryptoKit

HyperNest took my simple idea and turned it into a polished iOS app in just 8 weeks. They understood the privacy-first vision from day one.

Pocket Clear Founder

Founder

Need these outcomes for your startup?

We'll replicate the playbook and customize it to your goals.

How this applies to other startups

  • Founders building consumer mobile apps can use the same offline-first patterns we implemented at Pocket Clear.
  • Privacy-focused products can apply our encryption and local-storage-first approach.
  • Solo founders can ship polished iOS apps quickly by partnering with founding engineers.