A bica, a developer, and a mission.
The story behind why Bica exists and where it's going.
What is a bica?
In Lisbon, a bica is an espresso — short, strong, and essential. You drink one every morning, and it quietly sets the tone for the rest of your day.
That's the idea behind Bica the app. You open it, see your finances clearly, and move on with your day. No noise, no complexity — just clarity in a few seconds.
The name is also a nod to where this project was born: Portugal, built by a Portuguese developer, powered by European Open Banking. And if you need a practical reason: Bica stands for Budget In Control, Always.
Hi, I'm António.
I'm a software engineer based in Portugal. I've spent years building products for other people — and during that time, I never found a personal finance tool I actually liked using.
The good ones sold your data. The free ones were clunky. The pretty ones didn't connect to European banks. So I built my own.
Bica is a one-person project. I write the code, design the interface, maintain the servers, and talk to every single user. There's no team, no investors, no board meetings — just me and the product.
Why I'm building Bica.
Most finance apps are built to monetize your data or serve ads. Bica is the opposite: it's funded directly by the people who use it.
Every founding membership — €2/month — goes to Open Banking API costs, servers, and building new features. That's the entire business model. No VC, no ads, no data selling.
I believe personal finance tools should be private, beautiful, and accessible. Bica is my attempt to prove that a single developer, funded by a small community, can build something that actually helps people.
What Bica will always be.
Private by default
Read-only bank access. No data selling. No third-party trackers. Your finances are yours.
Transparent funding
Every euro from memberships goes to infrastructure. You can see exactly what you're paying for.
Built with care
Every screen, every interaction, every line of copy is considered. No dark patterns, no growth hacks.
European first
Built on PSD2 Open Banking, supporting 2,500+ banks across 30+ countries. This is a European product.
Want to be part of this?
20 founding memberships. Full access. You fund the infrastructure directly.
Become a Founding Member