Plaid Sync

Alto integrates with Plaid for connecting accounts and syncing transactions. Plaid is optional: you can run Alto fully manual.

Connect an account

Use Plaid if you want Alto to pull transactions from your bank or card automatically.

  1. Go to Accounts.
  2. Select the Plaid connect option.
  3. Choose your institution and complete the connection.
  4. Return to Alto and let the first sync complete.

What to expect from sync

  • New transactions may take a bit to appear depending on your bank.
  • Some transactions may show as pending before they fully clear.
  • If you already entered transactions manually, Alto may ask you to review possible duplicates.

Adding more accounts from the same bank

If you’ve already connected a bank, you can typically add additional accounts (checking, savings, or credit) through the same connection.

First sync and balances

The first sync is mainly about getting you to a clean starting point so future transactions can be tracked reliably. If something looks off after the first sync, give it a minute and refresh—banks can post data in bursts.

“Pending matches” (manual vs bank)

If Alto thinks a bank-synced transaction matches a manual transaction, it will show a review prompt so you can avoid duplicates.

Resolution options
  • Link: update the manual transaction with Plaid data so you only have one copy.
  • Skip: keep both transactions (useful if they are actually different).

Linking several accounts at once

You don't have to link accounts one at a time. Connect every bank you want first, then tick the accounts you want to track — the selection carries across all your connections — and link them together.

Before they link, you get one screen listing every selected account, where you set each one's name and type, or point it at an Alto account you already have. Bear in mind account names must be unique, and banks often return every card with the same label, so you may need to tell a couple of them apart.

Linking several accounts from one bank is no slower than linking one: Alto imports that bank's transactions once and shares them across the accounts.

Hiding bank accounts

If your bank connection includes accounts you don't want to track in Alto (like a joint account or business account), you can hide them. Hidden accounts won't sync transactions and won't appear in your account list.

Note
Hiding an account is different from disconnecting. The connection to your bank remains active, so you can unhide the account later if you change your mind.

Disconnecting

You can disconnect a linked account at any time from the account details screen. Disconnecting stops future syncing for that account; it does not delete your existing transactions.