RecTrack

Inspiration

We were inspired by how much useful information is hidden in everyday shopping receipts. Most people throw receipts away without thinking twice, despite them containing valuable insights into their spending habits.

We wanted to turn something ordinary into something meaningful by helping people understand where their money actually goes. We also wanted to make financial awareness more engaging and less intimidating through a playful and interactive experience

What it does

RecTrack transforms everyday shopping receipts into personalised spending insights.

Users can upload or take a photo of a receipt, which AI analyses to extract key information such as the shop, date, purchased items and prices. The app then categorises purchases and turns the data into accessible spending breakdowns and insights.

Rather than simply displaying numbers, RecTrack makes discovering spending habits fun through playful observations, spending patterns and personalised labels.

How we built it

We built RecTrack as a mobile application using React Native and Expo, allowing users to scan or upload shopping receipt images directly from their devices.

We integrated the OpenRouter API (using its free-tier models) to power the AI processing of receipt data. The AI analyses receipt images, extracts information such as shop names, dates, purchased items and prices, and helps organise purchases into spending categories.

We then use this structured information to present spending breakdowns and generate personalised, engaging insights. Our focus was on combining AI-powered data extraction with an intuitive and playful mobile experience.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was extracting accurate information from receipt images. Receipts vary significantly in layout, formatting and print quality, making it difficult to consistently identify individual items, prices and totals.

We also had to consider how to transform raw receipt data into meaningful spending insights without overwhelming users with information.

Working within the limited hackathon timeframe meant prioritising our core features, dividing responsibilities effectively and balancing functionality with the user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of turning a simple everyday object into an interactive tool that encourages people to think differently about their spending.

Some of our key accomplishments include:

Developing a mobile application that allows users to scan and analyse shopping receipts.
Exploring how AI can extract and structure information from unstructured receipt data.
Turning individual purchases into accessible spending breakdowns and personalised insights.
Creating a playful approach to financial awareness that makes analysing spending more approachable. Most importantly, we brought together AI, mobile development and financial awareness to create something with practical real-world potential.

What we learned

Throughout the project, we gained practical experience integrating third-party AI APIs into a mobile application and using AI to process unstructured data.

We learned how to work with the OpenRouter API, structure AI responses into usable data, and handle the challenges of extracting accurate information from different receipt formats.

We also developed our teamwork, problem-solving and time-management skills, learning how to prioritise essential features and turn an idea into a working prototype within a limited hackathon timeframe.

What's next for RecTrack

We want to develop RecTrack beyond its initial prototype and make it a more complete personal spending companion.

Our future plans include:

Improved receipt recognition: Handle different receipt formats, currencies and image qualities more accurately.
Spending trends: Track spending over time and identify recurring purchases and changing habits.
Personalised insights: Generate more tailored observations and practical suggestions based on spending behaviour.
Receipt history: Allow users to store, revisit and compare previous receipts.
Budgeting features: Introduce spending goals and category-based budgets to help users manage their money.
Wider compatibility: Expand support to more shops, retailers and receipt formats.

Ultimately, we want RecTrack to help people see the bigger picture behind their everyday purchases — because every receipt is one small part of their financial story.