Adding CostMe to Your Home Screen

CostMe works best when it is one tap away. The web app at app.costme.io is an installable progressive web app, meaning you can add it to your home screen so it opens instantly, looks like a native app, and is always right where you need it. Here is how to do it on any device.

On iPhone or iPad (Safari)

1. Open app.costme.io in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen. It looks like a box with an arrow pointing up.
3. Scroll down the share sheet and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Name it anything you like, then tap Add in the top right.

The CostMe icon now sits on your home screen alongside your other apps. Tap it and it opens full-screen, with no browser bar in the way.

Note: this only works in Safari on iOS. Chrome on iPhone does not yet support Add to Home Screen for web apps the same way.

On Android (Chrome)

1. Open app.costme.io in Chrome.
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right, then tap Add to home screen.
3. Chrome may show a banner at the bottom asking if you want to install instead. Either works.
4. Confirm and the icon appears on your home screen.

On Android, the installed app runs in its own window, separate from Chrome, so it feels exactly like a downloaded app.

On a desktop or laptop (Chrome or Edge)

1. Open app.costme.io in Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
2. Look for a small install icon in the address bar on the right side. It looks like a monitor with a download arrow.
3. Click it and confirm when prompted.

CostMe then opens in a clean app window whenever you launch it from your taskbar or desktop, without a browser toolbar.

Why bother?

The hardest part of a new money habit is remembering to use it. When CostMe is buried in a browser bookmark or a rarely opened folder, most spending decisions happen before you think to check it.

A home-screen icon changes that. When the app is right next to your shopping apps, you see it before you see the checkout button. That small friction shift is often enough. (For why placement matters: setting up the CostMe home-screen widget.)

It also opens faster. No browser startup, no typing an address, no login prompt because your session is already active.

Still on the native iOS app?

The iOS app and the web app share the same account and data, so you can use either or both. The web app works on any device including Android, Windows, and Mac, so if you want CostMe everywhere, installing it from the browser is the simplest path.

Either way, the trick is getting the tool in front of you before the buy reflex fires. An icon on your home screen is the most reliable way to do that.