The Best Budgeting App for Managing Your Finances

Looking for the best budgeting app to manage your finances?  Check out my recommendations below!  There are even some good budgeting apps for couples and those living abroad!

Budgeting apps make managing your money so much easier.  They can help you keep track of the money you have coming in and the money you have going out. And at the same time, they can give you some insights on your spending habits and what you can do to improve how you manage your money.

Using budgeting apps can help you better manage your finances, meet your savings goals, and create a strong financial foundation for your future financial goals.  Each budgeting app comes with their unique perks and capabilities.  Some may focus mainly on tracking your spending habits, while others will keep track of your investments or debts.  

Planning for your retirement, paying off debt, controlling your spending. Whatever your need, these apps have got you covered.  There are even some budgeting apps made specifically for couples, families, and friends to share their finances.

Now there are quite a number of budgeting apps out there.  Some better than others.  So, I've curated a list of the BEST budgeting apps around.  

Let's make this year the year you are going to take control of your finances!  Starting with your budget.  

The Best Budgeting Apps for Tracking Your Spending

Mint

One of the most popular budgeting apps around, Mint can sync your checking and savings accounts, credit cards, loans, bills, and investments all in one.  And the best part is it's free! 

It automatically sorts your spending into categories that you can customize.  You can also set limits for each category and the app will warn you when you are approaching the limit.

In addition to that, this app shows you your net worth, your credit score with access to TransUnion credit report, can help track your investments or set up bill pay reminders, and comes with lots of costumer support.

The downside is the Mint app does not allow you to plan ahead.  It only tracks what you have spent.  Also, with the free account, there are ads.

It's available for download on the Apple Store and Google Play or from Mint's website.

Simplifi by Quicken

Another big name in the finance world, Quicken has an app called Simplifi that helps you not overspend by tracking transactions in real-time.  With Simplifi, you can sync all of your major accounts and track your monthly bills and subscriptions.

They even offer you a personalized spending plan.  The app automatically categorizes your spending and monitors your cash flow so that you never spend more than you make.  You can also set a limit to the amount you can spend by category.

The downside is this app is not free.  Luckily, it won't put too much of a dent in your wallet.  With a monthly plan it's $5.99 a month but with a yearly plan, that's lowered to $3.99 a month.

There are no ads and it is available for download from Google Play and the Apple Store.

Pocket Guard

Pocket guard comes with the same basic features of most other budgeting apps.  You can sync all of your major accounts such as your credit cards, savings, checking, loans, and investments.  And it can also be used to track bills and your net worth.

If you are worried about security or want a more hands on approach, you do have the option to not link your accounts and manually add your transaction instead.  

The beauty of this app is that it tracks your income, spending, and savings goals and tells you how much you can spend each day.  By doing this, it helps to prevent you from overspending.

With Pocket Guard, you can change transaction dates, customize categories, export data, and track your cash flow.  It also shows where you may be able to negotiate for lower bills.  Plus, there is an auto savings feature.

The downside is this app is mostly hands-off, not hands-on, if you want to be more involved in managing your finances.  So while it may work for others, it might not for you.

There is a free version and a paid version.  However, their autosave function is only available for the US and with the free version requires a $2 maintenance fee.

It is available on android and apple.  And they have monthly, annual, and lifetime subscription options that cost $7.99, $79.99, and $99.99, respectively.

Fudget

For those of us who don't want to connect our accounts to any type of app, Fudget might be the budget and expense tracker you are looking for.  One of the biggest positive reviews received by Fudget is that it is very simple and easy to use.

You can simply create lists of all of your income and expenses.  And if it's recurring, you can easily indicate that with one click.  Furthermore, you can use it as a monthly or weekly budget planner, which is great for those who get paid bi-weekly.

Fudget is free but does come with ads and in-app purchases.  The pro version is available at $3.99/month.  You can download it on Google Play and at the Apple Store and can be installed on any device.

The Best Budgeting Apps for Planning Ahead

YNAB

One of the most popular budgeting apps around is YNAB.  Or You Need a Budget. This app allows you to plan out your finances ahead of time.  It relies on a zero-based budgeting system which means you will give every dollar you earn a job.

You get a job.  And you get a job!  

What people like most about YNAB is that it is also educational and makes you actively portion out your money into various categories.  It's goal is to help you become more intentional with your money.  And for most people, it works.

This app is definitely a lot more hands on than the others and has a lot of educational resources that you can use.  It allows you to link credit cards, savings, checking, and loans on the app.

A few downsides with YNAB is there is a learning curve for using the app and it takes longer to set up than the others.  Some reviews also note late syncing transaction and the platform itself is not intuitive.  Furthermore, you must be pretty dedicated to use and keep up with it.

The app is  available for android and iOS users.  It is free for college students but for everyone else, it'll cost you $14.99 per month or $98.99 for the year.

EveryDollar

Like YNAB, EveryDollar is also a zero-based budgeting app.  It is much simpler than YNAB but some criticize it for being too barebones.  

EveryDollar, also known as Dave Ramsey's app (at least by me), has a free version and a paid version (Ramsey+). With the free version, you can customize your budget, track your debt payments, and create savings funds.  

Ramsey+ gives you access to extra features such as custom budget reports, the ability to sync your bank accounts, and due date reminders.  You can also get access to audiobooks and courses.  

The downsides of this app is that there are also very few sources to help you understand how to use the app before you dive in.  Also, it doesn't allow syncing with the free version and the paid version is quite pricey coming in at $59.99 for 3 months, $99.99 for 6 months, and $129.99 for a year.  

It's available for purchase from Google Play and the Apple store.

Good Budget

For those of you who are fans of the envelope system, then Good Budget might be the one for you.  This app is based on the envelope budgeting system, only it is digital.  

Good Budget allows you to plan ahead with your finances and allocate a specific amount of money to your chosen spending categories.  What's more, it can be used by couples, family, or friends to share and sync their budgets.

There is a free version which comes with 10 digital envelopes, 1 account, debt tracking, and 1 year of history.  And a paid version which comes with an unlimited number of envelopes and accounts, 7 years of history, and 5 accounts.

The paid version costs $7 a month or you can pay the yearly rate of $60 and save some cash.  One thing about this app is that it doesn't sync your bank accounts. You will have to add everything manually and there isn't a way to search your transactions as of yet.

Good Budget is available on Google Play and at the Apple store.

The Best App for Tracking Investments and Planning for Retirement

Personal Capital

Another popular app, Personal Capital, is great for tracking investments, but you can also use it to track your spending as well.  

You can sync a number of your accounts including investments, credit cards, savings and checking accounts, loans, mortgages, IRAs, and even 401ks.  The app automatically separates your spending into categories that you can customize.  

The great thing about this app is that it tracks your net worth and offers a breakdown of your investment portfolio.  Furthermore, it comes with an Education planner (to help you save for college), a Retirement planner, and a Fee Analyzer (to uncover your portfolio's hidden fees).

The downside is it cannot be used to plan out your budget as it only offers tracking.  Also, you must manually add some budgeting transactions yourself.

But the great news is Personal Capital is absolutely free!  And available for your android, iphone, iPad, or Apple watch on Google Play and at the Apple store.

The Best Budgeting Apps for Couples

A couple that grows together stays together.  

At least I think that's how the saying goes.  

In any case, if there is someone you've decided to share your life with one of your main concerns will be your finances.  That's why it may be good to use one of these apps to manage your finances together.  

Check out a few of the best budgeting apps for couples below.

Honeydue

A cute name for a cute app, Honeydue is for budgeting with Bae.  In it, you can sync your accounts and view both parties' finances.   But, you do have the option to choose how much you share with your partner.

The app is free and automatically puts your spending into categories that you can customize.  These limits can be set by category and it will warn you if you or partner are nearing the spending limit.  

With Honeydue, you can also send reminders for bills that are coming due.  In addition, it allows you to chat and send emojis to your partner as well.  And when you are ready, you can get a joint account together which comes with a debit card. 

The downside with this app is that it is not really for planning ahead and more for monitoring and tracking your spending.  It is available on Google Play and at the Apple Store for free but it comes with some in-app purchases.

Zeta

This budgeting app is relatively new to the game but it comes with some great perks.  Zeta money manager is free and offers you the ability to sync your accounts, create budgets and joint goals, share control, and track your spending. 

You can also see your net worth, a breakdown of the money you spent, and manage your bills together.  In addition, you can send messages and split transactions with your significant other.  

What's more, they have blogs which you can read to learn more about sharing finances, and they even a money therapy challenge you can join!

The Zeta company also offers a no fee joint bank account that comes with debit cards that you can also sign up for.  Some reviews say the app can be glitchy at times and is not really optimized for tablet use.

You can find it on Google Play and at the Apple store.

Good Budget

With Good Budget, you can also include other people!  See above for all the info!

Firstly (Honeyfi)

Formerly known as Honeyfi, Firstly, is a financial app made for families.  In it, you can sync your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, investments, and any property you own.  With Firstly, you can choose to share all of your financial information with a partner or family member, or you can choose to keep some info to yourself.  

You can use the app to track your spending, schedule and pay bills, see who spent what, and even keep track of your net worth.  Also, you can set savings goals and Firstly will automatically take care of it for you.

Other perks include: customized budget categories, ability to split transactions, and the ability to comment and send reactions to family members.

The app is free and comes with bank-level security.  It is one of the few apps that can be used on your phone or computer.  Available from Google Play and the Apple store.

Best App for People Living Abroad

Wally

This just may be the best and only budgeting app suitable for those of us who are living abroad.  Wally is a budgeting app that supports 200+ currencies (including crypto) and has 15,000 banks across 70 countries.  And if there is a bank that is not on the list, you can send them a request.

Wally has a beautiful interface where you can track your income and expenses.  You can sync your bank account, credit cards, and loans.   And when you spend, it automatically categorizes your transactions.  Furthermore, you get real time updates, can set budget controls for your categories, and you get flexible budgeting periods.

It has bank level security and you can even start groups with your family or partner to help track your budget together.  The app also has a financial calendar so you can see past and upcoming transactions.  

Plus, you can scan and upload bills, receipts, and warranties.  You'll also be able to schedule bill pay reminders and create grocery lists, etc. in the app.

There is a free version and a pro version that you can opt to pay for monthly ($8.99), yearly ($39.99), or for a lifetime ($99.99).  The free version also allows you to purchase some perks individually in-app if you don't need everything that the paid option has to offer.

Inside Tip: If you visit their site directly, they are currently offering the lifetime membership for $74.99!

The downside is, as of now, Wally is only available on iOS (sorry android users) and recently has been getting a lot of complaints about bugs in the software and slow customer service.

All in All

With so many budgeting apps out there it can be hard to choose the BEST one for you.  So when in doubt just pick one and try it out!  These things don't have to be forever!

If it doesn't work for you in the end, thats alright.  You can just get rid of it and try and new one!  Check out the apps I found above and let me know what you think!

Happy Budgeting!