Budgeting is one of the most important steps to securing your financial future. It can be difficult to stay on top of bills, investments, and debt. Luckily, with the rise of smartphones, many apps have been created to help you get on a budget. It is now easier than ever before to keep track of expenses, spending, and bills. Here are our recommendations for the best personal budgeting apps that you should download to be more mindful about your money. These budget apps are popular because of their capabilities and ease of use. As of time of writing, all apps listed here have at the very least 4.5 star ratings (out of five) on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store, as well as a minimum of 1,000 reviews.
Here is the list of our 6 best personal budgeting apps
1. Mint
We’ll start with Mint’s extremely positive ratings in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. (It also has, by many measures, more positive reviews than other apps that we tested.) Mint is free to download and can sync with bank accounts, both savings and checking, credit cards, loans, investments, and schedule bills. In terms of actual budgeting, Mint will automatically categorize your spending. These categories are customizable and there is no limit to the number of categories that you can create. Another unique feature is the ability to set the limits for each category and Mint will notify you when you’re getting close to the limit. In addition to these budgeting tools, Mint may help users pay off the debt, save more, and monitor the progress of their goals.
Price: Free
Apple store rating: 4.8
Google Play Rating: 4.5
2. Goodbudget
Goodbudget will help you plan your finances, rather than just tracking expenses and transactions. This app is based on the envelope budgeting method that lets you allocate your income each month to specific spending categories. Unlike Mint, GoodBudget does not sync with your bank accounts.You have to manually add balances for your account such as the cash, debts, and income. From there, much like Mint’s category system, you can then assign the money to envelopes. Goodbudget provides a free version that lets you use one account with two users and a limited number of envelopes. The paid version, named Goodbudget Plus, allows unlimited envelopes and accounts up to the limit of five users and some additional perks.
Price: Free to download, Goodbudget Plus is $7 every month or $60 every year.
Apple store rating: 4.7
Google Play Rating: 4.5
3. EveryDollar
EveryDollar provides an unbiased budgeting system that is simpler to use and understand than some others on this list. This app was created by Nashville, TN real estate and personal finance guru, Dave Ramser . EveryDollar is a budget first application that syncs to your bank account. The base version of the app is free, but to access the app’s extra features, it is necessary to sign up as a Ramsey+ member. In addition to a more robust version of EveryDollar, the Ramsey+ membership comes with other features outside of the app like audiobooks, classes, and membership to Dave’s Financial Peace University. This version for free is basic and easy to use, but it does not sync accounts. You have manually input the money that you receive and spend throughout the month to gain the app’s insight to your income and spending. If you join Ramsey+, you’ll be able to join your bank accounts so that it’s easier to keep track of the transactions. With both versions of the app, you can also classify line items in your budget, set deadlines for payments to bills, monitor debts, see reports on the expenditure of your money, and print out your transaction log.
Price: Free to download, Ramsey+ starts at $129.99 for a year of membership
Apple store Rating: 4.8
Google Play Rating: 4.2
4. YNAB (You Need a Budget)
YNAB is designed to let users plan for financial decisions, rather than monitor transactions that have occurred in the past. The app is based on an entirely zero-based budgeting system that lets you create a budget for each penny you take in. Once you’ve been paid, you enter your paycheck into YNAB and it will be allocated to various categories, such as expenditures, goals, and savings. The idea of this app is to make users more aware of the money by forcing them to think about what it is going to be used for. In all of this, YNAB is about as user-friendly as you’ll ever be. To assist users as they climb the learning curve, the YNAB website provides various educational resources that explain how to budget and utilize the application. YNAB lets you connect your savings and checking accounts and the credit and loan accounts. It works on phones and desktops, iPad, Apple Watch, and Alexa.
Price: Pay $14.99 monthly or $98.99 annually, but you can test it for free in a trial period of 34 days. Students at colleges can access the YNAB service for free for one year.
Apple store rating: 4.8
Google Play Rating: 3.2
5. Honeydue
Spending money with a partner can be difficult, but Honeydue could aid in making money discussions simpler. Honeydue was designed specifically for couples as an interactive application that lets two people control household expenses in tandem. With more than 8,812 reviews on both the App Store and Google Play, Honeydue is a must have for couples to manage their finances. Honeydew will take some of the burdens of managing finances when you have the help of a partner by providing couples with the ability to manage and collaborate on every financial transaction and future bill. The app is split into three distinct sections of each partner’s expenses and the “all” section where shared transactions are listed. Every user can categorize expenditures as an individual or a shared expense, such as rent or subscription service. There iss also an integrated calendar in which bills and due dates can be entered. When the bill comes due, the calendar will notify both users that the due date is approaching.
Price: Free
Apple store rating: 4.8
Google Play Rating: 4.6
6- Clarity Money
We live in a time of subscriptions in which a lot of the goods and services that we pay for are charged in smaller monthly increments. It’s easy to forget about the recurring payments that can take a huge amount of cash from your account when they grow. One of the most distinctive features of Clarity Money is that it can detect subscriptions that are charging users and assist in canceling these subscriptions. In addition to this, it offers a simple and intuitive interface that is perfect for people who don’t have a lot of time to keep track of their spending. It also offers the ability to monitor your credit scores, which means it’s an excellent app for anyone planning to purchase real estate or take out an installment loan.
Price: Free to Download
Apple store rating: 4.8
Google Play Rating: 4.7
Summary:
Budgeting is the best way to keep track of your finances and there are many apps that can help simplify the process. No matter your circumstance, there is an app that can help you budget for yourself, you and your spouse, or for you and your entire family. These apps are the perfect solution for keeping your financial life in order, allowing for easy tracking and updating, and making sure bills are paid on time.