Best Budgeting Apps so You Can Stick to Your Budget
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Setting a budget (and sticking to it) is never easy. Fortunately, you don’t have to go about it alone. With a seemingly endless number of budgeting strategies like the 50/30/20 or even the zero-based budgeting method — it’s arguably never been easier to choose a budget style that works for you. With these top-rated mobile apps, you can set goals and start budgeting directly from your phone, with all the best budgeting tools, tips, and tricks at your fingertips. Here are the six best budgeting apps to help you reach your personal finance goals this year.
In this article
Overview of the best budgeting apps
- Best for hands-on budgeters: YNAB
- Best for big-picture savings: Empower
- Best for hassle-free spending categories: Goodbudget
- Best for overall money management: Rocket Money
- Best for hands-off expense tracking: Pocketguard
- Best for personalised budgeting: Wally
- Best for simple budgeting: EveryDollar
Compare the best budgeting apps
App | Description | Cost |
Ideal for beginners, it has a hands-on approach to budgeting. | First 34 days free, then $14.99/month or $109/year | |
Suitable for making investments. | Free; paid version available for those with $1 million-plus in assets | |
Offers envelope-style budgeting method. | Free; paid version for $10/month or $80/year | |
Subscription cancellation and negotiation | $6 to $12 monthly | |
Gives a complete financial picture by linking all your accounts. | Free; paid version for $7.99/month or $34.99/year. $79.99 for lifetime access | |
Affordable app that syncs different bank accounts into one place. | Free; paid version for $8.99/month, $39.99/year | |
A traditional monthly budget planner. | First 14 days free; $17.99/month or $79.99/year |
Use Rocket Money to Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions & Lower Your Bills
- Easily Find & Cancel Unused Subscriptions
- Save Up To $729/Year with Truebill
- 80% Of Users Save Money
- Track Your Spending with Ease
Best for hands-on budgeters: YNAB
Pros & cons
Pros
- Proactive budgeting.
- Highly flexible.
- Can be used on iOS and Android.
- Ideal for beginners.
Cons
- Not free.
- Not user-friendly.
Cost: $14.99 monthly
If you’re not a fan of those “set it and forget it” budgeting apps, you might like what YNAB (You Need A Budget) offers. Rather than limiting your spending, this budgeting app focuses on setting financial goals (like saving a certain amount each month), meeting them, and raising the bar to set even bigger goals. Because of their cross-platform functionality, you can also check your progress in real time from pretty much any device — your phone, iPad, or even your computer. This also means you can share your progress with more than one user, which is convenient if you plan on budgeting with your partner.
If you love a good pie chart or colorful graphs, you’ll also enjoy tracking your savings progress and money management with YNAB because it has all the monthly visuals a budgeter could ask for. One of the biggest strengths of the YNAB app (besides the cross-platform capabilities) is its impressive library of personal finance resources for its users. This includes a blog full of personal finance and budgeting articles, plus regular remote seminars that users can join for even more budgeting info and inspiration.
While YNAB offers a free version of their app for the first 34 days, it costs a pretty penny afterward. As one of the more expensive apps on this list ($14.99 monthly, or $109 per year, which comes out to $9.08 a month), it's good to be fully invested in their budgeting style before you commit to that price point. That means taking full advantage of their educational resources and using the app across various devices (or sharing it with someone else). If this hands-on approach sounds like a fit for you, then you’ll likely find (as other happy users have) that YNAB is well worth the price.
Visit YNAB
Or read Joywallet's review of YNAB.
Best for big-picture savings: Empower
Pros & cons
Pros
- Access to financial planners.
- Multiple tools.
- Tax strategy options.
Cons
- Suitable for making investment decisions.
- Suitable for high net worth individuals.
Cost: $14.99 monthly
Empower has been helping people make smart investments since 2009. This app tends to be most helpful for those looking to make better decisions with their already-saved money. By linking all of your personal finance accounts within their system, the Empower app can help you see the big picture of your finances and set goals for a healthier financial future.
One of the biggest strengths of this app is that it offers myriad tools within its free version. These include a savings planner, cash flow charts, retirement planner, a hidden fee analyzer, investment checkup, and even monthly spending targets within their budgeting feature. You can do a lot with this app without even spending a dime.
If you already have a good amount of savings (as in, $100,000 or more), then you’d also be eligible to sign up for Empower’s paid Wealth Management program. This paid version of the app will offer more personalized and in-depth services from their financial advisors and is billed based on a small percentage of your in-app net worth.
Empower has a tired approach to fees. The first $1 million invested charges 0.89% of your managed assets.
Visit Empower
Or read Joywallet's review of Empower.
Best for hassle-free spending categories: Goodbudget
Pros & cons
Pros
- Affordable plan.
- Available on iOS, Android, and desktop.
Cons
- The free version comes with only 20 envelopes.
- Limited to budgeting and budgeting goals.
Cost: $10 monthly
Looking for a truly classic budgeting app? Look no further than Goodbudget. This app, available on iOS, Android, and desktop, is based on the time-trusted envelope budgeting method, which has you assigning different categories (or envelopes) to all of the most important expenses in your life. This budgeting style makes it easier to ensure that your top expenses get paid first, followed by your financial goals, and finally — all the wants and needs wishlist items.
In true envelope-budgeting style, Goodbudget can even help you assign spending categories to your budget. This app will make sure you have enough money to cover important stuff like saving to buy a house, creating an emergency fund, or even starting a fund to help pay off your debts. It will also allow you to create your own envelope categories from scratch and share them across devices with your partner or whoever else may be privy to your budgeting goals.
Goodbudget is a great way for beginners to start a budget prioritizing the important stuff. Rather than trying to cut spending on everything, you’ll be forced to set aside money for your expenses and financial goals — then you can decide what to do with the rest. Depending on how much you plan to use the Goodbudget app, you can opt for either their paid or free version. The free version comes with 20 envelopes on up to two devices, while the paid version ($10 per month or $80 each year) offers unlimited envelopes, five devices, and email support.
Visit Goodbudget
Use Rocket Money to Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions & Lower Your Bills
- Easily Find & Cancel Unused Subscriptions
- Save Up To $729/Year with Truebill
- 80% Of Users Save Money
- Track Your Spending with Ease
Best for overall money management: Rocket Money
Pros & cons
Pros
- Automated savings.
- Cancels subscriptions.
- Easy to use.
Cons
- No free version.
- Higher cost for cancellation services.
Cost: $6 to $12 monthly
Rocket Money is an app that can help you get out of debt faster. It can negotiate monthly bills for you and help you unsubscribe from the memberships and subscriptions you no longer require. You will not have to spend hours negotiating on the phone and be able to save money each month. To use Rocket Money, simply download the app and fill the details of your subscriptions, you then need to link your bank account and give the app access to the deposits, expenses and withdrawals.
The app will then look for automatic payments that are made from your account each month, identify those and ask you to review them. When you want to cancel a subscription or negotiate the price, you can let the app know and it will take you through the next steps. You are free to choose how much to pay for its service but most people pay $8 monthly. Rocket Money has a Smart Savings feature which helps you budget and save.
You can schedule automatic savings amount to meet your goals and budget for the spending categories. You can view the spending and compare each month, examine the categories where you spend and take necessary action. While it is primarily an app that helps negotiate and cancel subscriptions, it also assists with saving and budgeting.
Visit Rocket Money
Or read Joywallet's review of Rocket Money.
Best for hands-off expense tracking: Pocketguard
Pros & cons
Pros
- Helps link savings and checking account.
- All-purpose tool.
- Offers hands-off budgeting.
Cons
- Expensive.
- No investment tools.
Cost: $7.99 monthly
Pocketguard keeps budgeting simple by helping you do two things really well. The first is to help you track your spending. Connecting your financial accounts to their mobile app lets you easily identify your spending and break these down into categories. The second thing the app does well is to help you lower your monthly expenses. In addition to tracking your cash flow, the app provides insights and suggestions for lowering your monthly bills.
The Pocketguard app lets you link more than just your checking and savings accounts. This app enables you to see the full picture of your finances, including your loans, credit cards, and investment accounts. This will help you prioritize where to put your money and how you can cut spending to reach your savings goals.
Another great feature of Pocketguard is Autosave, which automatically deposits cash into your various savings accounts. Because of all the hard work this app does behind the scenes, it allows you to be relatively hands-off in your budgeting. A basic account with Pocketguard is free, but should you upgrade to Pocketguard Plus (with a few extra features), you’ll be charged $7.99 per month or $34.99 per year. There's also a lifetime purchase option of $79.99.
Visit Pocketguard
Best for personalised budgeting: Wally
Pros & cons
Pros
- Links with financial accounts in multiple countries.
- Uses AI to help with money management.
Cons
- Expensive plans.
- Can take sometime for a user to get used to the app.
Cost: $8.99 monthly
Another great budgeting app to consider is Wally. Chances are you’ve heard of this super popular app before, especially since it’s been recommended by financial bloggers and publications over 150 times. One of the best things about using a budgeting app like Wally is personalization. With Wally, you can easily set budgets by category using their templates and track your progress and spending in-app.
Hoping to start a better budget for your whole family? Wally can also help, as the app works well across platforms and can easily be shared between users. You can start a “household budget” and get the whole family involved in reaching those budgeting goals between various spending categories like dining out, clothing, and entertainment.
Much like other budgeting apps, Wally allows you to sync your bank accounts from various financial institutions in one place to get the fullest picture of your finances and unlock insights into your spending habits. It also provides a variety of ways to view and track your expenses, including a spending calendar— which can help you balance your income between recurring bills and ongoing financial goals.
The best thing about Wally is that it’s free to use. As one of the highest-ranking free budgeting apps, you can easily get everything from Wally’s free version. If you love Wally and want to unlock some extra features, you can pay $39.99 per year or $8.99 per month for Wally Gold.
Visit Wally
Best for simple budgeting: EveryDollar
Pros & cons
Pros
- Paid version offers Ramsey+ services.
- Easy to use.
Cons
- Limited free plan.
- Confusing interface between EveryDollar and Ramsay.
Cost: $17.99 monthly
If you’re looking for a basic budgeting app that packs a big punch, you might enjoy using EveryDollar. This budgeting app takes all the concepts of a good old-fashioned monthly budget and compiles them into one easy-to-use mobile application. It’s so easy to use, their main selling point is that you can create your first budget in 10 minutes or less.
To use EveryDollar, you’ll start by inputting your monthly income, expenses, and additional spending. This will help give you an idea of how much of your income is used in each spending category and how much is left. While the patient budgeter will find plenty of functionality in the app’s free version, there is some serious benefit to upgrading to EveryDollar Premium— mainly that the app will automatically track your spending for you, rather than having you manually input spending every time you make a purchase.
With EveryDollar Premium, you can track your bank account balances and receive priority support from EveryDollar if and when needed. This plan doesn’t come cheaply at $17.99 per month or $79.99 yearly, but you can start with a 14-day free trial to ensure you like it.
Visit EveryDollar
Use Rocket Money to Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions & Lower Your Bills
- Easily Find & Cancel Unused Subscriptions
- Save Up To $729/Year with Truebill
- 80% Of Users Save Money
- Track Your Spending with Ease
How to choose a budgeting app
When it comes to budgeting apps, there is no one-size-fits all approach. They are popular money management tools to help you get control over your finances. You need to review different apps and see which works best for you. Before you commit to a paid subscription, try the free version. Ensure that it offers a budgeting method that fits your preferences and personality. An easy to use interface and high security can be add-ons.
Are budgeting apps worth it?
If you know what you need, set a goal and commit to it, budgeting apps will certainly work. On the other hand, if you are someone who has their finances in control and keeps track of every penny, you may not require any app. Always consider the big picture: what affects your finances and the behaviours that cause you trouble. If this is where you need help, try a budgeting app.
FAQs
What does a budgeting app do?
A budgeting app can help you meet your financial goals by offering an easy way to monitor your bank accounts, track spending, and set savings goals in real-time. Many budgeting apps can be used on both your phone and the computer, and some can even be shared between household members.
How much does a budgeting app cost?
Budgeting apps range in cost, but many offer a free version of the app to users. For paid versions of budgeting apps, you can expect to pay anywhere from a few dollars per month all the way up to over $50 per year.
What’s the difference between a budgeting app and accounting software?
While most accounting software is meant to be used on a computer, budgeting apps are designed to be used on-the-go. This means they sync up your information more reliably so that you can have the most updated picture of your finances from anywhere in the world.
Use Rocket Money to Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions & Lower Your Bills
- Easily Find & Cancel Unused Subscriptions
- Save Up To $729/Year with Truebill
- 80% Of Users Save Money
- Track Your Spending with Ease
The bottom line
Budgeting isn’t just a great way to get your finances in order. It can also help you achieve bigger financial goals, like saving up for a house, repaying debts, or even just improving your credit score. The best way to get started budgeting is by finding a budgeting method that works for you. This might be an app or an old-fashioned budgeting system involving pen and paper.
Whatever you choose, be sure to pick something you can stick to. Budgeting should be convenient, insightful, and ultimately fit into your lifestyle. If you can find all that in your chosen budgeting style, you’ll have the best chance of making it work in the long run.
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Writer
Larissa Runkle divides her time between a cabin in the San Juan Mountains and traveling in a converted van with her partner and pup. She writes for finance, real estate, and lifestyle publications, and is also at work on several fiction projects.
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