When it comes to mastering your money, budgeting is essential. And it doesn’t have to be hard. There are tons of budgeting apps that can help you make sense of your spending, find ways to save and do the tedious number-tracking work for you.
Which app should you use? You have lots of options to choose from, so we’ve narrowed down the top budgeting apps worth considering.
Best budgeting apps
| Budgeting App | Price | Best for | CNET Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Money | Free; $6-$12/month (Premium) (7-day free trial) | Best overall | 9.4 |
| YNAB | $15/month or $109/year (34-day free trial) | Diving into the details | 8.9 |
| PocketGuard | Free; $13/month, $75/year (Plus) | Debt pay-off planning | 8.8 |
| EveryDollar | Free; $18/month, $80/year (Premium) (14-day free trial) | Zero-based budgeting | 8.5 |
| Goodbudget | Free; $10/month or $80/year (Plus) | Envelope budgeting | 8.1 |
| Quicken Simplifi | $6/month *$3/month promo through Jan. 31, 2025 | Overall snapshot of your finances | 7 |
Data accurate as of Jan. 24, 2025
Rocket Money is great for anyone who wants a simple budgeting experience. It has all the features you need to do basic budgeting, plus some advanced ones to help you manage your overall financial situation.
Rocket’s app and desktop platform are both intuitive and easy to navigate, and it offers lots of notifications and reports to help you stay on top of your budget, including bill increase alerts and monthly spending reports. You can also set up automated transfers to your savings account to make saving a breeze.
The free version is pretty barebones, but you can get the premium version by paying anywhere from $6 to $12 monthly — your choice. You get the same features regardless of how much you pay. Rocket also offers bill negotiation, which costs 30% to 60% of your first year’s savings (you choose the amount), and subscription cancellation.Â
As a former Mint user, I tested several popular budgeting apps and found the paid version of Rocket Money to be the best replacement for Mint’s in terms of features, user experience and accessibility to the average budgeter.
See at Rocket Money.
You Need A Budget is meant for people who like to sweat the details. Its zero-based budgeting strategy encourages you to give every dollar a job, assigning all income to categories you set — such as specific bill payments and savings goals — to avoid overspending. For example, if you want to save for a future vacation, you’ll need to set that as a goal and assign money to it every month.
At $15 a month or $109 a year, YNAB is pricey. There may also be a learning curve as the app offers more complexity in terms of organizing and analyzing your budget. The 34-day trial should help you decide if the monthly fee is worth another line item in your budget.
PocketGuard is another option that allows you to track your spending based on categories. It’s designed to help you control your spending and focus on savings goals. Linking the app to your accounts automates the tracking process. The app tracks subscription services and flags potential money wasters to help you save.
It has useful features that suggest lower-cost services based on your profile settings, maximizing the money in your pocket. It also offers bill negotiation through Billshark, which costs 40% of the amount it saves you for two years if it’s successful.
The free version offers a variety of features, including budgeting tools, spending reports and expense tracking. For $13 per month or $75 yearly, you can create multiple budgets and custom budget categories, unlimited savings goals and a debt pay-off plan.
Popular personal finance speaker and author Dave Ramsey launched the EveryDollar app to help fans of his money philosophy follow his “Baby Steps” out of debt and toward financial freedom. Using the zero-based budgeting approach, you categorize your expenses before the month begins, assigning all of your take-home dollars until there’s nothing remaining.
EveryDollar’s free version allows you to create and customize your budget, manually track expenses and sync data across multiple devices. The Premium plan allows the app to connect to bank accounts and dynamically track spending, plus gives you access to group coaching calls with financial experts. It also offers a financial roadmap to track your net worth, progress toward retirement goals and Baby Steps milestones.
However, you’ll still need to manually categorize your transactions; the app won’t do it for you. That’s because it aims to make you “feel that money leaving [y]our account.” And at $18 per month or $80 per year, it’s one of the priciest apps on our list.
Note: A recent upgrade has prompted some users to complain about the app’s responsiveness. The Ramsey Solution organization has been working on bug fixes, but users continue to experience problems.Â
Building a budget for the first time can feel overwhelming. Goodbudget breaks it down using the envelope method of budgeting, a decades-old financial strategy that splits your income into separate envelopes or categories. For example, you might have envelopes for rent, bills, groceries, gas, nonessential purchases and savings.
Goodbudget lets you employ this method digitally. You choose envelopes from a list of predesignated goals and deposit money into them every month. With the free version, you can choose from 10 preset envelopes — you can’t design your own. The Plus version allows you to create an unlimited number of envelopes for $10 per month, as well as enjoy expanded features such as unlimited accounts and a longer transaction history. There’s no free trial, but you can get a full refund if you cancel within 30 days.
If you’re looking for help sticking to a spending plan, Goodbudget’s easy user interface, preselected goals and visually pleasing envelope method can help you create good budgeting habits. The biggest downside is that it doesn’t link to external accounts — you must manually input each transaction. This can help you get a better idea of just how much you’re spending each day, but some users will find it tedious.
Quicken Simplifi is the other budgeting app on our list that doesn’t offer a free version — and unlike YNAB, it doesn’t offer a free trial to test it out. Quicken is known for personal finance software and has distilled its decades of experience in the personal finance arena down to a handy budgeting app. Simplifi targets users who have complex financial lives with tools that create custom plans based on income and expenses.
Like most budgeting apps, Quicken allows you to create and monitor your budget, track spending and link multiple accounts across one main dashboard. The app offers a helpful snapshot of your bank accounts, top spending categories, spending watchlists and historical patterns. The projected balances tool uses recurring transactions to estimate your balance over the coming 30 days.
Some users may find Simplifi’s wealth of information and customizable reports overwhelming, and there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to navigating it all. But if you want to dive into multiple aspects of your financial life from your investments to your net worth, it offers lots of ways to do so in one platform.
The Mint budgeting app, which used to make our best list, shut down on March 23, 2024. Mint encouraged users to migrate their data to Credit Karma, but we’ve found Rocket Money to be a much better replacement.
What to look for in a budgeting appÂ
Which budgeting app is best for you depends on your needs and preferences, but in general, look for an app that:
- Is easy to use
- Provides a variety of tools and features
- Links to your existing accounts
- Is affordable
- Offers a free trial
- Has good customer reviews
What is a budgeting app?
Budgeting apps provide a way to keep track of your income and spending in one place. Most budgeting apps connect to your bank and track your spending, bills, due dates and other key information to help you stay on top of your finances. The best budgeting apps also have features that help you establish savings goals and monitor other aspects of your financial life, such as your credit score or net worth.Â
How do budgeting apps work?
A budgeting app is a software program that helps you track your expenses, income and spending and draft a budget from the convenience of your mobile device, tablet or computer. Most budgeting apps sync to your bank accounts so you can automatically monitor your activity in one place. The best budgeting apps also provide snapshots of your financial history, help you make savings projections and assist with other goals, such as paying off debt.Â
Is a budgeting app worth it?
Budgeting is one of the best ways to get a handle on your finances, and a budgeting app can help make it easier. But it’s ultimately up to you to make the appropriate changes to improve your finances. A budgeting app can’t hold you accountable at the end of the day, but it can help you stay organized and make a long-term plan.Â
Is it better to pay for a budgeting app or use a free app?
If you can find the features you need in a free app, start there, especially if you’re trying to save money. There’s no need to add an additional expense if a free app provides the services you need. If you need more than a free app can provide, start with a trial plan to a paid app so you can get a feel for the app before committing.
What are the alternatives to budgeting apps?
Google Docs provides free monthly budget templates that are handy if you’re interested in a no-frills, basic system that’s easy to set up.
Some banks also provide budgeting software along with their digital banking platform. Capital One’s mobile app allows you to categorize expenses and create separate savings accounts to track different goals. H&R Block’s banking app, Spruce, has a check register view that allows you to easily monitor categorized expenses, work toward established savings goals and automate savings transfers.
You can also take advantage of financial coaching or investment planning services. Some banks or credit unions, such as Alliant Credit Union, offer financial services if you open an account.
Tips to use your budgeting app effectively
To make the most of whichever budgeting app you choose, keep some key tips in mind:
- Be realistic. A budget has to work for your life, or it’s doomed to fail. While it can be good to challenge yourself — for instance, to spend less on takeout — be honest about your needs and priorities. Cut back on what you can, leave some room for joy and find ways to boost your income if needed. The more realistic your budget is, the more likely you are to stick to it.
- Review it regularly. Log into your app regularly to see how you’re doing. Have you overspent in one category? Are your savings on track? This can help you make any adjustments you need to stay for the rest of the month.
- Set up alerts. Many apps offer notifications to help you manage your money better, such as telling you when a monthly bill has gone up or when you’ve almost hit your limit in a spending category. Enabling these can help you stay on track and alert you to potential issues before they derail your budget.
- Tweak as needed. Your budget should change with your needs. In addition to reviewing your spending regularly, set aside time now and then to review your overall categories and goals and make sure they still fit your situation.
Making and sticking to a budget each month is essential if you want to gain control of your spending habits and reach your financial goals. A budgeting app is a useful tool to help you with this. There’s a plethora of great options available, both free and with a subscription. Determining your needs and budgeting style will help you narrow down the best fit for you.
FAQ
What’s the 50/30/20 rule?
The 50/30/20 rule is a common way to organize your budget based on percentages. With this approach, you divide your take-home income into three spending categories: 50% for living expenses and essentials (needs), 30% for discretionary spending (wants) and 20% for savings and debt elimination.
But keep in mind this budgeting method is unrealistic if you have substantial credit card, student loan or medical debt. To establish a budget that works for you, you need to understand your financial needs and goals.
What is zero-based budgeting?
Zero-based budgeting is a technique that requires you to create a new budget each month and identify how each dollar will be spent until you reach $0. With this strategy, you look at all potential expenditures in the upcoming month instead of making adjustments to a previous month’s budget.
Most budgeting apps employ multiple levels of security to protect your financial information. That said, you should always use precautions to keep your personal information safe, such as creating strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication when available.
How we tested budgeting apps
Our banking editors test and rate budgeting apps based on first-hand experience and product features. We consider the user experience, interface, support options and overall value compared to the price of each budgeting app. We also evaluate key features, including the ability to set savings goals and connect to external accounts securely.
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