Almost everyone wants to improve how they save and budget their money. The tech world has taken notice by releasing a steady stream of financial tools to lend a hand. You can do this using a budgeting app. I know you are wondering; what are the best personal budgeting apps?
You are very lucky today. This article is going to provide you with a list of the best personal budgeting apps for your consideration.
Whether you need an app that subscribes you to a specific budgeting method or one that simply lets you know when your bank account is running low, the solution is on this list.
Many of these tools are free, and all are available on iOS and Android devices.
12 Best Personal Budgeting Apps Today
The following are the top and the best personal budgeting apps in the market today.
- Personal Capital.
- Mint.
- Wally.
- Clarity Money.
- YNAB.
- PocketGuard.
- Albert.
- Quicken.
- Zelle.
- Santa’s Bag.
- Goodbudget.
- EveryDollar.
We are going to look at them in detail below.
What is a budgeting app?
Let us start this conversation by defining or understanding what a budgeting app is or means.
A budgeting app is a type of software that can be installed and run on a computer, tablet or your smart phone.
It is a mobile application that helps with budgeting functions and specifically helps you to save and budget your money.
Using a budgeting app can be a handy way to keep your finances organized and your wallet intact.
With smartphones playing a pivotal role in our daily lives, it only makes sense that they would eventually become an integral part of money management. Merging the mobile phones and money is just natural.
Best Personal Budgeting Applications (apps) for You
Consumers who want to budget and track their spending can choose from many different apps.
The best tools will offer spending alerts, the ability to set a budget and provide information to help you make smart financial decisions.
Here is a look at 12 budgeting apps that make it simple to save and manage your finances with ease.
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Personal Capital
For investors, Personal Capital offers a robust and easy-to-use app. It can be linked to a variety of financial accounts for budgeting, tracking personal wealth and monitoring portfolio performance.
Plus, the company provides users with access to financial advisors and will offer investment advice even on accounts that are not under its management.
Accounts can also be managed online. While its core services are free, there is a fee for personalized investment advice.
The fee starts at 0.89 percent for portfolios valued up to $1 million and then drops for those with investments greater than that amount.
Personal Capital app is free and is compatible with Apple and Android devices.
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Mint
A pioneering budget app, Mint remains a popular choice. It is a very inclusive app that helps you manage your budget and also take control of your finances.
The app allows you to link and manage accounts from multiple institutions. Mint categorizes spending and allows you to create a recommended budget that can be adjusted by users.
It will also sends alerts when you post purchases to an account and provides customized money-management tips.
Mint is available for free and is compatible with Apple and Android devices. Accounts can also be managed via the Mint.com website.
You should know that Mint has been the gold standard for budgeting tools for some time, and the app takes the top spot here for a few reasons:
- It automatically updates and categorizes transactions, creating a picture of spending in real-time.
- You can add your own categories, track bills, split transactions and set budgets that alert you when you exceeding maximum spending threshold.
The service also provides free credit scores and credit score monitoring
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Wally
Wally is another great app to track your spending and savings goals.
It is a good choice if you do not want to give a third-party app access to your bank accounts. Rather than link to financial institutions and import data, Wally enables you to enter transactions manually or upload photos of receipts.
That way, money can then be budgeted and your savings goals can be tracked easily.
Wally is compatible with Apple and Android devices and is free to download from Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
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Clarity Money
Owned by the online bank Marcus by Goldman Sachs, Clarity Money is another app that makes it easy to track spending.
You can link your bank accounts, view historical data and even get a countdown to your next pay check.
However, what makes this service unique is that it works to identify subscription services and helps cancel them.
The app is free and compatible with Apple and Android devices. You can also access Clarity Money’s services online.
Clarity Money is a comprehensive budgeting and saving app. you can link financial accounts from thousands of institutions, organize expenses, track spending and bucket their spending into different categories.
There are other features, too, like subscription cancelling and credit score monitoring, which provide a more inclusive financial picture beyond just transactions.
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YNAB
Previously known as You Need a Budget, YNAB is both an app and a software program that can be used across multiple platforms.
You can link bank accounts, create a budget and continuously sync data, offering an ideal solution for couples who want to share financial transactions in real time.
YNAB is compatible with Apple and Android devices; it is free for the first 34 days and requires $6.99 monthly fee thereafter or an annual fee of $83.99.
Forums, podcasts and videos are also provided to help people navigate the software, create a budget and stick to it.
YNAB is for the committed user, no doubt. It is based on the zero-based budgeting system, and users must make a plan for every dollar they earn.
Students who provide proof of enrollment get an additional 12 months free.
Those who pay this price can benefit from YNAB’s many features. You can connect bank accounts, set goals, contribute to savings and customize spending categories.
You can also access resources, like app user guides, budgeting advice and free workshops.
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PocketGuard
PocketGuard allows you to link bank accounts, credit cards, loans and investments to provide a complete financial picture.
It then categorizes spending and calculates how much is left after the bills are paid, providing a simple way to create a budget automatically.
The basic version of PocketGuard is free to use, while PocketGuard Plus costs $3.99 per month or $34.99 per year.
The paid version includes tools for tracking cash payments and managing ATM withdrawals.
PocketGuard is compatible with Apple and Android devices. Some features of the app can also be accessed online.
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Albert
With Albert, you can either manage money on your own or pay for advice from financial experts.
The free version of the app lets you link accounts, set savings goals and review spending.
Meanwhile, with Albert Genius, the paid service, a team of experts will create an automatic budget and dispense financial advice.
You will also get spending alerts if the system notices you might be overpaying for certain goods and services.
Albert is only compatible with Apple devices and is free to download. Users will be asked to select a monthly payment for the service and can choose to stick with the free version.
To access Albert Genius services, a minimum payment of $4 per month is required.
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Quicken
Quicken has long been one of the most recognizable names in budgeting software, and now the company has an app to complement its more traditional products.
The Quicken mobile companion app lets you view account balances, add transactions and sync data across desktop and mobile versions of Quicken.
The mobile app is compatible with Apple and Android devices and works in tandem with Quicken software that is available for an annual fee.
The starter version of Quicken costs $34.99 a year and allows users to create a budget and manage bills.
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Zelle
Zelle enables you to easily track person-to-person payments. The app allows users to transfer money from one U.S. bank account to another.
While some third-party services such as PayPal and Venmo will hold a balance in the app until money is transferred.
A benefit of Zelle is that money always goes directly to your bank account.
The Zelle service is embedded in the mobile banking apps of financial institutions such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
If you do not have access to Zelle directly through your bank or credit union, the app can be downloaded for free from Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
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Santa’s Bag
For a holiday spending budgeting app, look no further than Santa’s Bag.
It allows you to plan gift ideas, set a budget and track spending. The app can also create reports and track gifts split between multiple recipients.
Santa’s Bag makes navigating the giving season easy by helping to track your overall budget as well as how much you are spending on specific people.
It has proven that creating a budget will help you be more accountable with our savings goals and help us spend smarter.
Santa’s Bag is only compatible with Apple devices and is free to download from the App Store.
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Goodbudget
Goodbudget is based on the envelope system, in which you portion out your monthly income toward specific spending categories.
The app allows multiple devices to access the same account, so partners and family members can share a budget.
Unlike other apps, Goodbudget does not have your sync bank accounts. You manually add account balances that you can pull from your bank’s website, as well as cash amounts and debts.
With accounts and income entered, you assign money toward spending categories, known as envelopes.
The free version allows one account, two devices and limited envelopes.
The Plus version, which is $6 per month or $50 annually, offers unlimited envelopes and accounts, up to five devices and other perks.
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EveryDollar
This is a budgeting app that helps users track their spending and plan for purchases.
It is tailored for zero-based budgeting, which is a method where your expenses equal your income.
With the free version of the app, users can create a transaction each time they spend money to account for it in their budget.
For a streamlined experience, upgrade to EveryDollar Plus. This will connect your bank account and expenses.
EveryDollar Plus costs, though. It is billed annually for $129.99.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that there are several tools that can help you to save and budget for your cash.
This is important in your journey towards becoming a better person at managing your money.
Related: 11 Tips to Manage Your Personal Finances
In today’s world where, technology is playing a big role in our day-to-day lives. Budgeting apps are going to help you achieve your financial goals by ensuring you are in charge and on top of your finances.
Getting your finances on track is not as easy as it looks. Detailing every dollar that comes in and goes out can be exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Once you have a budget in place, you will spend much less time updating and maintaining it. Using a budgeting app helps you manage money straight from your phone.
Since everyone has different styles of how they prefer to handle their money, the “best” budgeting app for you will depend on your spending style and saving goals.
For instance, some apps like You Need A Budget foster ongoing diligence around tracking spending, while apps like Mint are more passive.
The above list of the best personal budgeting apps will help you in your journey towards financial freedom.