While some of us might have grown up seeing our parents or grandparents painstakingly go through receipts and work out budgets in workbooks or own basic spreadsheets, today we have convenient tools to make it all easier in the form of budgeting apps. That's the good news. The bad news is that there are so many out there it can be difficult to figure out which one to start with, especially if you’re a beginner. That’s why we put together the list below.
NOTE: In this list, we have prioritized the apps that offer free plans and organized them from least to most expensive, recognizing that many budget beginners don’t have the extra money to spend on a financial app. We are not affiliated with any of the below companies and don’t receive any referral or associate compensation.
If you watch any amount of YouTube, you maybe have already heard of Rocket Money thanks to sponsored partnerships. It’s primarily been known for its tools for helping users identify recurring subscriptions and cancel accounts they no longer want or need.
At the base, no-cost level: You can get the basics you need, including the ability to link multiple bank accounts and credit cards so that it’s all in one place. You’ll also get balance alerts and spending insights, plus automatic identification of subscriptions.
At the premium level, the price depends on your platform and preferences, and it opens up a lot of new tools that include: a subscription cancellation assistant, net worth tracking, account sharing, advanced transaction management, and more.
Goodbudget is based on the classic envelope budgeting method, where you have an envelope for each budget category that you fill with cash and use for that month. On Goodbudget, those envelopes are virtual but are still a great visual tool to help you see how much you’re spending and saving in each area.
At the base, no-cost level, you can have one account over two devices, 10 regular envelopes, 10 additional envelopes, one year of spending history, and debt tracking.
Ath the premium level, you can have your bank accounts automatically sync to the app, 7 years of spending history, unlimited accounts and unlimited envelopes.
EveryDollar is the app created by Ramsey Solutions, the company founded by financial guru Dave Ramsey. It’s designed around the concept of zero-based budgeting, which means every single dollar coming in to your count is tagged and justified. There are no “extra” chunks of money hanging around because you’re putting everything into your needs, wants, or savings.
At the base, no-cost level, you have access to their basic budgeting features, including splitting transactions, setting savings goals, and unlimited categories.
At the premium level, you open up additional features, including bank connectivity, paycheck planning, custom budget reports, smark tracking recommendations, and a financial roadmap.
After Intuit shut down Mint, they encouraged users to switch to Credit Karma, and this app is unique in that there are no premium or subscription-based levels; it’s fully free. However, you will have to deal with ads and promotions within the app. Users have access to credit reports and monitoring from TransUnion and Equifax, two of the major credit bureaus, plus monthly expense and net worth tracking and easy access to other Intuit products.
There are limits to the budget tracking features, however, including an inability to create custom spending categories.
For those looking for a more minimalist, grounded approach to budgeting, there’s Fudget. This app very specifically doesn’t let you link your accounts; you enter them individually, the same way your dad or grandparents did with a pen and paper or old-school spreadsheet, so you’re staying connected to where your money goes.
The base, no-cost level gives you up to five budgets and 250 entries on one device. You can mark up entries as you need, including noting when they’re paid or recurring, and also drag, reorder, and carry over balances.
The premium level gives you unlimited budgets and entries on multiple devices, the ability to share with a partner or loved one so you can budget together, and access to extras like folders, partials, reminders, and so on.
Bad news out of the way first: Quicken Simplifi doesn’t have a free option; it is, however, one of the lower cost options out there for someone who is looking for premium-level features. It comes from the makers of the Quicken personal finance software that’s been around for a long while and gives you a lot of tools for your money.
The base level includes everything you need to be able to track your expenses, including automatic syncing with all your bank accounts and credit cards, monthly spending plans based on expected bills and income, account alerts, and more.
The premium levels are for called Quicken Business & Personal, which lets you manage both your business and personal finances together, and Quicken Classic, which includes more advanced features like investing tools and tax reports.
A relative newcomer to the budgeting app field, Lunch Money is an independently run small business with an all-inclusive price. That price is also locked in; if they raise the price in the future, it will only apply to new users, not to those already using it.
The price includes a host of functions, some of which could be a little more overwhelming for beginners, including multicurrency support, a rules engine for organizing your transactions, analytics queries to get insights into your spending habits, and the ability to invite unlimited collaborators.
Forbes named PocketGuard its best app for tracking spending for 2025, and the fact that it connects with over 18,000 banks is certainly a big plus. It includes unlimited accounts and custom categories, but also seems to combine a lot of different tools and features to make it the best of all worlds.
This includes things like rollover budgeting from month to month, subscription tracking like Rocket Money, debt payoff plans, and – importantly – high priority support.
Monarch Money’s app was developed with the goal of a clean, user-friendly layout to make budgeting easier. There is no free plan option, but there’s also no premium option. No tools are gatekept; you pay one price for all the tools and features. While it’s generally based around zero-based budgeting, it’s adaptable to your needs.
In addition to basic budgeting tools like tracking spending and bills, Monarch includes unlimited account syncing, including investment accounts; net worth tracking; custom reports; goal forecasting; and the ability to share with multiple family members or loved ones.
Like Monarch, YNAB is a one-cost-for-all budgeting experience with a list of tools and features included. It can be a little more complex than other apps with a bit more of a learning curve, but can be really great for users who know they need to drill down into the details in order to get a handle on their finances.
YNAB is another zero-based budgeting app, where you give every dollar a “job” or category that it will go in. To do that, you can connect all your accounts into this central place, and then apply what they call the YNAB Method to help you clarify your spending and priorities.
Squinting at a balance sheet is a thing of the past. These days, you can get a grip on your finances using automated tools and sleek interfaces that unite all your financial information into one, easy to control dashboard. And with the number of options out there, there is sure to be one that fits your budget and needs. If you’re still needing help figuring out which one is right for you, partners like WithU Loans can listen to your goals and background and work with you to find solutions.