For many of us, budgeting is not only a chore, but an art we don’t understand as well as we think. Many individuals and couples have no semblance of a budget and this drastically impedes goals such as saving for a home.
The good news is that there are many financial and budget apps that can help you start saving and stop valueless spending. Or at least, you can cut down on the spending that’s hurting you.
We’ve reviewed some top financial and budget apps.
EveryDollar
There are two ways to use this premier budgeting app: You can sync it with your accounts, or input the data yourself. That comes down to what you prefer and if you’re willing to pay for premium (clearly, the sync function is premium based). The free version is great, but again, you’ll need to manually input your spends. The paid version also gives you access to a number of other Ramsey apps. All in, you’ll pay $129.99 for a year for syncing.
We love EveryDollar because, well, it’s basic budgeting. There’s no complex algorithms, instead, it helps you budget under a reasonable strategy that’s tried and true. You can customize your budget rather easily.
The interface is clean and simple to navigate. EveryDollar is perfect for beginners who have no semblance of a budget.
PocketGuard
PocketGuard helps people set up a budget, save money, and hopefully, increase savings. Like other financial apps, PocketGuard can be synced with your accounts to help expedite the process. It’s My Pocket feature helps you budget by telling you how much you can spend. It will also set up personalized spending reports that increase your vision across all of your spending.
The great thing with PocketGuard is viewing all your accounts in one spot, this includes personal loans, credit cards, bank accounts…
Quickly understand what your daily or weekly or monthly spending looks like.
Unlike EveryDollar which makes you upgrade to sync, PocketGuard makes you upgrade to manually enter accounts. This may sound bizarre, but you’d be surprised by how many accounts may experience a syncing error. So that’s the rub with PocketGuard.
Mint
The Mint app falls under the Intuit umbrella, which if you’re familiar with QuickBooks, you know the company has a long and deep history in finance and budgeting. Like the other financial and budgeting apps, Mint allows you to manage all your accounts in one spot. You can set up savings goals, receive alerts for bills, and customize your budget.
The downside to Mint is that it doesn’t support joint accounts.
YNAB
The YNAB app claims it can change your relationship with money. And a lot of big companies, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times seem to agree. YNAB is an acronym for You Need a Budget. YNAB helps everyday people get out of debt, start saving, by “giving every dollar a job.” YNAB is by far one of the most popular budget and financial apps out there and a must check out.
Fudget
If you’re seeking a basic, easy-to-use financial app that doesn’t sync with your financial accounts, Fudget could be the right choice. Its simplistic interface is reminiscent of a standard calculator, prioritizing straightforward financial tracking over complex features.
With Fudget, you can create lists of income and expenses and keep an eye on your balances. However, it doesn’t offer any budget categories. Opting for the Pro account also grants you the ability to export your budget, among other additional features.
However, there are a few caveats to consider. If you need a more detailed breakdown of your expenses, desire deeper financial insights, or prefer any functionality beyond the basics, Fudget might not meet your expectations. It also requires you to manually log every expense, which might not suit you if you’re looking for automated tracking. Furthermore, the lack of comprehensive user guides may pose difficulties for some users. Hence, it’s advisable to explore other options if these are potential concerns for you.
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