Last Updated on December 6, 2023 by KashKick Staff
Update 11/15/23: With the announcement that Mint is going to be mothballed in January 2024, we added in a new app that we love — Rocket Money!
In our last article, Budgeting Made Fun, we discussed the importance of making a fun budget so that you’ll actually stick to it. One of the things we discussed was using budgeting tools to make things even easier to keep track of. In the confusing financial world of the 21st century, budgeting can often feel like making your way through a maze blindfolded, with an occasional banana peel thrown in for good measure. But don’t worry, fellow financial friends! Budgeting apps are here in abundance, and they are here to stay. We’ve found some of the best, so budgeting can feel as exciting as a game of Monopoly (minus the family feuds). Let the saving games begin!
The Best Apps to Track Your Dough
Mint
Update 11/15/23: It was announced that Mint will be shutting down in January 2024. Check out our news brief to learn more.
With high ratings in both Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, we think the numbers speak for themselves with this app. Even so, we will still tell you why we can’t get enough of this budgeting app.
Why We Love It
This app couldn’t be easier to use. Mint allows you to keep track of your spending as it happens. You can connect bank accounts, credit cards, loans, investment accounts, and your mortgage account on your main page, so every piece of your financial story is laid out for you to see.
And Mint has a killer budgeting section. Once you connect your bank account, you have unlimited budgeting categories. Based on your spending, the app will create your budgeting categories and how much you can spend on each category. As money is spent, it will adjust your remaining spending balance accordingly. It’s all fully customizable, so your budget is as tailored to you as possible.
In the budgeting section, you can also connect all of your bills and subscriptions so that Mint can automatically remind you when your bills are due. Mint basically takes all the guesswork out of budgeting, and gets you set up for success within seconds of connecting your accounts. You can even create savings goals to save up for the things that are important to you (savvy-saving living for the win!).
Why it Might Not Be for You
Mint is great because it has many different ways of customizing things and does everything for you. It’s like budgeting on auto-pilot! But if you like to plan your budget & spending ahead of time, then Mint may not be the best choice for you. It’s great to keep track of everything without thinking about it, but some bills need to be considered ahead of time, so other apps down the list may be more your speed.
Cost: Free!
Apple’s App Store Rating: 4.6
Google Play Store Rating: 4.2
Rocket Money
Rocket Money, formerly known as TrueBill, is a versatile financial management application designed to help users gain better control over their finances. One of its strongest features is subscription tracking and cancellation. We all know how fast those streaming subscriptions can get out of hand!
Why We Love It
Rocket Money’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for you to track expenses, set budgets, and understand spending patterns. But we especially love their money-saving features. Imagine Rocket Money as your super-sleuth financial buddy, armed with a magnifying glass, ready to dive into the sea of your bank transactions. First off, it links arms with all your financial accounts – think of it as shaking hands with your bank, credit cards, and even that sneaky investment account you sometimes forget about.
Now, with a detective’s hat on, Rocket Money starts its treasure hunt through your transactions. It’s looking for clues of recurring charges – those monthly visits from Netflix, the gym you swore you’d go to (but haven’t), and maybe that magazine subscription from 2015. It’s like playing ‘Where’s Waldo?’ but with your subscriptions. Once it spots these recurring characters, Rocket Money lines them all up like in a police lineup. Voilà! You get a visual party of all your subscriptions in one place. It’s like seeing all your friends (and some frenemies) at a surprise party you didn’t know you were hosting.
Next comes the superhero part. For any subscription you want to ghost, Rocket Money dons its cape and offers to handle the messy break-up for you. It has a special ‘Cancellations Concierge’ – think of it as your personal assistant who makes those awkward “it’s not you, it’s me” calls to cancel services you no longer love or need.
And the best part? This helps you avoid the dreaded ‘zombie spending’ – that’s money mindlessly wandering into subscriptions you forgot you had. Rocket Money is like your personal financial zombie hunter, making sure your cash stays alive and kicking for things you actually enjoy.
Why It Might Not Be For You
You need to know the passwords to the accounts for the subscriptions you want to cancel. Without that, Rocket Money, can’t assist. Also some people don’t find the app’s look-and-feel to be that intuitive.
Cost: Rocket Money is free, but to get the most out of it, you’ll want the Premium Services. That price ranges from $4 a month to $12 a month, depending on what you select. Sign up for Rocket Money through KashKick and earn a $5 reward!
Apple’s App Store Rating: 4.3
Google Play Store Rating: 4.4
You Need a Budget (YNAB)
This app uses the “zero-based budgeting” method, which means that each dollar you earn has a job. You plan for all expenses, which may be a better approach for someone who likes more of a hands-on approach to budgeting.
Why We Love It
YNAB is super simple because you have clear categories set for your budget, and you plan ahead of time exactly how much of your money goes to those categories. The first thing the app makes you do is set up your budgeting categories. Next, you connect any accounts that you want to show up on your profile (bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages, etc).
To expand more on zero-based budgeting, this is the gist of how it works: as soon as you get paid, you plug that number into your YNAB app (or if your bank account is connected, it shows up automatically). This will go into your “To Be Assigned” category. You already have your budgeting categories set up, so the next step is to decide what you want your money to do for you. Each dollar from your paycheque needs to be put into those categories until your “To Be Assigned” category is zero. This is the real meaning of giving every dollar a job!
Another thing with YNAB is that you track your expenses as they happen. When you spend money, you plug it into your app into the corresponding category. Then you can see in real-time what money you have left to spend. If you connect your bank account, your expenses can automatically be tracked without having to plug them in. YNAB still recommends plugging everything in and then matching them with transactions from your bank.
Why It Might Not Be For You
If you don’t like having to be on top of your budget all the time, then this might not be the app for you. If you like everything done for you without thinking about it, Mint may be the better option. Plus, there is only a 34-day free trial before you have to pay, and the price tag may be a bit steep for some.
Cost: Free 34-day trial, then it’s $14.99/month, or $99/year.
Apple’s App Store Rating: 4.7
Google Play Store Rating: 4.7
Every Dollar
This app also uses a zero-based budgeting approach like YNAB. There is a basic, free version, and a premium version with more perks.
Why we Love It
EveryDollar is like a simplified version of YNAB, and you can actually keep using the free version if you don’t want to pay for premium. In the free version, you can still set up a budget and track your expenses, but you can’t link any external accounts. This means you have to track your budget manually and input all transactions as they happen.
With the premium version, you can:
- Link your bank account
- Plan ahead for your paychecks
- See custom reports
- Download CSV files of your data
- Set bill due date reminders
With the free plan, you can still:
- Create monthly budgets
- Customize budget items & categories
- Manually track your spending
- Set due dates
Why It Might Not Be For You
Again, if you don’t always want to be a number-crunching ninja, this might not be the app for you. If you want to have an app that worries about the numbers for you while you’re lounging in the pool sipping a Piña Colada, then you might want to look at something different.
Cost: You can use the basic version of the app for free. For premium you get a free 14-day trial, and after that, it’s $12.99/month or $79.99/year.
Apple’s App Store Rating: 4.7
Google Play Store Rating: 3.3
Buddy
With this app, you can make a budget, track expenses, make savings goals, share your budget with a partner, and more! See why we think you should take a look at this app:
Why We Love It
Similar to YNAB and EveryDollar, with Buddy, you can plan your month ahead so you know exactly what you are able to spend your money on. You can add categories, but only pre-saved ones within the app with the free version. In the premium version, you can edit and even remove categories. You plug in your expected income for the month, and plan ahead for everything you think you might have to spend on.
In the free version, you can only manually track your income and expenses. In the premium version, you can:
- connect your bank account to automatically track transactions
- edit & remove categories
- set up reminders
- export to a CSV file
The premium version is convenient because it will automatically track all transactions for you. Buddy is one of those apps we were talking about that does your budgeting for you so you can lounge in the pool all day. AND it’s not even as expensive as some of the other apps on our list. Talk about a sweet deal!
Why It Might Not Be for You
This app is only available on mobile, so if you want to be able to see your budget on a bigger screen, then you might not find it suitable. And again, if you want to be hands-off with your budget, you definitely won’t love this one!
Cost: You can use the basic version of this app for as long as you want. Premium has a 7-day trial, then it’s $4.99/month, or $34.99/year.
Apple’s App Store Rating: 4.7
Google Play Store Rating: 4.7
Good Budget
This app uses the envelope budgeting method. Each “envelope” is a spending category that you put money into. This app is good for our hands-on budgeters who like to be totally in-the-know with their money.
Why We Love It
Your expenses can be tracked to a T with this app. Your bank account’s can’t be connected, even with premium, so you have to manually enter income and transactions. With the basic version, you have limited envelopes and accounts you can add to your budget. With premium, the envelopes and accounts you can add are unlimited. You can even share your budget with your partner, so you both can be on the same page about everything. GoodBudget is pretty simple, but if you like simple, then this might be the right app for you!
Why It Might Not Be For You
If you want to be able to link your bank account and have your transactions track automatically, then this app might not be the right fit.
Cost: There is no trial for premium. It’s either $8/month, or $70/year.
Apple’s App Store Rating: 4.7
Google Play Store Rating: 4.2
In Summary
If you want a budgeting tool you can take anywhere with you in your back pocket (literally), then one of these budgeting apps might be the way to go. They are easy to use, and convenient, and they’ll have you whipping through your budget in no time to leave room for the fun stuff: actually getting to enjoy your money!