Best Budgeting Apps in the USA

According to a recent Gallup poll, only 30% of Americans stick to a budget and save money.

But budgets these days go far beyond creating paper spreadsheets. The answer to your money management challenges may be on your phone. Yes, really.

In this WealthRocket article, we’ll look at the best budgeting apps in the USA, as well as what they do, how they work, and how they stand apart from other methods of budgeting.

1. Clarity Money

• Best for: Over-subscribers
• Fees: Free
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: Yes

Among its other features, like tracking spending and showing categories where you’re prone to overspending, Clarity Money isolates recurring charges along with regular spending to help its users find where they can trim their expenses with ease.

2. Every Dollar

• Best for: First-timers
• Fees: Limited version is free; the upgraded tool is $99/annually
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: Yes

Every Dollar is a simple, pared-down budgeting tool with a fast (like ten minutes fast) setup that helps users create an incredibly detailed budget.

Unlike apps that sync automatically, Every Dollar requires users to input their expenses manually, an excellent option for those who want to make budgeting a practice to stick by.

By inputting expenses manually, Every Dollar users can develop a detailed understanding of where their money goes as they input each transaction. Some might find this to be one of the most effective methods of budgeting.

3. Goodbudget

• Best for: “Envelope System” devotees
• Fees: Basic version is free; upgraded is $5/month
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: Yes

Goodbudget allows you to virtually divide your budget into “envelopes,” making it that much easier to stay on top of your spending, category-by-category.

For those seeking a more general budgeting approach, Goodbudget is suitable for those looking to stick to the same budget each month.

To learn more, read WealthRocket’s Goodbudget Review.

4. HoneyDue

• Best for: Couples
• Fees: Free
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: No

Uniquely, HoneyDue allows you to manage your finances with your partner, a suitable option for couples who manage their money together.

The shared dashboard gives a comprehensive view of bank balances, monthly spending limits, and bill reminders.

HoneyDue has a caveat, however. It allows you to choose what you share with your partner, which might not make it an ideal option for some couples or make it more ideal for others.

5. Mint

• Best for: Those who want the whole kit and caboodle
• Fees: Free
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: Yes

As one of the most popular budgeting apps available today, Mint’s easy-to-use dashboard combines all your must-know financial information into one place, easily accessible on any computer or smartphone.

Mint tracks expenses, debts, and investments and divides them using a pie chart. It then combines all totals to help you determine your net worth, a suitable app for those who want to rid themselves of debt while having a practical understanding of where they stand financially.

To learn more, check out WealthRocket’s Mint Review.

6. Pocket Guard

• Best for: Impulsive spenders
• Fees: Free
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: Yes

Pocket Guard provides a simple but highly valuable piece of information to its users—how much cash they have to spend at any given time.

Pocket Guard offers a special feature, aptly titled “In My Pocket,” which grants over-spenders a heads up when they’re overspending. It lets people know what they have in their pocket and available for spending.

7. You Need a Budget

• Best for: Chart-lovers
• Fees: 34-day free trial, then $83.99/year
• Mobile app: iOS and Android
• Desktop app: Yes

You Need a Budget (YNAB) is an app that promises to help users “live on last month’s income,” which should, ideally, improve their financial situation. Plus, the tool’s charts are top-notch.

Read WealthRocket’s YNAB Review to get an in-depth understanding of how the app fully works.

Budgeting apps are mobile applications that you can download on your smartphone to track your spending, cash flow, financial goals, and even your overall net worth.

Budgeting apps offer a variety of budgeting features, everything from organizing your budget into categories to saving money to helping you reach your retirement goals.

Many budgeting tools offer real-time notifications for spending while tracking and categorizing your expenses to grant you a general overview of your spending habits.

Research shows that the average smartphone user has upwards of 80 apps installed on their phone. Why not make a budgeting app one of them?

Budgeting apps help you track your income and expenses and keep tabs on your spending and personal finances easily and conveniently.

Think about it: with certain budgeting apps, you can access your bank accounts, investment portfolio, even your overall net worth and personal capital, all with just a few taps of your smartphone.

It also conveniently acts as a headquarters for all of your finances and accounts, thus keeping everything in one place, or, in other words, under one hood.

While budgeting apps vary, most financial apps keep tabs on cash flow and spending, track bills, and debt payments. Some provide additional services, such as a free credit score. Others help you organize your finances into a virtual envelope system.

(Remember, the simple budgeting strategy marked by envelopes for spending categories. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.)

To track expenses, show your investments and net worth, even keep track of spending by category, you’ll need to give your budget app of choice access to that information.

These budgeting tools can be powerful, given that they have access to the right information. Most times, this involves linking your checking account, savings account, brokerage account, and your credit card accounts.

You also may need to include personal loans or other debt information if you’d like to keep track of those expenses as well.

Linking your financial accounts with a third-party app may leave you feeling a bit anxious, but don’t read too much into that. Most budgeting apps use similar encryption and security measures as your bank.

Just be sure to go with a reputable budgeting app and use a unique, hard-to-guess password.