Creating and sticking to a budget is no easy feat, but with the right tools, like good budgeting software, for example, you can harness one of the most powerful financial tools at your disposal.
Best Budgeting Software in the USA
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Why you can trust us
The team at WealthRocket only recommends products and services that we would use ourselves and that we believe will provide value to our readers. However, we advocate for you to continue to do your own research and make educated decisions.
In this WealthRocket article, we’ll provide the best budgeting software in the USA, as well as what budgeting software can do, the difference between budgeting software and apps, and more useful information for you and your budget.
Albert
- Fees Free, with an upgraded option of $4/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App No
Goodbudget
- Fees Basic version is free; upgrade is $5/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App Yes
Mvelopes
- Fees Starts at $6/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App Yes
1. Albert
- Best for: Round-up Saving
- Fees: Free, with an upgraded option of $4 per month
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: No
Albert is a no-frills budgeting software and digital financial product that analyzes your spending habits while tucking away free cash into a savings account.
It also offers savings and investing products. Voila! You’re saving, without even trying.
Albert
- Fees Free, with an upgraded option of $4/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App No
2. Goodbudget
- Best for: Envelope System budgeters
- Fees: Basic version is free; upgraded is $5/month
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: Yes
Goodbudget organizes your budget into virtual envelopes, like the much-lauded “Envelope” budgeting system.
Goodbudget requires you to manually label your transactions by assigning them to virtual “envelopes,” a suitable means of budgeting for those who have many recurring expenses every month.
Goodbudget
- Fees Basic version is free; upgrade is $5/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App Yes
3. Mvelopes
- Best for: “Envelope System” seeking automation
- Fees: Starts at $6/month
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: Yes
Mvelopes is a budgeting software that makes envelope budgeting easy. By automatically syncing, importing information, and account monitoring, Mvelopes is best suited for those who swear by the “Envelope” budgeting tactic.
Mvelopes
- Fees Starts at $6/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App Yes
4. Mint
- Best for: Seekers of Free and Comprehensive Budgeting Software
- Fees: Free
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: Yes
Mint is an all-encompassing dashboard that centralizes your must-know financial information into one location.
Available for desktop and mobile platforms, Mint provides an insightful overview of your expenses, with daily reports and customizable goals, with aggregation of all of your assets and debts in one package.
5. Personal Capital
- Best for: Experienced Investors
- Fees: Budgeting tools are free, while wealth management fees start at 0.89% with access to financial advisors.
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: Yes
Personal Capital is ideal for budgeters who also want to keep an eye on their investments, focusing on long-term financial planning and investing.
An additional bonus is that Personal Capital can provide insight into how much you spend on investing while providing you with more cost-effective options.
Personal Capital
- Fees Budgeting tools are free, while wealth management fees start at 0.89% with access to financial advisors
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App Yes
6. PocketGuard
- Best for: Cash users
- Fees: $3.99 per month
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: Yes
PocketGuard is budgeting software that allows users to track incoming income.
It is also ideal for those who predominantly use cash to purchase or make payments.
Naturally, this app requires a little more user involvement, as most successful budgets do.
PocketGuard
- Fees $3.99/month
- Mobile App iOS and Android
- Desktop App Yes
7. You Need a Budget (YNAB)
- Best for: Data-Driven Budgeters
- Fees: $11.99 per month or $84 per year
- Mobile app: iOS and Android
- Desktop app: Yes
You Need a Budget (YNAB) has a staple, trademark feature that has the power to change your budgeting habits by teaching you how to spend smarter.
Unlike many apps, YNAB doesn’t do the budgeting for you and requires your involvement.
While this isn’t a free app like many of the budgeting tools listed above, YNAB requires some accountability. It costs $11.99 per month, or $84 a year. The latter grants $59 in savings a year.
What is budgeting software?
Budgeting software is any computer program that helps users create a budget.
Typically, budgeting software provides tools that allow you to track spending, expenses, income, and even investment portfolios.
What does budgeting software do?
Budgeting software helps you create and maintain a budget in one centralized location.
Most budgeting software programs allow you to input or link your accounts from financial institutions, as well as outgoing payments, credit cards, and investment accounts.
Having all your information in one location, with the access of automated budgeting tools, like graphs and bill paying notifications, can also help make money management, saving, and investing that much easier.
What’s the difference between budgeting software and budgeting apps?
Both are powerful tools that can help you track your spending and improve your finances. But there are some important differences to note.
Budgeting software covers a wider array of abilities. Generally, software is a term used to describe a computer program that can perform various actions.
On the other hand, applications are much more specific in that they usually only perform one, more specific action. An app is considered a type of software.
Rachel Morgan Cautero
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t, but it sure makes life easier. It’s very easy to blow through spending categories or miss a bill when you’re keeping track of everything by hand. With their bill-paying reminders and live cash flow views, budgeting apps make staying on top of your finances that much easier.
If you spend more time on a desktop computer or prefer to have a large-screen view of your finances, then the software might work better for you. But if you live and die by your phone, then it makes sense to use an app for your budgeting needs.
The answer to this question depends on what features you’re looking for in a budgeting tool. If you need a more in-depth look at your finances or more advanced tools, it might make sense to pay a small monthly fee. But if you’re a bare-bones kind of budgeter, a free version should suffice.
