Budgeting and saving money is never an easy task. Many people create budget plans for themselves and end up failing in the end and ruining their budget in the end.
And sticking to a budget?
Even more challenging.
Now, there’s an app for EVERYTHING. Managing money, included.
The budget and money management apps will save your life and help you take control of your finances today.
Breakdown of the Best Budget and Money Management Apps for 2023
To help you the best, we decided to break the best money management apps into a few categories:
- General budgeting apps
- Grocery budgeting apps
- Travel budgeting apps
- Personal finance apps
- Investing apps
We’ll also then break those apps down into:
- Money management apps for iPhone
- Money management apps for Android
- Money management apps for Desktop
- Free money management apps
We hope you’ll find the app(s) you need to conquer your debt and rescue your finances.
General Budgeting Apps
The following simple budget apps will help you plan and stick to a budget. By organizing your finances and writing them down, you’re more likely to succeed.
Not sure how to budget?
Read our in-depth beginner budgeting article to get started.
1. You Need A Budget (YNAB)
You Need A Budget, or YNAB, is a budgeting app that helps you create a budget and track daily expenditures. YNAB lets you connect to your accounts letting you review your financial dealings as you go along. However, the app doesn’t include other features like investment tracking and bill paying. It is a pure budgeting system for users who are meticulous and critical with how they budget their money.
YNAB encourages and motivates its users with a regularly updated blog and forum in order to see support first-time users of both the app and budgeting. Moreover, the mobile version connects to the desktop version which enables you to keep track of your financial records at home and on the go.
Price: $6.99/month billed annually
Promotion: Free trial for the first two months for new users
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
2. Mvelopes
The traditional and low-tech method of budgeting in the past is to allocate your money in envelopes that correspond to a certain expenditure. Mvelopes is its digital equivalent. It is a web-based personal finance software application that helps users control over finances by using the same technique that offers a method to budget money in customizable virtual “envelopes”.
Furthermore, this app has something traditional envelope budgeting can’t do. Mvelopes has a feature that allows you to link to your bank and credit card accounts for a continually updated look at your financial status. The app also has a desktop version that enables you to check up on your financial progress at home, on the go, on a small screen or on a big screen.
Price: Free to $59/month
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
3. Mint
Mint is an automated mobile money manager and a financial tracker app, often compared to Empower (formerly Personal Capital) and Quicken*.
You can link up all your financial accounts, credit cards, bills, and investments and it will track what you have and what you owe. The app helps you see where your money is spent giving you an idea of where to cut back unneeded expenses.
Similar to YNAB but sports some investing and bill-paying features that YNAB lacks.
The app also lets you create budgets that you can stick to along with suggesting a few budget suggestions based on your spending. Mint mobile also supports the use of the desktop version at their website which enables you to sync your bank accounts and information to your computer. This feature allows you to export your financial data to spreadsheets and other apps on the computer.
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Platform: Android, iOS, Desktop
*You can read more on our own comparisons on Empower and Quicken, see if a paid program is better for your budgeting needs!
4. EveryDollar
If the idea of creating a monthly budget feels overwhelming, start with EveryDollar — which will help you set up a solid basic financial plan in as little as 10 minutes.
The simple budgeting app will help you save money, stick to a budget, track spending, and get out of debt fast.
Price: Free, but financial tracking and bank account connection requires the $99/year pro version
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
5. PocketGuard
Finding savings in your regular spending is important when looking for a money management app.
After you sync your accounts, PocketGuard comes to the rescue by helping you analyze and track your spending. You can then use that information to help you build a better budget.
PocketGuard is also attuned to recurring bills and looks for BETTER deals. Through this personal finance app, you can pinpoint spending trends from month-to-month, save money long-term, and monitor your individual bills.
Price: Free, but there is a $3.99/month plan for more functions
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
6. Dollarbird
What’s your main budgeting issue?
Maybe you’re afraid to spend money on breakfast because you can’t remember when your mortgage is due. Maybe you know that you have loans to pay off, but need a schedule to do so.
Dollarbird can help with that.
The idea of this budgeting app is to put your budget into the form of a calendar. By color coding transactions by category, you’ll get a good idea of upcoming expenses and recurring transactions.
The only real downside to Dollarbird is that it doesn’t sync with your bank accounts. Manual transactions are the way to go here, but the positive is that it gives you a more hands-on approach to your financial situation.
Price: Free with limited functions and $4.99/month for more
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
7. Goodbudget
Goodbudget, like Mvelopes, is built on the concept of an envelope budget. Like most envelope-based systems, you can only spend the money present in the envelope.
If you run out, you have to transfer money in from another envelope.
A perk of this budgeting app is that you can create a shared budget within your household. You can also use Goodbudget to plan your budget so everyone’s informed, keep everyone accountable, and set goals.
Price: 10 free envelopes and unlimited for $6/month
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
Grocery Budgeting Apps
We understand the importance of sticking to a budget while at the grocery store, especially now that Kallie (our baby girl) is growing up.
It’s amazing how we started saving on our grocery budget after deciding to eat healthily.
These grocery budgeting apps will help you get on the right track and make you some quick cash too!
8. Grocery iQ
Grocery iQ is an intuitive shopping list that allows you to build shopping lists quickly which saves you a lot of time and effort from wandering aimlessly in the grocery store. It sports a customizable list that can be arranged by categories along with a predictive search function from a database that includes millions of items.
Furthermore, you can now edit and arrange your shopping list with their desktop version. Grocery iQ also offers a coupon function that enables you to avail new coupons and save up time and effort as well as money at the same time.
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
9. Ibotta
Did you know that there are apps that can get you to earn cash back for everyday purchases when you go grocery shopping? If you don’t, now you do. And it’s called Ibotta.
Ibotta is a free mobile app that gives you cash rebates on participating store brands. This app lets you add rebates on products by completing simple tasks before you adding an item to your shopping list. The more rebates you add, the more cash you will have.
Not only this app serves as an alternative to couponing for people who don’t have time for those, but this also makes you earn real money instead of points or virtual cash.
Savvy Advice: We highly recommend Ibotta! We have made close to $100 in just a few short months of signing up. Sign up and join our team to earn even more.
Read our full review for more information.
Price: Free
Platform: Android, iOS, Desktop
10. Checkout51
Checkout51 is a cashback app that pays you rebates for shopping daily groceries similar to Ibotta. You get to browse products you want to shop for that offers rebates. After buying, you upload the receipt to show you’ve bought the featured items. Just take a picture of your receipt as proof that you’ve bought the offered products and you will earn cash.
Other than giving you cash back, take advantage of the opportunity to use your coupons with the app to save more.
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
11. Ebates
Ebates is a cashback site that allows you to earn money back on any purchases that you make online, with no extra effort from you.
All that you have to do is make sure you click on the website link through Ebates first, and then continue your purchase as you normally would.
There are more than 2,500 stores on Ebates that you can claim rebates with!
When you sign up, you are offered either a $10 Ebates cash bonus, or a $10 Walmart gift card. If you like free gift cards, read our guide on how to earn them.
The site also offers a rotating selection of special daily deals, as well as a valuable $25 refer-a-friend program.
Read our full review for more information.
Price: Free
Promotion: $10 Ebates cash bonus
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
12. Instacart
If you don’t have time to go grocery shopping, you can get others to do the shopping and either pick it up at the store or have it delivered.
We used Instacart for our grocery shopping and had an amazing experience with our Instacart shopper. Kelan even placed his first order by himself recently!
We tipped our shopper over $3.00 for her service.
It’s very inexpensive, but one of the reasons why we love it is because it forces you to stick to your list (and therefore, your budget). Instead of roaming across the supermarket and spending more, you just get the items you need.
Sign up for Instacart today!
Price: $3.99/order and you should give a tip
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
Travel Budgeting Apps
Finally going on vacation?
These budgeting apps will make sure you don’t blow your budget (and emergency fund). It’s time to have fun with the family without breaking the bank.
Check out these apps to get started!
13. Splitwise
Having trouble with the bills while traveling with your buddies? With the mission to emphasize fairness in terms of debts and bills, Splitwise is there to help. Splitwise is an app that enables you to split bills with friends and family easily.
It organizes all your shared expenses and IOUs making it easier for everyone to see who owes who as well as how much does one has to pay for his share of the expense. Splitwise allows you to link to your Facebook account to add contacts for your transactions. The app also supports PayPal accounts to settle up payments automatically.
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
14. Trail Wallet
Tired of dealing with scribbled notes and loose receipts? Sick of those complicated spreadsheets to track your travel expenses seem to suck out the fun of your traveling vacation? Then maybe Trail Wallet is what you need. Trail Wallet is a travel expense tracker for iPhone and iPad that enables you to manage your traveling documents much more easily.
The app allows you to add a purchase or expenditure and automatically suggests a budget of how much you will spend for a day. Another notable feature of the app is the ability to spread a large purchase over a number of days.
Price: Free for the first 25 items (with in-app purchases)
Platforms: iOS only
15. Trabee Pocket
But what about those traveling Android users? Don’t they have their own Trail Wallet too? They do in the form of Trabee Pocket.
Trabee Pocket is a travel budget manager/tracker that organizes your traveling budget and expenses easily. It can set exchange rates for multiple currencies and gives you a view of how much an item costs in your own currency. It is pretty similar to Trail Wallet but can run on both an iOS and an Android platform.
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Platforms: Android, iOS
Personal Finance Apps
These apps will help you improve your overall financial situation by giving you a consolidated perspective.
Learn how to manage your money and check out these personal finance apps!
16. Empower (Formerly Personal Capital)
Empower is one of the best money management apps available.
It allows you to track your bank accounts, investment accounts, mortgage, student loans, etc. The visuals are great for people who don’t like staring at spreadsheets!
The main appeal of Empower is that it provides you with a holistic view of your financial situation and a way to calculate your net worth.
You can also use this app to get your paycheck early, up to 2 days faster than most traditional banks.
Sign up for Empower today to get your money under wraps!
Price: Free, but their hardcore investment options cost money
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
17. Albert
Do you wish you had help managing your finances?
You probably want Albert.
With a combination of human guidance and artificial intelligence, Albert analyzes your current financial health. Then, it provides a personalized report on what you can do to improve it.
Based on your salary, spending habits, bills, and other expenditures, the app will help you create a budget. It will also help you put money aside in a savings account (for an emergency fund) and informs you where you overpay.
It will also help you turbo-charge your investments.
Price: Free, but a small premium gets you text access to human experts for extra help
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
Investing Apps
If you want to start investing and have money for retirement, these investing apps will help you out!
18. Acorns
Acorns reinvests your virtual change instead of saving it. The app allows you to start investing with no effort (and even if you don’t have any experience) with virtually no effort.
You just set it up and let it do its thing.
Acorns can round up your transactions and you can also set up recurring withdrawals. Sometimes, when you shop with certain brands, the app will automatically invest some money into your account.
Sign up for Acorns today!
Price: $1/month for all accounts under one million dollars
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
19. Stash
If you’ve got a spare $5, you’ve got the beginnings of an investment portfolio when you sign up for Stash.
Plus, the app makes it easy to make informed choices about what, exactly, your money is supporting — and to learn more about how to invest in ways that align with your personal values and goals.
Price: $3/month for accounts under $5,000
Platforms: Android, iOS, Desktop
Device Breakdown of the Best Budget and Money Management Apps
For your convenience, we’ll break the apps listed above into the following devices:
- iPhone
- Android
- Desktop
Let’s go!
Best Budget Apps for iPhone
If you’re an Apple user, then you’ll want to check out the following apps:
- You Need A Budget (YNAB)
- Mvelopes
- Mint
- EveryDollar
- PocketGuard
- Dollarbird
- Goodbudget
- Grocery iQ
- Checkout51
- Instacart
- Splitwise
- Trail Wallet
- Trabee Pocket
- Empower
- Albert
- Acorns
- Stash
Best Budget Apps for Android
If you’re an Android user, you’ll want to check out the following apps:
- You Need A Budget (YNAB)
- Mvelopes
- Mint
- EveryDollar
- PocketGuard
- Dollarbird
- Goodbudget
- Grocery iQ
- Checkout51
- Instacart
- Splitwise
- Trabee Pocket
- Empower
- Albert
- Acorns
- Stash
Best Budget Apps for Desktop
If you prefer using a computer, you’ll want to check out the following apps:
- You Need A Budget (YNAB)
- Mvelopes
- Mint
- EveryDollar
- PocketGuard
- Dollarbird
- Goodbudget
- Grocery iQ
- Checkout51
- Instacart
- Splitwise
- Empower
- Albert
- Acorns
- Stash
- Monarch
Free Money Management Apps
If you’re on the hunt for a free budgeting app, then check out the ones below!
Please note that some of these have a freemium model, where there are limited functions on the free plan. We didn’t include free trials in this.
It’s often best to start with a free app and then progress on to a paid one when you have a better idea of what you need. In the meantime, start with these free apps:
- Mvelopes
- Mint
- EveryDollar
- PocketGuard
- Grocery iQ
- Checkout 51
- Splitwise
- Trail Wallet
- Trabee Pocket
- Empower
- Albert
- Acorns
- Stash
Conclusion
Who said money doesn’t grow on trees?
It only does if you make the right choices today for your finances to flourish.
In this article, we went over the best money management apps in the following categories:
- General budgeting apps
- Grocery budgeting apps
- Travel budgeting apps
- Personal finance apps
- Investing apps
We also then broke those apps down into:
- Money management apps for iPhone
- Money management apps for Android
- Money management apps for Desktop
- Free money management apps
it is important to create a budget for yourself in order to manage your hard-earned money wisely as well as saving up.
Because of these helpful apps, you get to worry less about where will your money go and get to spend those free times with your family or just relax by yourself knowing your money is put to good use.
What’s your favorite money management app? Let us know in the comments!
