Find an Agent
Contact Us
Everything you need to know about insurance basics, like coverage types, limits, cost and more.
Walk through the home-buying process with this step-by-step guide.
Learn the ins and outs of life insurance through these helpful articles.
If you’re looking for ways to get your finances under control, creating a budget is one of the best ways to start. Thanks to the internet, you can take advantage of free budgeting apps to make it easier to manage your money. These apps make tracking your everyday spending a snap, so you can see where you can make little changes that’ll add up quickly.
Budgeting doesn’t have to be overwhelming! It’s just a matter of taking that first step. We reviewed the best budget apps on the market and compiled a handy list to get you started.
Mint is a great app for monthly budgeting. It automatically updates and categorizes transactions so you get a picture of your spending in real time. Mint suggests budgets for you based on your spending. By linking your bank, loan and credit accounts, the app analyzes the information in those accounts and lets you break out spending into categories like “Entertainment” and “Food & Dining.” That way, you can see how much you can save by cutting back in each category.
Best for: Financial Newbies
Cost: Free
Availability: iOS, Android
Acorns gives people a way to save money without even thinking about it. The app automatically keeps the change every time you swipe a linked credit card. So when you spend $4.72 on that grande latte, Acorn rounds it up to $5, then sends the change to an investment portfolio for you. It’s a way to invest without even thinking twice, so you can start building up a nest egg.
Best for: New investors
Cost: $1, $2, or $3 per month
Availability: iOS, Android
PocketGuard boils down your budget to the bottom line: how much you have to spend. Users connect their checking, credit, and savings accounts, and the app crunches the numbers to show what you’re spending. PocketGuard automatically pulls out transactions from linked accounts so you can see the categories, like “Travel” or “Utility Bills.” You can also set spending limits that trigger notifications when you’re about to cross the line so you can think twice. It’s one of the best budget tracking apps out there.
Best for: Easy to understand budgeting
Cost: Free
Availability: iOS, Android
Learn More About PocketGuard >
YNAB (You Need A Budget) is great for people who share their spending with a partner. The app gives you real-time access to what you and your partner are spending from any device, anytime. YNAB offers its members online live workshops to master the art of budgeting. This app is more robust (you can use it with your Amazon Alexa!), but it does come with higher a price tag.
Best for: People who want a robust budgeting app
Cost: $83.99/year or $6.99/month
Availability: Browser based. Apps for iOS, Android and Amazon Alexa devices
Prism is a free app that helps you stay on top of your spending. Prism brings all of your bills together in one place by synching account balances in the app. Then you can pay everything right in the Prism app. This handy feature helps you avoid late fees and get a picture for where your money is being spent each month.
Best for: Making it easier to pay your bills
Cost: Free
Availability: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Kindle
Wally is an easy to use personal finance app that helps you understand how you’re spending your money. It does your budgeting for you by balancing your income and expenses, and giving you a look at where your money goes. It sticks to the basics to give you a high-level snapshot of your budget goals.
Best for: Simple budgeting on the go
Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android
Albert figures out your income by analyzing your transaction history over time (this is handy if your income isn’t always steady). The app automatically creates a personalized budget based on your past spending, recurring bills and income. Albert also sends you alerts about your spending trends and rising bills, so you don’t get taken by surprise.
Best for: Personalized budget advice
Cost: Free
Availability: iOS
Clarity Money helps you organize your income and expenses by breaking down your spending by category, so you can track your transactions by glancing at your phone. The app has a dashboard that shows you cash on hand, outstanding debt and recent spending — and tells you if you’re on track. If you have a ton of subscriptions, Clarity Money also makes it easy to cancel them right in the app (so you’ll save a little money without trying too hard).
Best for: All-in-one budgeting app
Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android
Learn More About Clarity Money >
Now that you know about the best budget apps on the market, you’re probably saying “Okay. But which one is right for me?” The answer is, it depends. How comfortable are you with the idea of budgeting in the first place? Do you share finances with another person, or are you flying solo? Do you prefer to budget on the go or at home on your computer? Think about the options to help you find the best budget app for you.
Coming up with a budget together is one of the most important things you can tackle as a couple. Sit down to talk through your financial goals with your partner — you might be surprised to find out they think about money differently than you do. And that’s okay. Here are five tips for getting started.
The first thing you need to do is determine your household spending needs. This includes basic expenses like rent or mortgage payments, groceries, student loan payments and utility bills. You are tackling these payments together, and these obligations need to be met before you can spend on fun things.
Now that you’ve determined your needs as a household, it’s time to look at what each of you want. You might be tempted to give your partner a hard time about their spending at this stage in the game. It’s important to recognize that your wants and needs aren’t the same, even though you are a couple. You can compromise by making sure each of you has money to spend on the things you value, as long as you stick to your budget.
Create a roadmap to get to your financial goals together. These long-term goals can make sticking to a budget easier, because you know there’s a reward coming. Good beginning goals are saving up for a down payment on your first home, or paying off your student loan. Once you have a goal, you can set up an action plan to help you get there.
Okay, so now you have a budget plan. What’s next? Here’s where the budget apps come in. Choose an app that works for you as a couple, so you can track your progress together. That way, you’ll both be equally accountable for your spending and saving — and you’ll both have access to the same financial information.
These budgeting tips can go a long way. Over time, you’ll start to see some big savings! Take this one step further and read up on How to Make a Budget and 10 Ways to Save for First-Time Home Buyers.
Related Topics: Finance , Saving Money
