10 Best Budgeting Apps for 2024

Budgeting becomes a lot easier when you pick a budget tool that you'll actually use. Since Americans spend about 4.5 hours on their phones daily, according to a Consumer Affairs research, it's safe to say a budgeting app is a practical choice for most people.

They often come with pre-set spending categories, can send you balance alerts, and even sync with bank accounts. If you're a beginner or find it challenging to keep up with budgeting spreadsheets, these features might be just what you need to stay on top of your finances. 

Here's a list of some of the best budgeting apps for 2024—pick the one that best suits your needs, and start taking control over your money.

Budget apps vs. spreadsheets: which is best for you?

“One of the keys to successfully budgeting is to find a medium that works for you,” says Emily Hickox, Financial Educator and Coach, and Founder of Budget Through Life. “When deciding between an app or a spreadsheet, consider your style and preferences.”

While spreadsheets are a more tradicional option, budget apps offer a new, more dynamic way to manage your finances. However, both methods have their pros and cons, as pointed by Hickox:

Spreadsheets

• Pros: Long-term view; easy to customize

• Cons: Harder to access on-the-go

Mobile Apps

• Pros: Easily accessible; attractive user interface

• Cons: Short-term view; less customizable

If you want to keep a yearly report or customize your budgeting method, a spreadsheet may be the better choice. But if you're looking for a tool that does some of the work for you and can be accessed from anywhere, a budgeting app is the way to go.

Best budget apps: Our 10 picks for 2024

To put this list together, we reviewed the apps' features, services, user-friendliness, and consulted a finance expert. We also considered their ratings on Apple's App Store and Google Play. Here are our top picks:

1. Empower

2. Goodbudget

3. EveryDollar

4. Rocket Money

5. Monarch

6. YNAB 

7. Pocket Guard

8. Quicken Simplifi

9. Honeydue

10. Buddy

“Each of these is geared towards different demographics and money personalities, which is great because that means there is likely an option out there for everyone,” says Hickox. “These are all reputable and popular apps, but it’s important to understand what you might see throughout your experience before picking one.” 

Below, we take a closer look at each one individually, sorting them into three categories: free, paid, and for couples or families.

Best free budgeting apps

These are some of the best budgeting apps that are either completely free or offer a free version for users who don't need—or want—premium features.

1. Empower

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.8 stars

Android rating: 4.1 stars

Empower Personal Dashboard (formerly Personal Capital) gives you a holistic view of your finances, from daily expenses to investment portfolios. It offers several advisory tools like financial planning and net worth tracking. There are also saving tools to encourage saving for the future and paying off debt. If you're looking for a top-notch budgeting tracking app, Empower is a great choice to explore.

Unlike other budget apps that offer both premium and free versions, Empower is 100% free. (Although investors do pay an investment management fee that varies based on the services provided.)

Pros

• Features for short- and long-term goals 

• Several net worth tracking and monitoring tools 

• Customizable categories

Cons

• Fees for investment management

• Minimum of $100,000 for portfolio management services

2.  Goodbudget

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.5 stars

Android rating: 4.1 stars

If you're aiming to spend less, check out Goodbudget. This app is based on the envelope budgeting method, which helps you plan your spending rather than just tracking it. 

If you're not familiar with envelope budgeting, it involves using physical envelopes to separate expenses into categories. At the beginning of each month, you allocate a set amount into each envelope for planned spending.

With Goodbudget, you'll do the same thing virtually—using digital envelopes instead of carrying cash around. The app also allows you to sync shared expenses with others. If you live with a partner, you can plan and track expenses together. 

The free version includes 20 envelopes, one account, and syncs with two devices. The premium version offers unlimited envelopes and accounts that can be synced with five different devices.

Pros

• Free community support 

• Debt tracking feature

• Free version similar to premium version

Cons

• Premium costs $10/month or 80$ a year

• Doesn't link your bank accounts

• Users must manually add purchases

3. EveryDollar

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.5 stars

Android rating: 3.5 stars

EveryDollar is a budgeting app from Ramsey Solutions, a company founded by Dave Ramsey, the famous author of Total Money Makeover. (In case you're interested, here are our top picks for the best personal finance books for women, including Ramsey's.) 

This app has a zero-based budgeting method approach, where you allocate every dollar of your income to a specific purpose to avoid overspending. That's why it could be considered one of the best budget apps for those who are aiming to reduce expenses and get rid of debt.

On the plus side, EveryDollar is customizable, so you can create custom savings and spending categories and manually track your transactions. On the downside, the app doesn't offer investment and retirement planning options, and most advanced budgeting features are only available in the premium version.

Pros

• User-friendly interface

• Financial coaching calls available on Premium

• Customizable categories and financial goals

• Sync across multiple devices

• 14-day trial on Premium

Cons

• Premium costs $17.99/month or $79.99 a year

• Bank accounts sync only on Premium

• Manually adding transactions can be time consuming

4. Rocket Money 

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.2 stars

Android rating: 4.3 stars

Rocket Money is a free budgeting app that helps you cut monthly expenses. You can link your checking, savings, investment, and credit card accounts to the app and get spending alerts when your balance or credit card bill reaches a certain amount. 

Its algorithm finds and tracks your recurring bills and subscriptions. On the downside, to access more advanced features, like automated savings and the subscription cancellation assistant, users need to pay for the premium version. 

Pros

• User-friendly interface

• Help tracking unwanted subscriptions

• Free credit score visualization

• 7-day free trial of premium version

• Bank-level security

Cons

• $6 to $12/month for premium version

• No debt-related goals features 

Best paid budgeting apps

Free stuff is great (and often our favorite) but paid budgeting apps have their advantages, like more advanced, personalized tools. The budget apps listed below are only available for a monthly or annual fee—but they do offer a free trial for new users.

5. Monarch Money

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.9 stars

Android rating: 4.7 stars

Cost: $14.99/month or $99 a year

Monarch Money is an all-in-one budgeting app that lets you sync all your accounts and view them in one place. Besides the traditional budgeting tools, Monarch features include net worth tracking, bill and subscription management, investment tracking, custom financial goals, spending reports, and Venmo support.

You can also share your account with your partner or financial advisor. For security purposes, Monarch has a multi-factor authentication, never stores your login information, and provides read-only account access.

Pros

• Shareable with partner or financial advisor

• Customizable and unlimited goals

• In-depth expenses and transactions report

• 7-day free trial

Cons

• Expensive fee

• No budgeting method flexibility 

6. YNAB

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.8 stars

Android rating: 3.9 stars

Cost: $14.99/month or $99 a year

YNAB (short for “You Need a Budget”) also follows the “every dollar must have a job” budgeting approach. Their mission is to help you manage your money effectively, spend less, and save more. The budgeting features are customizable, so you can adjust them as your needs change. 

Users also get reports on their financial habits, free online workshops, and learning materials from their blog. One downside of YNAB is that it's one of the most expensive budgeting apps out there—along with Monarch—at $99/year.

Pros

• 34-day trial free of charges

• Shareable with one person

• User-friendly interface

• Offers learning materials

• Staff support

Cons

• Interface similar to a spreadsheet

• No investment tracking

• Expensive annual fee

7. Pocket Guard

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.6 stars

Android rating: 3.7 stars

Cost: $12.99/month or $74.99 a year

If you want a simple and straightforward income and expenses tracker, Pocket Guard is one of the best among the paid budget apps. It lets you choose between three different budgeting methods:  zero-based, 50/30/20, and envelope budgeting, unlike other apps that have a pre-set approach. 

The app shows a pie chart of your expenses, and you can set a spending limit to get notified when you're close to exceeding it. Users also get access to features for setting and tracking financial goals features, a bill tracker, and subscription manager to help prevent late fees.

Pros

• Customizable budgeting method

• Sync with bank accounts

• Bank-level security

• Simple interface

Cons

• Website is difficult to navigate

• Only available in the U.S

Best budgeting apps for couples, families, and friend

Struggling to create a family budget? These are some of the best budget apps for sharing finances with a partner, family, or friends (including both free and paid options).

8. Quicken Simplifi

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.2 stars

Android rating: 4.3 stars

Cost: $2.99/month billed annually

Similar to Monarch, Quicken Simplifi is an all-in-one budget app—but this one lets you choose your budgeting method. It offers a personalized spending plan based on your income and expenses, automatic and customizable reports, and real-time alerts about unusual or unexpected transactions, upcoming bills, and when you're near your spending limit.

Your Quicken Simplifi account can be shared with more than one person, which is an interesting feature for couples combining finances or families on a strict budget. Instead of syncing your personal account, you'll sync your joint account. 

One downside is that the fees vary depending on the platform you use to open your account. On the Quicken Simplifi website, you'll be charged $2.99 per month, but if you choose to do it through the app, the fee is $5.99 per month.

Pros

• Flexibility choose budgeting methods

• Share with multiple people

• Bank-level security

Cons

• Fees vary depending on platform

• No free trial

9. Honeydue

Available for iOS and Android

iOS rating: 4.5 stars

Android rating: 3.7 stars

Cost: Free

Honeydue might be the best budget app for couples for a simple reason: It was designed specifically for couples. Honeydue supports 200,000 financial institutions across five continents—United States, Canada, France, Spain, and United Kingdom—allowing couples to stay on top of their finances even from a distance. 

You can track multiple accounts, including loans and investments, and get bill reminders to avoid late payment penalties. Honeydue also has a built-in chat, so you and your partner can notify each other about transactions even when you're not together.

Pros

• Secure data protection

• Syncing with multiple accounts

• Easy to use

• Available across five countries

Cons

• No financial goals tracking features

• Some are only available for a fee

• Fees vary from $0.99 to $8.99/month

10. Buddy

Available for iOS

iOS rating: 4.7 stars

Android rating: Unavailable 

Cost: $9.99/month or $49.99 a year

Buddy is a budget planner app for people who often split bills. You can add a partner, roommate, family members, or friends to sync transactions and make sure everyone pays their fair share of joint purchases. 

Key features of Buddy include setting up multiple accounts and fully customizable categories. However, the app is only available for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users.

Pros

• Lower annual fee than most budget apps

• Syncing with multiple accounts

• Fully customizable categories and colors

• Savings and debts tracking features

Cons

• Not available for Android

How to choose the best budget app for you

Consider your needs and the key aspects of the apps, like fees and available features. For instance, if you're focused on saving money or paying off debt, using a paid budget app may not be the wisest choice. On the other hand, if you have a larger budget, investments, and multiple accounts, premium apps with all-in-one features could be the best.

Leaning toward a paid budget app? Take advantage of the free trial period that most of them offer before making a final choice. For newbies in budgeting, Hickox suggests starting with an app that has a free version and waiting at least three months before syncing your bank accounts with it. 

“There are two reasons I recommend this,” she says. ”First, when you first start budgeting, you should be saving as much money as possible, which means not spending extra on apps. More importantly, once these apps are connected to your bank account, you stop doing the work of logging expenses.”

While this feature saves you time—which is part of the reason for using a budgeting app—it can reduce the emotional connection to your expenses, she explains. “It's important to feel, in real time, every expense in those first few months of budgeting so that you become aware of your spending habits.” 

After those three months, you should have a good grasp of your finances and be ready to let the app take over tracking your spending. 

Read this next: 9 Financial Tips Every Woman Should Know to Protect Themselves