The Ultimate List of Budgeting Apps to Help You Spend Wisely in 2024

With the new year well under way, you may have set a resolution to be better with your finances.

Whether it’s saving more money, putting money toward debt, or just being more financially responsible, we all could use some help from time to time.

Fortunately, there are tons of free resources that you can use to help you manage your budget right on your smartphone.

Apps can help you create a budget, understand your finances, and help you reach your financial goals, all for free.

No matter what kind of help you need, there’s an app out there that can help.

Pay your bills on time, cut back on expenses, and get an in-depth look into where your money is going every month, all from your phone screen.

We’ve scoured tons of available budgeting apps free for everyone to use and have hand-picked our top choices to help you decide what budgeting app is right for you in 2019.

You Need a Budget

You Need a Budget (also known as YNAB), is one of the most widely used budgeting apps available today.

The simple, easy to use interface lets you upload your bills and expenses right to the app.

When you upload your bills, you can categorize expenses, set reminders, and get alerts if your bill goes past due.

You can also easily add your monthly income to track all of your spending and earning, which is why YNAB is such a powerful tool to use to get back on track with your finances.

Set a budget and get suggestions on how to improve your budget and use your money wisely.

You can review specific spending categories to see where your money is going and how you can cut back on unnecessary expenses.

YNAB believes in assigning every dollar that you earn a specific task or allocation each month, that way you’re not spending money on unnecessary expenses.

The app will also help you truly understand where your money is going so you can make the necessary adjustments to spend your money wiser.

It’s easy to sign up and sync your accounts right to the app, and you’ll even have access to a dedicated support team to help you with all of your questions and concerns.

Mint

Regularly featured as one of the top budgeting apps in the world, Mint is a great tool for anyone looking to take control over their finances through strict, effective budgeting techniques.

Mint is a free app that offers tons of fantastic resources and money management tools.

You can create a budget for your monthly income and expenses and see exactly where your money is going every month.

When you sign up for your free Mint account, you’ll get the chance to link all of your financial accounts to Mint for easy tracking and budgeting.

Link your checking account, savings account, debit cards, and credit cards to see exactly where your money is going every month.

You’ll get personalized recommendations based on your financial information, your budget, and your overall financial goals.

Whether you want to save more money or spend less in certain spending categories, Mint has the tools and resources to help you reach your financial goals.

You can also track all of your bills and their due dates right in the Mint app, and Mint will alert you when you have an upcoming bill or when you’ve gone past due.

One of the features that truly sets Mint apart is the ability to show you what you can do with your remaining money at the end of the month.

Mint can calculate your income and your expenses and can show you ways to pay down debt faster or reach your savings goals sooner with the money that you have left over.

Finally, your credit score plays an important role in your overall financial health, and when you sign up for your free Mint account, you can check your credit score for free.

Personal Capital

Not only is Personal Capital one of the best budgeting apps on the market, but it’s also a robust, effective wealth management app that can transform your entire financial outlook.

Like many of the other budgeting apps on our list, you can quickly link your accounts and upload your expenses onto the simple, easy to use application.

Through the Personal Capital dashboard, you’ll get insights into where your money is going every month, broken down into specific categories.
You can set goals for savings, reducing spending in certain categories, and your overall financial health.

Personal Capital will send you recommendations and suggestions based on your financial information and your overall goals, allowing you to save and budget your money effectively.

In addition to a host of budgeting tools, you can use Personal Capital to plan your retirement, monitor your investments, and review hidden fees that you might not even be aware of.

You can download the app to any of your mobile devices or get started from your computer.

Acorns

You don’t have to have a ton of money to start investing in the stock market.

In fact, Acorns is changing the way that consumers invest their money by allowing you to invest just a few cents at a time.

Acorns lets you round up all of your purchases to the next dollar, and that spare change is invested in a portfolio that you choose when you set up your account.

Over time, your spare change can really add up.

There are multiple portfolios to choose from depending on your preferred investment strategy and your long-term investment goals.

Each of the portfolios was created by the financial experts at Acorns to help you maximize your investments and grow your money.

Signing up for Acorns is free and easy, and all you need to do to get started is link your debit card.

Every time you make a purchase using your card, your purchase is rounded up and the spare change is deposited into your investment account.

This unique investment method allows consumers to invest without requiring a lot of up-front capital, making it a great opportunity for virtually anyone to start investing.

Trim

Trim is changing the way that consumers budget and understand their finances through the use of powerful artificial intelligence services.

Everybody likes to save money, but most of us aren’t the best negotiators.

With Trim’s artificial intelligence service, you can have your service bills negotiated automatically.

Trim’s AI works via chat and email to contact service providers on your behalf, such as your cable and internet provider.

Signing up for Trim is simple and free, making it easier than ever to save money on your monthly bills.

You can authorize Trim to negotiate your phone bill, cable bill, and internet bill to try and save you money.

The best part about Trim is that it will never change your current plan or provider, meaning you won’t have to sacrifice your services to pay less money every month.

While there’s no guarantee that your bills will be lowered, most of us don’t have the time to call all of our service providers and negotiate lower bills.

Not only can you take advantage of industry-leading artificial intelligence, you’ll have access to effective budgeting tools to help your finances stay on track.

You can link your credit card, debit card, and bank accounts to have your purchases scanned and tracked, allowing you to see exactly where you’re spending money every month.

Cushion

Say goodbye to unnecessary bank fees when you sign up for Cushion.

Cushion was created with the everyday consumer in mind, notifying you of hidden fees and even working on your behalf to get those fees credited back to you.

Signing up for Cushion is free and takes just a few minutes.

When you sign up, you’ll just need to enter your bank account information so Cushion can scan your account automatically for fees.

Using artificial intelligence, which Cushion calls “Fee Fighter”, your accounts are scanned to look for fees and interest charges on your credit cards.

When a fee or interest charge is identified, Cushion’s artificial intelligence then analyzes the likelihood of you getting a refund or credit on those fees.

Your history with your financial institution is taken into consideration, and the more frequently you’ve been credited or refunded in the past, the less likely it is that it’ll happen again.

After a thorough analysis, you’ll get a report of your hidden fees and charges, as well as an estimation of how well Cushion can successfully negotiate your fees for you.

Once you authorize Cushion to negotiate on your behalf, you’ll be notified the next day if you’ll be receiving a refund.

Similar to Trim, Cushion works via chat or email to contact your bank and negotiate your fees.

You can have Cushion negotiate ATM fees, service fees, wire transfer fees, overdraft fees, late fees, interest charges, and more.

When you use Cushion, you can help put money back in your pocket and pay less in unnecessary fees.

Clarity Money

If you need a budgeting app to help you take back control of your finances, Clarity Money may be right for you. There are tons of fantastic features available through Clarity Money, allowing you to use the site for virtually all of your financial needs.

One of Clarity Money’s top features is the ability to detect and track subscription services that you may not know you’re paying for.

When you connect your financial accounts to your Clarity Money account, your accounts will automatically be scanned for subscription services. Clarity Money will then generate a report that shows you your subscriptions and how much you’re paying for them every month.

If you see something that you want to cancel and stop paying for, all you need to do is select the subscription on the Clarity Money site or app and select Cancel.

Clarity Money will cancel the subscription on your behalf, so there’s no need to reach out to each subscription provider and cancel manually.

In addition to subscription detection, you can use countless financial management tools to help you budget your money and track your spending. Link your financial accounts to get an in-depth look at where your money is going every month, broken out into specific categories.

Set specific spending and saving goals and receive real-time alerts when you’ve gone over your spending limits in your specified categories.

Clarity Money will also help you set realistic goals after analyzing your spending habits.You’ll get an online savings account with your Clarity Money account that you can use to meet your savings goals.

Authorize Clarity Money to move money into your new savings account automatically every month.

PocketGuard

PocketGuard provides an impressive lineup of financial tools, making it one of the best full-service financial management applications available today.

When you sign up for PocketGuard, you’ll simply need to link your financial accounts to receive real-time updates and analyses of your financial health.

You’ll be able to set automated savings goals to get your finances where they need to be.

PocketGuard will also provide automatic notifications when it detects ways you can save money, whether it’s through spending less on a specific spending category or allocating more of your money toward savings.

Most people looking for help with their budget really want to know how much they have left over at the end of the month.

When all of your bills and debts are paid, how much do you have left over?

PocketGuard answers that question and can help you decide whether or not you can make specific purchases.

For example, you can set up a limit of $100 every month for entertainment, and if you need help with budgeting, you can use PocketGuard to make sure you have enough left over to do the things you want to do.

It’s very simple and straightforward and is the ideal solution for anyone wanting a detailed breakdown of not only what they’ve spent, but also what they have left to spend in the month.

Albert

The final entry on our list of top budgeting apps is Albert, an application that truly sets your finances on auto-pilot.

Albert takes a unique approach in managing your finances, pairing both artificial intelligence with a team of financial experts to manage your savings, bill payments, and investment accounts all in one dashboard.

When you link your accounts to Albert, you’ll not only get industry-leading automation services, but you’ll get a team of live experts helping you along your financial journey.

There are tons of great features that make using Albert extremely rewarding.

You’ll get automated notifications when you’re hit with hidden fees and charges, such as interest charges or an increase in your service bills.

Albert will analyze your earnings and expenses and will provide suggestions on how much you can safely save each month.

You can even authorize Albert to automatically move that money into your savings account to make saving even easier.

In addition to seamless automation, you can now text the team at Albert to get live help with your financial questions or concerns.

Whether you need suggestions for better ways to save or advice on making a major purchase, the team of financial experts at Albert is just a text away, offering live support whenever you need it.

Even More Ways to Save

As you can see, there are plenty of budgeting apps for Android and iOS out there that can help you turn your financial health around.

Whether you’re looking for something to help with your day to day expenses, budgeting apps for couples, or a solution to manage your entire financial portfolio, there’s something out there that’s right for you.

In addition to setting the right budget and sticking to it, saving money proactively is an important step toward financial success.

Long Game Savings

Long Game Savings is a revolutionary site that makes saving your money fun and enjoyable.

Without some sort of incentive, it can be hard for people to save money regularly.

Long Game Savings recognized that it can be difficult to save without the right form of motivation and decided to do something about it.

When you sign up for your free account, you’ll set specific savings goals that are tracked through Long Game Savings with a free savings account that you’ll receive.

When you meet your savings goals, you unlock fun games to play that pay you cash or cryptocurrency.

By allowing you to play fun games and even earn money playing those games when you meet your savings goals, saving just got a lot more fun.

You’ll also have access to tons of great tools and resources to keep your finances in check, including articles and personalized suggestions to improve your finances.

HealthyWage

It’s a new year, meaning there’s no better time to start on your fitness journey.

With HealthyWage, you can get fit and get paid at the same time, making it one of the best ways to not only live a healthier lifestyle, but live a healthier financial lifestyle as well.

When you sign up for HealthyWage, you’ll set fitness goals and set a monthly bet that will be automatically withdrawn from your bank account.

If you meet your fitness goals at the end of the challenge, you’ll get paid.

There are some users who have earned over $10,000 through HealthyWage just by eating healthier, exercising, and leading healthier lives.
HealthyWage is a great way to get fit and set your finances up for success along the way.

Start your fitness journey and make money by meeting your health goals by signing up for HealthyWage today.

Have even more great budgeting apps that should be included on the list? Let us know in the comments!