A budget app can help you with this anxiety by letting you do the boring work for you. Budgeting software can record your income and spending, type it into categories and help you set economic objectives. They may also assist you in staying on track and identifying areas for improvement, reducing your stress when you check in on your quantities the next time.
Which accounting software is best for you? That depends on your wants, objectives, and financial control philosophy. To help you determine, we’ve narrowed down our best tips.
Best software for budgeting
Budgeting App | Preţ | Best for: | CNET Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Rocket Cash | Free,$ 6-$ 12 a month ( Premium ) (7-day free trial ) | nevertheless, best | 9.4 |
YNAB | $ 15 a month or$ 109 a year ( 34-day free trial ) | Getting into the details | 8.9 |
PocketGuard | Free,$ 13 a month,$ 75 a year ( Plus ) (7-day free trial period ) | Bill return planning | 8.8 |
EveryDollar | Free,$ 18 a month,$ 80 a year ( Premium ) ( 14-day free trial ) | Zero-based accounting | 8.5 |
Goodbudget | Free,$ 10 a month or$ 80 a year ( Plus ) ( no free trial ) | Envelope budget | 8.1 |
Quicken Simplifi | $ 6 per month ( billed annually ) * ( no free trial ) *$ 3 per month promotion through June 30, 2025 | Total snapshot of your money | 7 |
As of June 11, 2025, the data is accurate.
Avantaje
- Affordable
- Easy to use
- Savings objectives
- Credit report and shield fair tracking
- Services for negotiating and cancelling bills
Contra
- Free version is limited
- No features for loan postseason planning
- No investment instruments
- Costs for negotiating bills
Rocket Cash is great for anyone who wants a simple budgeting experience. It has all the features you need to do basic budgeting, plus some advanced ones to help you manage your overall financial situation.
Rocket’s game and pc platform are straightforward and easy to navigate. It provides a lot of alerts and reports, including act increase alerts and monthly spending reports, to help you stay on top of your finances. You can also set up automatic payments to your saving account to produce saving a weather.
The free trial of the advanced edition lasts only seven days, and the free demo of the free version is pretty basic. But you can get the premium version by paying anywhere from$ 6 to$ 12 monthly– your choice. Regardless of how little you pay, you still receive the same functions. Rocket also offers bill negotiation, which costs 30 % to 60 % of your first year’s savings (you choose the amount ), and subscription cancellation.  ,
As a former Mint user, I tested several popular budgeting apps and found the paid version of Rocket Cash to be the best replacement for Mint’s in terms of features, user experience and accessibility to the average budgeter.
Avantaje
- lengthy test time
- Savings objectives
- Zero-based accounting approach
- Educational tools and resources
- Account sharing with up to 5 individuals
- Product payoff schedule
- Spending and online worth information
Contra
- Pricey
- Zero-based accounting may be tedious for some users
- Doesn’t discover ways to cut costs
At$ 15 a month or$ 109 a year, YNAB is pricey. There might also be a learning graph as the application requires more time to organize and analyze your finances. The 34-day test may help you decide if the monthly payment is for another line product in your budget.
Avantaje
- Automated saving
- Bill pay sensor
- Bill return planning
- Bill bargaining
- Posting of accounts
Contra
- Small free trial period
- Limited complimentary access
- Cluttered desktop software
PocketGuard is similar to Rocket Cash in many ways. It lets you track your spending by category, helps you set savings goals, tracks subscriptions and flags potential money wasters. It can suggest lower-cost services based on your profile settings. It also offers bill negotiation through Billshark, which costs 40% of the amount it saves you if it’s successful.
The debt payoff tool on PocketGuard is unique because it enables you to create a plan to pay off outstanding debt, determine interest rates, and track your progress. If you’re struggling to get your debt under control, this app is worth checking out.
PocketGuard’s free version provides essential features, such as budgeting calculators, spending reports, and expense tracking. For$ 13 monthly or$ 75 yearly, you can create multiple budgets and custom budget categories, unlimited savings goals and a debt payoff plan. Although PocketGuard offers a free trial period, seven days is not enough time to decide whether the premium version is worthwhile. You may want to choose the monthly plan at first to see if it’s worth paying for long-term.
Avantaje
- Detailed explanation
- Financial roadmap
- group instruction
- Affordable annual plan
Contra
- Time-consuming
- Limited free features
- Pricier monthly plan
- sharing of information with third parties
EveryDollar’s free version allows you to create and customize your budget, manually track expenses and sync data across multiple devices. The Premium plan gives you access to group coaching calls with financial experts, as well as the ability to connect to bank accounts and dynamically track spending. It also offers a financial roadmap to track your net worth, progress toward retirement goals and Baby Steps milestones.
The app won’t help you categorize your transactions, but you’ll still need to do that manually. That’s because it aims to make you “feel that money leaving]y ] our account”. And it’s one of the priciest apps on our list, costing$ 80 per year or$ 18 per month.
Avantaje
- Simple interface
- Bill return planning
- Full refund if cancelled within 30 days
Contra
- Limited complimentary access
- No external account linking
- Lack of features and customization
Building a budget for the first time can feel overwhelming. The envelope method of budgeting, a a foretold financial method that divides your income into distinct envelopes or categories, is used by Goodbudget to break it down. For example, you might have envelopes for rent, bills, groceries, gas, nonessential purchases and savings.
This technique can be used digitally by Goodbudget. You choose envelopes from a list of predesignated goals and deposit money into them every month. You can choose from 10 preset envelopes with the free version; you can’t create your own. The Plus version allows you to create an unlimited number of envelopes for$ 10 per month, plus enjoy expanded features such as unlimited accounts and a longer transaction history. There is no free trial, but you can cancel within 30 days and receive a full refund.
If you’re looking for help sticking to a spending plan, Goodbudget’s easy user interface, preselected goals and visually pleasing envelope method can help you create good budgeting habits. The main drawback is that it doesn’t connect to external accounts; you have to manually enter each transaction. This can help you get a better idea of just how much you’re spending each day, but some people will find it tedious.
Avantaje
- Savings objectives
- projected cash flow
- Lots of custom reports
- Sharing of budgets
- Combined account dashboard
- Trackers for investments, net worth, and refunds
Contra
- No free trial
- No option for monthly subscriptions
- Overwhelming interface
- Embarrassing to navigate
Quicken is known for personal finance software and has distilled its decades of experience in the personal finance arena down to a handy budgeting app. Simplifi uses tools to create custom plans based on income and expenses to appeal to people with complicated financial lives.
Like most budgeting apps, Quicken allows you to create and monitor your budget, track spending and link multiple accounts across one main dashboard. The app provides a useful snapshot of your bank accounts, top spending categories, spending watchlists, and historical patterns. The projected balances tool uses recurring transactions to estimate your balance over the coming 30 days.
Some people may be overjoyed by Simplifi’s wealth of data and customizable reports. There’s a bit of a learning curve when it comes to navigating it all. You must pay upfront for the full year if you want to use it since there is no free trial available. ( It doesn’t offer a monthly plan. )
However, its current promotion, which runs through June 30, 2025, offers a 33 % discount on the purchase price. And if you want to dive into multiple aspects of your financial life, from your investments to your net worth, the app offers lots of ways to do so on one platform.
The Mint budgeting app, which used to make our best list, shut down on March 23, 2024. Mint encouraged users to migrate their data to Credit Karma, but we’ve found Rocket Cash to be a much better replacement.
Depending on your needs and preferences, which budgeting app is best for you will depend in part on:
- Is easy to use
- provides a range of resources and features
- Links to your existing accounts
- is affordable
- Offers a free trial
- has positive reviews from customers
Budgeting is one of the best ways to get a handle on your finances and a budgeting app can help make it easier. However, you ultimately have the choice to make the necessary adjustments to improve your finances. A budgeting app can’t hold you accountable at the end of the day but it can help you stay organized and make a long-term plan.  ,
If you can find the features you need in a free app, start there, especially if you’re trying to save money. If a free app offers the services you need, there’s no need to add an additional expense. If you need more than a free app can provide, start with a trial plan to a paid app so you can get a feel for the app before committing.
If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills, and simple system that’s simple to set up, Google Docs offers free monthly budget templates that are useful.
Some banks also provide budgeting software along with their digital banking platform. Create separate savings accounts to track different goals and use Capital One’s mobile app to categorize expenses. H&, R Block’s banking app, Spruce, has a check register view that allows you to easily monitor categorized expenses, work toward established savings goals and automate savings transfers.
You can also benefit from financial coaching or investment planning services. Some banks or credit unions, such as Alliant Credit Union, offer financial services if you open an account.
Which budgeting app you choose should you use to make the most of:
- Be realistic. A budget must function in order for your life, or it’s doomed to fail. While it can be good to challenge yourself– for instance, to spend less on takeout– be honest about your needs and priorities. Reduce what you can, leave some room for joy, and experiment with ways to increase your income if necessary. The more realistic your budget is, the more likely you are to stick to it.
- periodically review it. Log into your app regularly to see how you’re doing. Have you overspended on one aspect? Are your savings on track? This can assist you in making any adjustments necessary to maintain your schedule for the remainder of the month.
- Set up alerts. Many apps provide notifications to help you better manage your money, such as alerting you when your spending limit has exceeded your monthly bill or when your spending limit has increased. Enabling these can help you stay on track and alert you to potential issues before they derail your budget.
- Adjust as necessary.  , Your budget should change with your needs. Set aside time every now and then to review your overall categories and goals and make sure they still fit your situation in addition to regularly reviewing your spending.
Making and sticking to a budget each month is essential if you want to gain control of your spending habits and reach your financial goals. A helpful tool for this is a budgeting app, which can be used. There’s a plethora of great options available, free and with a subscription. Finding the best fit for you will depend on your needs and budget.
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Our banking editors test and rate budgeting apps based on first-hand experience and product features. We take into account the overall value, support options, and user experience when comparing the cost of each budgeting app. We also evaluate key features, including the ability to set savings goals and connect to external accounts securely.
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