The Best Budgeting Apps to Manage Your Finances

Managing money can feel scary. You might look at your bank account and wonder, “Where did all my money go?” In 2025, you do not need a math degree or a complicated spreadsheet to fix this. You just need the right app on your phone.

Budgeting apps have changed. They no longer just list your purchases. Now, they can cancel unwanted subscriptions for you, predict your future bills, and even help you invest.

This guide will show you the best budgeting apps available right now. We will use simple English to explain how they work, how much they cost, and which one is perfect for your specific needs.

First: Understand Your “Budget Style”

Before you download anything, you need to know that there are two main types of apps. If you choose the wrong type, you will get frustrated and quit.

1. The “Zero-Based” Budget

This style is for people who want total control. You take every single dollar you earn and give it a job. You decide before you spend: “$50 is for gas, $100 is for groceries.”

• Best for: People who are in debt or live paycheck to paycheck.
• Apps: YNAB, EveryDollar.

2. The “Expense Tracker”

This style is more relaxed. You just spend money normally, and the app watches you. It warns you if you spend too much on coffee or clothes. It is less work but gives you less control.

• Best for: People who are financially stable but want to save a little more.
• Apps: Rocket Money, Simplifi, PocketGuard.

1. YNAB (You Need A Budget)

Best For: People who are serious about changing their financial life.

YNAB is not just a tracker; it is a strict system. It forces you to follow the “Zero-Based” rule. When you get paid, you must assign every dollar to a category immediately. If you overspend on dining out, the app forces you to move money from another category (like “Vacation”) to cover it. This makes you feel the “pain” of overspending instantly.

• The Good: It effectively breaks the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. It teaches you to pay for next month’s bills with this month’s money.
• The Bad: It is expensive and takes time to learn. It does not track investments well.
• Cost: $14.99/month or $109/year (34-day free trial).

2. Rocket Money

Best For: finding wasteful subscriptions.

Have you ever signed up for a free trial and forgot to cancel it? Rocket Money fixes that. Its main superpower is scanning your bank account to find recurring bills. It will show you every Netflix, gym, and magazine subscription you are paying for. It can even cancel them for you with one click.

• The Good: extremely easy to use. It sends you alerts if your balance gets too low.
• The Bad: It is more of a tracker than a budgeting tool. The free version is limited, and they charge a “success fee” if they negotiate a lower bill for you.
• Cost: Free basic version; Premium is “pay what you want” ($6–$12/month).

3. Empower (Formerly Personal Capital)

Best For: Investors and building wealth.

If you already have a healthy budget and want to focus on growing your net worth, Empower is the best choice. It connects to your bank accounts, credit cards, and—most importantly—your investment accounts (like your 401k or IRA).

It shows you a “Net Worth” graph that tracks your total wealth over time. It also has a fee analyzer that checks if your investment funds are charging you too much money.

• The Good: totally free to use the software. Professional-grade investment tools.
• The Bad: The budgeting features are very basic. It is not good for tracking daily coffee purchases.
• Cost: Free.

4. Monarch Money

Best For: Couples and former Mint users.

When the popular app Mint shut down, many people moved to Monarch Money. It is modern, colorful, and very customizable. Unlike other apps, it lets two people (like a husband and wife) log in with their own emails to manage a shared budget. You can see all your accounts in one place without sharing passwords.

• The Good: Great “Household” view for couples. Very clean design with no ads.
• The Bad: No free version (only a trial).
• Cost: $14.99/month or $99.99/year.

5. Goodbudget

Best For: People who like the “Envelope Method.”

Before smartphones, people used to put cash into paper envelopes labeled “Groceries” or “Rent.” When the envelope was empty, they stopped spending. Goodbudget is the digital version of this. You do not connect your bank account. Instead, you manually enter your transactions to take money out of your digital envelopes.

• The Good: Great for teaching discipline. Safe because it does not link to your bank passwords.
• The Bad: You have to type in every purchase yourself. The free version is limited to 10 envelopes.
• Cost: Free version available; Plus version is $80/year.

6. EveryDollar

Best For: Fans of Dave Ramsey.

Created by financial guru Dave Ramsey, this app is pure simplicity. Like YNAB, it uses zero-based budgeting. The design is very simple: Income minus Expenses equals Zero. It is very popular because it is easy to read and understand.

• The Good: Very simple interface. Great for beginners who get overwhelmed by charts and graphs.
• The Bad: The free version is manual only (no bank syncing). To get your transactions to appear automatically, you must pay for the premium version, which is pricey.
• Cost: Free (Manual); Premium is $79.99/year.

7. PocketGuard

Best For: Knowing “How much can I spend?”

PocketGuard answers one simple question: “Do I have enough money to buy this?” It looks at your income, subtracts your bills and savings goals, and shows you a number called “In My Pocket.” This is the safe amount of cash you can spend today without going broke.

• The Good: Very simple “safe-to-spend” number. Good for students or people with simple finances.
• The Bad: The free version is very limited (lots of ads and restricted categories).
• Cost: Free version available; Plus is $74.99/year.

Quick Comparison Table

Is a Free App Enough?

You might be wondering if you really need to pay for a budgeting app.

Use a Free App If:

• You are okay with manually typing in your purchases (EveryDollar, Goodbudget).
• You only need a high-level view of your net worth (Empower).
• You don’t mind seeing ads.

Pay for an App If:

• You want to save time with automatic bank syncing.
• You need to share a budget with a spouse (Monarch, YNAB).
• You have serious debt and need a strict system to fix it (YNAB).

Conclusion

The best budgeting app is the one you will actually use. If you want a strict coach to yell at you when you overspend, choose YNAB. If you want a helpful assistant to cancel old bills, choose Rocket Money. If you want to manage money with your partner, choose Monarch Money.

Do not overthink it. Download one today, connect your account, and take the first step toward less stress and more savings.