20 Money Management Apps

It is difficult for entrepreneurs and small business owners to remember all the expenses, taxes, and bills they have to deal with, so this list of the best money management and budgeting apps below have all been designed to help keep track of it all for you.

What are Money Management Apps?

Business and personal finance management apps link up to your accounts and track all your spending and things related to business expenses, your savings account, taxes, and bills. You can create spending plans with a table of contents on some of the budget apps, and create your spending plan with others. Entrepreneurs can especially benefit from these financial content measurement apps as they take away the stress of budgeting by trying to remember everything yourself. Not only can these apps track your spending and keep your budgeting on track with simple money management, but they can also ultimately help grow your net worth too.

20 Best Money Management Apps

Most of the money managing apps are available for both iOS and Android, though a couple of the best ones listed below are entirely web-based via the site of the developer. Whatever suits your budget needs best, you should find it on this comprehensive list of 20 of the best money management and budgeting apps on the market today.

1. You Need a Budget (YNAB)

Compatible with: Web/iOS/Android

The You Need a Budget business and personal finance application has lots of features to help you manage your business budgeting. Graphs and charts let you track your progress over time plus you have real-time access to your budget information from any device. Security is a strong point for You Need a Budget as they encrypt all data and bcrypt hash all user passwords. There is support available, though only via email, though you and your partners do also get access to over a hundred free online budgeting and personal finance workshops every week.

The free trial lasts 34 days with the monthly plan then costing $11.99 per month, and the annual plan $84 per year.

2. Mint

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Mint is a money manager that tracks all of your finances in one place. Mint features include balances and budgets and the ability to set credit health and financial goals. There are financial summaries and alerts sent via email or text message also from Mint, plus you can get a free credit score courtesy of Equifax. The lack of investing features may limit the appeal of Mint, but Mint does currently boast around 24 million users.

You can use the basic Mint app for free though there are premium tiers with extra features, plus you can remove every ad profile in Mint with a one-off $0.99 fee.

3. Personal Capital

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Personal Capital features a dashboard site to link your bank account and credit cards to track your entire net worth, along with various analysis tools and access to an advisor who will help you devise your own Personalized Plan as well as help your partners process data. The personal advice available through the app site is one of its strongest selling points, allowing you to customize the management of your finances according to your unique situation.

This is one of the best budgeting apps as it is completely free to use.

4. Pocket Guard

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Pocket Guard is an easy-to-use finance management application that gives you control of your money from credit cards to student loans to help you optimize your spending and grow your savings. As one of the best budgeting apps, Pocket Guard will monitor your budget, particularly the spendable money you have remaining after setting aside enough for the nominated bills, credit card offers, and other necessities.

The Pocket Guard app is initially free to use but there are a number of digital purchases to enhance the experience.

5. Goodbudget

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Goodbudget is a modern budget tracker that aims to keep you on track with your financial goals via a time-tested envelope budgeting method. It lets you sync and share budgets and save for big expenses, with the bill-paying feature another excellent addition to this app’s toolbox.

There is a free Goodbudget plan you can use or the more advanced paid plan that costs $7 per month or $60 per year.

6. Marcus Insights (Clarity Money)

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Clarity Money was a popular finance and investment management application that was acquired by parent company Goldman Sachs in 2018 and, aftermarket research to identify the best features according to audience insights, recently relaunched as Marcus Insights. The new version of the application lets you link your bank account, credit card accounts, and more to see your complete finances all in one place. You can organize your spending and savings, track your investment products and visualize your cash flow.

Marcus Insights is one of the free budget apps that is free to use on a mobile device regardless of device characteristics.

7. Albert

Compatible with: iOS/Android

The Albert budget app provides management tools for mobile checking of your bank accounts, credit cards, investments, savings, and more. Perhaps the best feature is the access to a team of finance experts, real humans who can provide Albert users with more personalized and honest money advice. Albert also boasts lots of data and more insights to help you keep track of your spending habits.

The Albert budget app is another free budgeting app, though there are more digital products to purchase within Albert itself.

8. Acorns

Compatible with: iOS/Android

The Acorns app works at making the most of the smaller amounts of money you have, even as far as investing spare change automatically. You can set aside money from every paycheck and more via the content profile, and there are plenty of money tips to keep you on top of your finances. The Acorns products have been informed by massive audience insight, with the application currently having over 9 million sign-ups while being backed by leading investment partners including Blackrock and CNBC.

There are three payment products starting at $1 per month for the Lite package, $3 per month for the Personal package with more features, and $5 per month for the Family package which even more features.

9. Simplifi by Quicken

Compatible with: iOS/Android/Desktop/Web

Simplifi by Quicken keeps you in full view of the big picture financially, allowing you to see your bank accounts, loans, credit cards, and investment products in one place. You can use Simplifi to see what’s left after paying bills and set useful spending limits to quickly check on overages at a glance. You can also customize your savings goals, adjust spending categories and add earmark contributions to keep you on track.

Simplifi by Quicken has a free 30-day trial, and thereafter the products cost $3.99 per month or $35.99 per year.

10. Expensify

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Expensify is used by over 10 million users and features a pre-accounting process for expenses, bills, and invoices. Use the app to scan receipts, track business, and personal expenses, and book travel all from one place. Other useful features include multi-level approval workflows, mileage tracking, and corporate card reconciliation with consent choices.

There is a free version of the Expensify app, plus a free trial to see if the paid version at $4.99 per month suits your needs.

11. Trim

Compatible with: Web

Trim is one of the best budgeting apps via their site that analyzes your spending patterns to find ways to save you money. Trim can also manage your cable, internet, and phone products, and even pay medical bills and cancel old subscriptions. It connects the account of the author securely using 256-bit SSL encryption and two-factor authentication to keep all the data safe.

Trim offers a 14-day free trial to prove it is one of the best budgeting apps as well as a basic free version. The Premium version costs $99 per year.

12. Credit Karma

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Credit Karma is another one of the best budgeting apps that allows you to check your free credit score on the go. You can also file your state and federal tax returns with the Credit Karma Tax feature, and save money with the Credit Karma Savings tool. Other cool features include an approval odds calculator, tips for financial progress, a relief roadmap creator, and free ID monitoring.

Credit Karma is free to download, though you need to sign-up in order to use it.

13. Mvelopes

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Mvelopes is all about helping you plan a budget while taking control of your finances using the envelope budgeting method. You can use Mvelopes without linking to your bank accounts or credit card companies, though the app also includes unlimited accounts that you can sync with your transaction information. There is also a personal advisor on hand to help you plan your budget.

There are multiple Mvelopes plans available, with the most basic starting at $60 per year and the most advanced costing $590 per year.

14. EveryDollar

Compatible with: iOS/Android

EveryDollar is a money managing app that helps you create a monthly budget in order to keep track of your spending and achieve your money goals. It takes less than ten minutes to create your first budget, and the app is easy-to-use and intuitive. You simply add your monthly income and expected expenses, then track your spending with the app. There are three pricing plans for

EveryDollar, starting at $59.99 for three months, then $99 for six months, and $129.99 for a year. Each price plan starts with a 14-day trial.

15. Wally

Compatible with: iOS/Android

The Wally app centralizes all your accounts to make it easy for you to manage and improve your finances. Features include flexible budget periods that help you control your monthly spending or save for specific goals, plus you can set daily spending budgets across categories like groceries and entertainment. Syncing your accounts to Wally is also very secure thanks to end-to-end data encryption.

The Wally app can be downloaded and used for free, but there are features locked behind in-app purchases.

16. Spendee

Compatible with: iOS/Android

The Spendee app wants to give you complete control over all your cash expenses by connecting your bank accounts, e-wallets, and crypto-wallets. It can give you a quick overview of your total incomes and outgoings at a glance and lets you create a smart budget to save money for expensive purchases.

The basic Spendee plan is free, and for $14.99 per year, you can get the Plus plan with extra features. There is also the Premium plan with even more features for $22.99 per year.

17. Intuit Quickbooks Self Employed

Compatible with: Web/iOS/Android

The Intuit QuickBooks Self Employed app is aimed directly at start-ups and small businesses. You can use the app to track both business and personal expenses, maximize Schedule C deductions and automatically calculate quarterly estimated taxes. It also features automatic mileage tracking, while the advanced plans have extra options such as tax payments made through the app and human support on call.

The basic Self-Employed plan costs $7.50 per month, while the Self Employed Tax Bundle costs $12 per month. The Self Employed Live Tax Bundle is $17 per month.

18. Freshbooks

Compatible with: Web

Freshbooks is another money management app aimed directly at freelancers and the self-employed, as well as small businesses with contractors or employees. It’s an accounting software built for business owners, and features include easy invoicing, expenses planning and tracking, time tracking, and project planning. You can use the app to make payments and manage reports.

The Lite Freshbooks plan costs $6 per month, the Plus plan costs $10 per month, and the Premium costs $20 per month. There is also a 30-day free trial to try out before committing.

19. Dollabird

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Dollabird is generally aimed at families but can be easily adapted to work well as a budgeting app for small businesses. It is a calendar-based personal finance management tool designed for real life where you can add past, future, or recurring transactions. You can also categorize the transactions with AI and track them on mobile.

The Pro plan costs $39.99 per year, and the Pro Unlimited plan costs $54.99 per year. There is also a special Business plan with customizable prices.

20. Venmo

Compatible with: iOS/Android

Venmo is a payment app that lets you shop and share with ease. You can send and receive money with clients or friends and add a special editor’s note in each payment. You can also use Venmo to pay businesses by using Venmo money for the purchase.

Opening and holding an account is completely free, with Venmo making their money from small percentages from certain transactions.

Finding the Best Money Management App: Features to Look For

Some of the applications listed above include similar features and tools and some have very specific purposes, so here are some areas you might want to focus on, and some best app suggestions to match.

Income Tracking

The budgeting software EveryDollar and Spendee are two of the best for income tracking and each has a variety of features to help you keep a watchful eye on every dollar coming in.

Net Worth Tracking

Many a business insider likes to track their net worth, an app like Personal Capital will be one of the best as it has specialized features exclusively for net worth tracking.

Bill Tracking

One of the priority features for small businesses is the ability to track bills, which is something both the Simplifi by Quicken and Pocket Guard apps have in common.

The Ability to Track Your Spending Habits

Spending is another popular feature as it is one of those that absolutely must be kept in check. Use apps like Albert and Trim that let the user create spending plans and enjoy the benefits of keeping your business budget in good shape.

The Ability to Track Your Expenses

Keep an eye on your expenses as well as your partners with apps that have the best expense tracking tools that work like geolocation data for your spending, such as the free budgeting app Goodbudget or Intuit Quickbooks Self Employed Talk.

Cash Flow Tracking

Cash flow can be critical to many businesses so an app like Marcus Insights that keeps you constantly informed of the state of your cash flow will be the best.

The Ability to Organize and Capture Receipts

Keeping receipts can be annoying so an app like Expensify that lets you scan them into your device to keep for later is one of the best tools for business owners.

Tax Deduction Calculation

Some budgeting apps like Credit Karma have built-in tax calculators that let you keep on top of everything you owe and when it is due.

Tracking of Investment Accounts

A lot of business owners also have investments they need to keep an eye on, so you can use the Marcus Insights app which has a special investment checking tool.

Sales Tracking

Some apps let you track incomings so you can measure ad performance or measure content performance easily so you can ensure you have the likes of your advertiser disclosure in place. Check out Freshbooks as their tracking features are some of the best.

Analytics

Some budgeting apps like to keep it simple, while others like to get deep into analytics to help with the likes of product development. Use an app like Personal Capital if you want a deeper understanding of your finances.

What is the best app for money management?

Different budgeting apps have different strengths, so it depends on what you personally prefer. An application like Mint is very straightforward and has extensive features for insight-driven money management, while You Need a Budget features graphs and other visuals for quick and easy data interpretations.

What does a budgeting app do?

Budgeting apps let you create spending plans in order to save money and reduce costs. By using such an app, you can make sure your spending doesn’t exceed your set limits.

Are money management apps safe?

The budgeting apps above all have extensive security features and privacy rights for you and your bank or credit card issuer, such as Trim that uses 256-bit SSL encryption and two-factor authentication. A lot of money management apps are actually safer than browsers for the likes of automatic password filling, plus all their credentials will be listed in their terms or advertiser disclosure.

Do budgeting apps really work?

Ultimately it is always up to the user using the budgeting software, but the budgeting apps absolutely do work if you adhere to the plans you create. Knowing how much of a certain amount of money you can spend on certain things in advance is good motivation for keeping everything in balance.

How much does a budgeting app cost?

Many of the apps above have free trials such as Expensify, while others are completely free budgeting apps. Some have limited free budgeting versions you can use, or feature in-app purchases. Some of the more in-depth apps like Intuit Quickbooks Self Employed have all paid tiers.

What’s the difference between a budgeting app and accounting software?

The difference between budgeting and accounting is that budgeting is more about planning your expenses ahead of time, while accounting is understanding where your money has gone. So accounting software accounts for what you have already spent, while budgeting software will help you decide how you spend your money in the future.

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This article, "20 Money Management Apps" was first published on Small Business Trends