Software for Budgeting

One of the biggest challenges in business is time management. With so many businesses and so many tasks, it can be difficult to stay on top of everything that needs attention. The idea of budgeting software can seem ominous and daunting, especially if you’re unfamiliar with how a system like this works. By having software in place, you can keep track of your businesses finances no matter where you are or what you’re doing. In order to better understand why budgeting software is something worth investing in

This guide covers related articles such as Budgeting software free, Best Budgeting App, and Mint Budgeting App.

1. Quicken

Quicken is a long-established tool for managing personal accounts, and while its reputation was founded on a desktop version, it is also available as an app for your mobile devices.

Quicken has a comprehensive set of financial reporting features. These are organized around a few different topics, including budgeting, bills, accounts, and even investing. For budgeting, it allows you to enter your purchases and income so you can compare them to have a better picture of how much you spend versus how much you earn.

In terms of bills, you can see which utilities and such services you are constantly paying, as well as the amounts owed and how much money you have left over. For accounting purposes, you can even combine your banking and credit card payments in one location so you know exactly how much you’re paying out. This is especially useful because consumers frequently underestimate how much simple purchases might add to prices.

It also allows you to track your investments, whether they are part of your savings, investment portfolio, or 401k pension plan. This implies that you have a good notion of how much your savings and assets are worth, while it’s fair to say that

In total, Quicken combines your banking, investment reporting, and budgeting into a single dashboard that you can access from a PC or even a mobile device via the mobile app.

2. YNAB

You Need A Budget, often known as YNAB, is here just in case you require precise instructions. Because, hey, you really do need one if you don’t want to spend every every penny you have and more. Perhaps you have more money than you anticipated as well.

As you may anticipate, YNAB’s main goal is to assist you in reducing your expenditure and avoiding living paycheck to paycheck. Maintain the plan and moderate your spending, and soon YNAB will realize that you are using last month’s funds rather than those you just received.

It is simple to install, supports the bulk of transaction data that can be downloaded from banks, and automatically adjusts for use by either individuals or small businesses by altering its monetary categories in accordance with your requirements.

If you stray from your course, YNAB, which is surprisingly understanding and forgiving for a piece of software, will inform you what to do to get back on track. You’ll have to make some compromises, but if direction is what you need, this stands out from competitors like Quicken.

3. Banktree

When working simultaneously with various currencies, BankTree performs a good job of supporting them by providing balances in multiple currencies rather than rounding them off to a single total. The ability to scan receipts with its mobile app and input them later makes it useful for keeping track of anything else.

Although BankTree doesn’t have the most attractive interface and is a little bit trickier to use than some of its more sophisticated brethren, it does provide some quite neat reports that can be broken down by time or payee. Before deciding to buy this one, it would be worthwhile to try the free trial.

Although you are limited to using the desktop program on one PC, it comes with a year of updates and support. There is a fee for using the software on any subsequent PCs. Additionally, a browser-based version is accessible.

Regardless of the version you choose, BankTree offers a 30-day free trial so you can see if it’s right for you before making a purchase.

4. Money Dashboard

The iOS/Android app for Money Dashboard isn’t trying to revolutionize banking or offer anything truly ground-breaking, but it is perhaps one of the best money management tools available. Connect all of your UK bank and credit card accounts, and you’ll be able to log in once to access all of your balances in one location. That is reason enough for us to suggest it.

Money Dashboard will track your expenditure and provide you with a comprehensive pie chart showing your spending on loans, consumables, transportation, and other expenses. You can quickly see your total balance and see how much cash is available in each of your accounts. You can also compare this amount to the one from the previous month.

5. Moneydance

Moneydance is a desktop money management program with a very slick single-window layout that was designed especially for Mac users (but it is also available for Windows and Linux). You may instantly check your accounts, impending invoices, current expenses, and more when you load it up. When you click on an item in the left sidebar, the main content updates to reflect your selection.

One of Moneydance’s most helpful features is its account register, and its reporting capabilities are solid though not very eye-catching. This works on a very similar concept if you’re old-school and used to maintain a checkbook. Additionally, there is an iOS app for recording transactions while on the go, which afterwards syncs with the desktop software.

UK users must manually download their transaction history to stay on top of it and switch to their bank’s own app to transfer money because Moneydance is unable to support the connection protocols used by UK banks. However, US users are well-covered.

6. Mint

The creators of Quickbooks and TurboTax, Intuit, offer a free online budgeting tool called Mint. This software gathers all of your financial information and provides you with a summary of your spending, bills, budget, and credit score. You may set objectives and reminders, make your own budget, and sync your data between the web and apps. Encryption and multi-factor authentication improve security. To keep track of your money and portfolio, utilize Mint.

Budgeting software free

Managing your money successfully includes keeping a close eye on your expenses. One way to do that is to take advantage of free software and services. Free personal finance software can be surprisingly robust, helping you track spending, create and manage budgets, and run reports.

Mint

Access Mint via the web or phone apps for iOS and Android.

GnuCash

Desktop software called GnuCash has capabilities for keeping track of bank accounts, stocks, earnings, and expenses. You can run a variety of reports in GnuCash to view your financial information, which is based on double-entry accounting for balanced books. Additionally, GnuCash provides small-business accounting capabilities that enable you to manage clients and suppliers, invoice and pay bills, and even manage payroll.

GnuCash is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, BSD, and Solaris. There is a companion app for Android that will let you track expenses on the go and later import them into the desktop software.

AceMoney Lite

The top Quicken substitute, according to AceMoney Lite, is Quicken. You can control your spending, track your money in different currencies, monitor your investments, and examine your spending patterns. You can also conduct banking online. You can only have two accounts because this is the light edition; the full version supports infinite accounts.

AceMoney Lite is compatible with Windows and Mac OS X.

Personal Capital

Along with its features for measuring cash flow, expenses, expenditures, budgeting, and net worth, Personal Capital also provides free financial software for managing investments and retirement planning. Personal Capital’s budgeting features aren’t as sophisticated as other software because it focuses on investing, showing you how your portfolio has performed over time and guiding you as you make decisions for the future.

Personal Capital might not be the best choice for you if you are not an investor or if you like to focus on your budget rather than seeing the big picture. However, its free tools will let you know if you’re on track if you want to save money for retirement or college.

Personal Capital can be accessed via the web or apps for Android and iOS.

Buddi

On Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, Buddi is an open-source budgeting program that has been multilingualized. Even if you have no prior financial experience, Buddi is designed to be simple to use and can encrypt financial data with a password.

Budgeting, account tracking, and personal finance reporting are features, but you’ll need to manually record transactions. The online user manual is simple to read and use, and free plugins provide more functions.

Buddi is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Free Budget Spreadsheets

You may use some amazing free budget spreadsheet templates with Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, or Google Sheets if you only need to keep a budget and don’t need personal financial software with a lot of features. To manage your cash flow, simply download and open them in your spreadsheet program.

Best Budgeting App

1. Quicken

Although Quicken’s reputation was founded on a desktop version, it is now accessible to operate as an app on your mobile devices. Quicken is a well-known application for managing personal finances.

A good selection of financial reporting options are provided by Quicken. These are organized around a variety of topics, including budgeting, bills, accounts, and even investing. It gives you the opportunity to input your purchases and income for budgeting so you can compare them both and get a better understanding of how much you are spending in relation to how much you are making.

When it comes to bills, you can also check which utilities and other entities you frequently pay, as well as the remaining funds in your account and the amounts still owing. You can even combine your credit card and bank statements for accounting needs so that you have a very clear sense of how much you’re spending. This is especially useful because people frequently underestimate the financial impact of everyday minor expenditures.

It also gives you the option to track your investments, whether they are a part of your savings, investment portfolio, or 401(k) pension plan. This means that you are aware of the value of your savings and investments, yet it is reasonable to argue that you shouldn’t be alarmed by brief changes in the stock market.

In total, Quicken combines your banking, investment reporting, and budgeting into a single dashboard that you can access from a PC or even a mobile device via the mobile app.

2. YNAB

YNAB, short for You Need A Budget, is here in case you need to be instructed exactly what to do. Because, hey, you really do need one if you don’t want to spend every every penny you have and more. Perhaps you have more money than you anticipated as well.

Mint

Why we advise it: Let’s start with Mint’s extremely positive reviews on Google Play and the App Store. (It has also received by far the most reviews of any software we examined.) It syncs numerous types of accounts for free, including credit cards, loans, investments, and bank and savings accounts.

In terms of budgeting, Mint keeps track of your expenses and categorizes them. These categories, which are infinite, can be customized. You can specify upper and lower bounds for these categories, and Mint will alert you when you’re getting close to them.

Along with those budgeting capabilities, Mint may aid users in tracking objectives, increasing savings, and paying off debt. The software also displays the user’s net worth and credit score. Bonus: Mint offers a ton of assistance for using

Why you may want to think twice: One of the many outstanding features of Mint is that it keeps track of practically everything for you. But if you want to budget more actively and directly, that might not be the best option. Other applications on our list might suit your needs better if you’re looking for an app that helps you manage your finances in advance rather than just track them after the fact.

Goodbudget

Why we recommend it:

Goodbudget focuses more on financial planning than transaction tracking. This program is based on the envelope budgeting method, in which you allocate particular expenditure categories a portion of your monthly income (called envelopes).

Your bank accounts are not connected to this app. You manually enter cash amounts, debts, income, and account balances (which you can retrieve from your bank’s website). Then you allocate funds for the envelopes.

Both the web and your phone can be used to access the app. You can use the app with the help of a lot of articles and videos that are available.

A limited number of envelopes, two accounts, and two devices are available in Goodbudget’s free edition. Goodbudget Plus, the paid version, offers additional benefits including limitless envelopes and accounts, up to five devices, and more.

Why you may want to think twice: Every expense must be entered because financial accounts cannot be synced. The app probably won’t work for you if you’re not willing to put in the effort.

Mint Budgeting App

Mint is a budgeting program that includes a variety of functions to aid with spending planning and tracking, bill negotiation, and even credit monitoring. Although Mint’s owner, Intuit, mainly relies on advertising to make its service free, it does provide an ad-free paid tier as well as a premium tier that offers additional features—both of which are reasonably priced.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mint and whether it would be a good fit for you if you’re considering using a budgeting app to help manage your finances.

How the Mint Budgeting App Works

Although there are other budgeting apps with free features, Mint may have the most extensive selection. You may link all of your financial accounts to receive a complete financial picture, plan and track your income and expenses using resizable categories, and gain knowledge about potential ways to enhance your money management.

Along with a VantageScore credit score, Mint also provides a credit monitoring service. Though the VantageScore might provide you a good picture of your credit health overall, bear in mind that 90% of the biggest lenders utilize the FICO Score, which is generated in a different way. To put it another way, your credit score may not necessarily reflect the same situation that lenders perceive when you ask for a loan.

Helpful Tools

Mint comes with several helpful tools you can leverage to make the budgeting process go more smoothly and also to make better decisions about your money. Here’s what you can expect:

Direct import: When you connect your financial accounts, Mint will automatically import transactions as they post, so you don’t have to check each individual account every time you update your budget.
Automatic categorizing: When transactions get imported, Mint will automatically categorize them for you based on transaction data. You can make changes if you need to, but the automatic feature can save you a little time whenever you review your spending.
Goals: If you have a savings goal, you can set it up in your Mint account and track your progress toward it. Ideas include a vacation fund, holiday spending, a down payment fund and other short- and mid-term savings objectives.
Alerts: Mint will notify you when the cost of your recurring subscriptions increases, your bills are due, there’s unusual spending, your account balances are low and more.
Investment tracker: Mint can help you keep track of your investment portfolio and even spot unnecessary fees your investment advisor, 401(k) provider or broker may be charging you.
Resources: Mint offers a wealth of resources, including calculators to help you with retirement, paying off debt, investing and more, as well as articles that can educate you on just about any personal finance decision you need to make.
Paid features: While most of Mint’s features are free, it does offer a premium version, which comes with a modest monthly fee. With that, you’ll get help with canceling subscriptions you no longer need, spending projections to help you avoid overspending and money spotlights to help you understand your spending habits as they compare to other Mint users.

Pricing

The majority of Mint’s features are available for free. However, the budgeting software has numerous adverts, which might be bothersome. You must pay $0.99 a month if you don’t want to see advertisements. The monthly fee for Mint’s premium version, which can make your budget even more effective, is $4.99, which is still less than what many other budgeting apps charge.

Security

Owner of both QuickBooks accounting software and TurboTax tax preparation software, Intuit, which also owns Mint, is well-versed in data protection.

The business employs a number of security precautions, such as multifactor authentication, security scanning with VeriSign, biometric authentication, security notices, and others.

You can remotely wipe your data from the app if you misplace your device. Your information will also be removed if you opt to close your account.

Pros

Very easy to set up and use
Once your accounts are connected, the approach can be very hands-off, meaning you can come back anytime and catch up
Connects with an exceptionally large number of financial institutions, making almost all U.S. and Canadian accounts connectable
Free to use

Cons

Can only set a budget for the current month
Because Mint can be used in a more hands-off way, it may not prove effective for some users in saving money, paying down debt, etc.
Web interface design is less attractive and user-friendly
Web and mobile interface includes ads and offers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best way to track personal finances?

Apps and budgeting software make it easy to categorize your spending so you can see when and where your money is going—at a glance. Knowing these patterns is the first step toward changing your behavior to start saving more.

Is personal finance software safe?

Go with trusted brands, and you can expect the same types of firewalls and encryption that you’d expect from a banking website. It’s often the human who does something risky rather than a flaw in the software.

Conclusion

Basing your budget on important financial items can help you save money on your everyday expenses and secure financial security in the long run. By making a list of your important financial items and tracking their status every month, you can keep track of your progress and make necessary changes as needed. Thanks to a well-budgeted lifestyle, you can be content with little extra income or space to save.