Having a budget can be one of the best things to happen to you as an adult. Getting your finances under control is important as you start interacting with not only credit card companies, but employers as well. A great place to start is by choosing a personal finance app that will essentially do all the work for you.App is an important thing in people’s lives. I think everyone uses App in some ways , especially personal finance app. Personal finance apps designed for everyone to use, no matter which age you are or what is your occupation. Many people always want to know which personal finance app is the best.
You Need a Budget (YNAB):
You Need a Budget (YNAB) earns the top spot because of the company’s renowned budgeting philosophy and reputation. YNAB says new budgeters typically save $600 in their first two months and more than $6,000 in their first year. Although YNAB is the most costly option on our list, the company offers a 34-day free trial.Pros & ConsPros
- Complete budget makeover
- Free 34-day trial
- Strong customer service and comprehensive education
Cons
- $84 per year
- More time-intensive to learn
- Recent sync issues
YNAB rises to the top of our list because of its budgeting philosophy. The company offers a free trial for 34 days (no credit card required), and after that, the cost is $84 per year. If you prefer to pay less upfront, the cost is $11.99 per month.
YNAB offers the ability to sync your bank accounts, import your data from a file, or manually enter each transaction. To begin, the company suggests learning the basics about the app through video courses, a live workshop, or reading a guide. YNAB offers a proactive budgeting approach, rather than tracking what you have already spent, like some competitors.
After signing up, you create your first budget and assign every dollar a purpose, like your rent or car payment, for example. The goal is to eventually get at least one month ahead, so you’re spending money you earned from 30 days ago. The company offers extensive educational resources and customer support to keep you on track.
YNAB says privacy and security are its top priority. The company protects your information by using bank-level encryption for all data, best practices for password security, third-party audits, and more.
Spendee:
Many other personal finance apps are for individual use. Spendee allows you to create shared wallets with friends and family that you can use to manage shared expenses for a household budget. Import your bank transactions and let the app categorize them for you to tally how you’re spending money each month. You can manually add cash expenses for a more accurate picture of where your money goes. Keep from going over budget by creating budgeted amounts for each spending category and tracking your progress toward the budgeted amount. The bill tracker functionality ensures you remember to pay each of your bills and avoid late payment penalties. If you’re going on a trip or another special event, you can create a category specifically for that event to track your spending and keep yourself on budget.
Mint:
Mint has been around a long time and is a very well known budgeting app. It’s very easy to use and can sync to your bank account to gather the details necessary to help you create a personalized budget. Mint was created by Intuit, the same company that created QuickBooks and TurboTax, so you can be sure of operating on the same secure platform utilized by banks. Not only can you plug in your banking information, but you can also tie Mint into your credit card accounts, brokerage accounts, and other lending and financial institutions.
Mint is very helpful in managing your financial matters in a number of ways. Not only is budget building seamless and easy, but Mint also helps guide your day-to-day spending by automatically categorizing your expenditures, alerting you to unusual spending and helping you reduce fees you may incur. By alerting you when you go over budget, keeping you abreast of your credit score, and tracking your spending by category, Mint can give you a great snapshot of your financial picture at any time. Mint also includes a bill-paying function that helps you stay on track and avoid any missed payments that could hurt your credit.
Prism:
Prism shows all your bills and financial accounts in a single app, giving you a complete picture of your finances. The app touts 11,000 billers – more than any other app – including larger banks and even smaller utility companies. Add your bills to the app and Prism automatically tracks your bills and sends due date reminders to help you prevent late payments. You can use the app itself to pay your bills by scheduling payments to be made the same day or several days in advance. Prism eliminates the need to login to multiple accounts paying bills.
Simplifi by Quicken:
Simplifi by Quicken earns high marks because it offers a personalized spending plan with real-time updates of how much you have left to spend throughout the month. The app syncs your bank accounts to show you where you stand and your progress on financial goals. Simplifi by Quicken also tracks your monthly bills and subscriptions, including those you don’t use.Pros & ConsPros
- Strong cash flow tools
- Watch lists for mindful spending
- Free 30-day trial
Cons
- $35.99 per year
- Some complaints about technical issues
Simplifi by Quicken ranks best for cash flow because of the app’s effective tracking capabilities. It’s the best option for staying on top of how much you can spend between your paychecks. The app offers a free 30-day trial, and then you will pay $2.99 per month (billed annually at $35.99) or $3.99 per month if you choose not to pay upfront.
To get started, you have to sync bank accounts, and then you will have a complete snapshot of your finances. The app automatically categorizes your spending, tracks recurring bills and subscriptions, and stays on top of upcoming expenses.
One standout feature is the app’s custom watchlists, which allow you to limit spending by category or payee. Also, the custom spending plan monitors cash flow to make sure you never spend more than you make. Simplifi by Quicken offers tips while you’re using the app, but there’s also a blog full of educational content at your fingertips.
Security and privacy are top priorities for Quicken, the app’s parent company. Quicken has been trusted with sensitive financial data for decades (since 1982) and continues to work on new security measures. The app uses 256-bit encryption to transmit banking data and keeps the information confidential.
Mvelopes
Mvelopes is a digital envelope budget method app that can help you gain better control over your money. Mvelopes has been around for quite some time compared to some of the other similar apps. Because of its longevity, the app’s developers have been able to improve it into a very robust tool that has many features for all levels of budgeting expertise.
Mvelopes provides three different product levels to consider, namely Mvelopes Basic, Mvelopes Plus, and Mvelopes Complete.
The advantage of using an envelope system is the ability to put your money into as many envelopes as your personal financial situation calls for. This way, you can account for every penny in your budget. Every product level allows for as many envelopes as you need. You can tailor your digital envelope budget to be as detailed as you want while keeping everything in one place.
Mvelopes offers every user live support, regardless of the level of the product, through phone or chat. Depending on the level, multiple resources are available such as a personal finance trainer who can offer consultation and advice on a quarterly basis. On the website, you can find many resources in the company’s Learning Center.
Mvelopes feels that, since everyone’s finances are unique, it needs to offer a variety of services for customers to consider. Users can pay bills and manage their budget from iPhone, iPad, Android, and desktop.
Conclusion:
Regardless of which budget app you decide on, you’ve made a very good decision. Getting ahold of your finances is the key to eventual financial success and satisfaction. Budgeting helps you to make the most of every dollar you have and helps you make the best decisions with everyday spending. Keeping track of your money can help you avoid debt, or even get out of debt. If you currently have no savings or emergency fund to fall back on, utilizing a budgeting app can help you get started toward your savings goal. With everything that’s available to you to help manage your money, there’s no reason not to take advantage of them. Try one of these great money management solutions and get on your way to reaching your financial goals.