Budget software is not a new concept, with many great programs out there available to help you manage your budget and make it easier to stick to. Budgeting is an effective way to get your finances under control, while allowing you to save money as well. Here we take an in-depth look at some of the best personal budgeting software 2021 that can help you manage your finances and stay on track without spending a fortune.
Best Personal Budgeting Software 2021 Some personal finance software you can choose to manage, analyze, and improve your personal finance. I have done some research and tests of several best personal budget software today. All the software on my list are totally free with available trial versions. Here are the best personal budget software: Have you ever wished there was an easy way to reduce your debt? Or have you ever had trouble saving up for long-term goals? Well, these problems can be solved by using the best personal budgeting software. It’s not enough to just know where your money goes or whether you’re on track with your savings goal. You should also keep a close eye on which areas need improvement. With budgeting software, you can easily manage your finances better and achieve improved financial health in the future.
Being in control of your personal finances doesn’t have to be hard. There are many financial software programs out there that can help you organize your budget and give you the ability to track your spending habits. Here we list the best personal budgeting software for 2021—the programs that get the job done at a price you can afford. When it comes to managing your personal finances, you may be used to setting up a budget in a spreadsheet and tracking your expenses manually. You might already know that there are other ways to handle the task, like finding budgeting software. The truth is, budgeting software can make the job significantly easier and help you keep your money secure. If you’re ready to learn more about budgeting software options, check out this article.
If you’re looking for the best budgeting and financial planning software for 2021, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll look at what budgeting software is and how it can help your personal finance situation, plus we’ll dive into some of our favorite options available on the market now.
Best Overall Personal Budgeting Software: Mint
Mint is an all-in-one personal finance software, which means it can help you manage your budget and bills, keep track of your investments, create a budget and make a spending plan. It’s free to use, so there’s no reason not to try it out!
There are many reasons why Mint is one of the top choices for personal budgeting software:
- Easy To Use: Mint makes managing your money simple by providing clear information in an easy-to-read format. The dashboard shows a snapshot of your finances so you can see where you stand at any time. You can also set up budgets for different categories such as groceries or entertainment expenses so that you know exactly how much money is coming in and going out each month.
- Available On All Major Platforms: Mint works on Mac computers as well as Windows PCs via browsers like Google Chrome or Internet Explorer (version 9+). If you want something more portable than using just a browser then there’s also an iOS app available from Apple’s App Store which will allow users access from their iPhone or iPad devices.* Available For Couples: Sharing financial information with someone else can be nerve-wracking but Mint makes it easier thanks to being able to share accounts with multiple people on the same account making things simpler when splitting bills amongst partners/family members etcetera).
Best for Beginners: Quicken Starter
Quicken Starter is a great choice for beginners who want to learn more about personal finance. It’s simple to use, with an intuitive interface that makes it easy to see your financial picture at a glance. The software provides the tools you need to track income and expenses, monitor bank accounts, plan for future spending, forecast how much money you’ll have saved in the next year or two months so you know if there’s enough for your emergency fund or vacation fund. You can also track investments (stocks, bonds), tax-related items like charitable contributions and medical expenses as well as loans and insurance policies.
Overall this is a great tool for those just starting out on their personal budget journey!
Best Free Personal Budgeting Software: Personal Capital
Personal Capital is the best free personal budgeting software because it’s simple to use and pretty in design. It also offers powerful features like advanced investment tracking, retirement planning tools, and goal setting features that are easy to use.
Personal Capital is one of the best free personal finance software options because it offers a top-tier mobile app experience as well as a web dashboard that makes managing your finances easy on any device you choose to use. The company has worked hard over the years to make sure its products seamlessly integrate into other apps so you don’t have to worry about switching from one app or service to another when you want access from another device or location.
Best for Couples: You Need a Budget
- You Need a Budget (YNAB) is the best personal budgeting software for couples. YNAB’s unique methodology for handling joint accounts makes it easy to keep track of how much money you each bring in and spend on shared expenses, so that both partners can stay on top of their finances.
- The only other software that is designed to be used by multiple people is MoneyDance 2.0, which lacks some features found in other products like YNAB and Mint (more about this below).
Best for Freelancers and Entrepreneurs: Tiller
Tiller is a free personal finance software for freelancers, entrepreneurs, small business owners and startups. It offers all the things you need to manage your money in one place:
- A complete dashboard to see all your transactions at a glance
- Automatic categorization of transactions by type (e.g., “income” or “expense”) so that you can easily track what’s happening in your bank account on any given day or month
- Support for multiple accounts (checking, savings and credit card) from different banks – so that none of them go unprocessed!
Tiller also has some cool features like the ability to automatically set up recurring payments for bills such as rent or utilities without having to remember when each payment is due every month; plus custom categories where you can add whatever else might be relevant for tracking expenses (in our case: things like Gifts/Donations).
Best for On-the-Go Budgeting: Mvelopes
- Mvelopes is an excellent option for people who are looking for a budgeting software that is easy to use.
- If you are looking for a budgeting software that is easy to use, Mvelopes might be the right choice for you.
Best Open-Source Personal Budgeting Software: GnuCash
GnuCash is one of the best personal finance software programs in the world. It’s free, open-source, and cross-platform. The program allows you to track your finances using a variety of tools including:
- General ledger (the main account register)
- Schedules (sub-ledger accounts)
- Other accounts that support included accounts
GnuCash is a great choice for small businesses, freelancers, entrepreneurs, investors and anyone who wants to be in control of their own finances
YNAB
Specifications
Price: $8.25 per month billed annually, $14.95 per month Platforms: Android, iOSToday’s Best DealsYNABUS$6.99/mthVisit Siteat YNAB
Reasons to buy
+Simple, attractive interface+Can create custom labels that match how you think about your expenses+Easy to get benefit without directly connecting accounts +Terrific help, including regular live how-to webinars
Reasons to avoid
-Little personal finance context beyond budgeting-Many financial institutions require a third-party intermediary to make the connection-Regular hands-on updates input can get tedious
YNAB has a very clear mission, as reflected in its name – which stands for You Need a Budget. Unlike competing for personal finance packages, YNAB is all about budgets. Specifically, about creating zero-sum budgets that are designed around four rules that create mindfulness around how you think about money management and budgeting.
The idea behind YNAB is to spend with intention, whereby you allocate your income to different expenses. YNAB’s singular focus is its strength and sets it apart from the other personal finance services scrabbling for attention. Those services, including Mint and Simplifi, offer budgeting as a part of a broad spectrum snapshot of your money management. Generous guidance coupled with its clear focus on budgeting through managing income and expenses make YNAB the best budgeting app around. However, it’s more expensive than the other best budgeting apps we reviewed.
Simplifi by Quicken
Specifications
Price: $3.99 per month billed annually, $5.99 per month Platforms: Android, iOSToday’s Best DealsVisit Site
Reasons to buy
+Visual, easy-to-navigate design+Can handle four budgeting methods, including zero-sum+Useful ways to watch how your spending, and your saving
Reasons to avoid
-Some challenges with connecting accounts-Lacks support for complex annual budgets or tax planning
Simplifi by Quicken is, as its name implies, a simplified approach to personal finance. This cloud-based service makes it easy to track your money and budget wherever you are.
Now owned by Aquiline Capital Partners, Simplifi comes from the same stewards of long-time stalwart Quicken. Whereas Quicken is a full-scale personal financial package with desktop applications and online/mobile support, Simplifi pares things back to basics, and it does so with a fresh, visually appealing interface and logical workflow to tracking accounts, setting savings goals, and creating budgets.
The service handles account tracking across banks, investments, and credit cards and payment services, and combines this with spending and savings plans, bill alerts, and trends analysis of your spending, income, savings, and more. Unlike its well-known personal finance sibling Quicken, Simplifi began life as a web-first service, and its graphical look and feel reflect that history.
A review of the best personal budget software on the market
Personal budgeting software is a great way to keep track of your spending, income and investments. This can help you stay on track with your personal finances. The best personal budgeting software should be easy to use and install, as it should be designed for people who are new to the field of personal finance.
You should also consider whether or not you want an online program or if you would rather have a desktop version installed on your computer at home. While many people prefer the convenience of being able to access their information anywhere they go on their smartphone or tablet device, others prefer having everything stored locally so they don’t have any limitations while working out of town or traveling abroad where internet connections may not be available all the time.
Should I pay for a budgeting app?
The short answer: You don’t need to. There are plenty of free budgeting apps on the market if you don’t want to invest in one. A solid choice is Mint, which we ranked best free budgeting app.
However, free apps usually have limited features or a bunch of in-app ads.
If you want a more robust budgeting app that offers a variety of premium services (such as a retirement planner tool), or you simply can’t stand all the ads, consider a subscription-based app where you pay a monthly or annual fee.
You might find that paying for an app encourages you to use it more since you have some monetary stake in it. If that means you get serious about trimming your spending and saving more, the fee could be worthwhile.
Be sure to check if the app offers any sort of free trial so you can test it out before paying for it.
Conclusion
The best budgeting software tools can help you get your finances in order. These programs can make it easy to see where your money is going, so you can find ways to save or look for places where you’re overspending. They can also help you make a budget that’s personalized to your needs, and they’ll let you access your data as often as you like.
The best personal budgeting software 2021 is an incredibly useful and powerful tool for anyone looking to manage their finances. When it comes to budgeting software, there are several options to choose from and making the right choice can be difficult. We’ve researched personal budgeting software and narrowed down the choices to help you decide which one is right for you