With the advent of personal budget software for pc, people can now keep track of their spending and even make plans for expenses. Personal budget software for PC, helps you to keep track of your monthly income and recurring bills, as well as your spending online or at brick-and-mortar stores. With proper use, it can help you get out of debt and be financially secure.
Budgeting is essential to your future financial success. Personal budget software for pc is important to your overall well-being and can be done in a number of ways, depending on where you’re starting from. Here’s some personal budget software for pc options for you to review and consider integrating into your monthly budget process.
In this comprehensive guide, we will be covering topics such as Budgeting software free, Best Budgeting App, and Budgeting Tools.
Personal Budget Software for Pc
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.
Mint
One of the most widely used budgeting programs is Mint, and for good reason. It offers financial budgeting shared by 24 million people, which is uncommon among the top budgeting apps.
You can personalize your budget with the app, and it will track your spending thereafter. It analyzes your spending patterns and offers suggestions for increasing your savings. Additionally, it will look over your subscriptions to make sure you aren’t paying for stuff you don’t require. You can set objectives using MintSights to hit financial milestones and create a better financial base. Once your accounts are linked, it’s simple to switch between unpaid account balances, your monthly costs vs spending, and even check your free credit score. Mint is appropriate
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.
Goodbudget
You can make and maintain a budget with the aid of the budgeting tool Goodbudget. To keep you motivated and on track, debt tracking is an option. Additionally, it aids in financial management by enabling you to pinpoint the location and status of your finances. Goodbudget requires a subscription, but once you do, you’ll enjoy unlimited access to the app on numerous phones and the web. This indicates that it is simple to allow family members or spouses access to your account. In order to avoid miscommunications and financial disasters, it enables you to maintain a financial connection even while you are physically separated. You never have to worry about specific financial transactions because all transactions are synchronised to the cloud.
Personal Capital
More than 2.8 million people utilize Personal Capital, and it is a portfolio tracker specifically designed to help with your investments, offering a unique digital approach to your personal finance. The app works with several different types of accounts, including your normal banking accounts, as well as investments, stocks, and retirement funds. The exclusive Retirement Planner tool helps you view your 401K, IRAs, and also your debt so you can have a complete, well-rounded portrait of your finances at the click of a button. The Cash Flow graph stacks your income versus your expenses for an overall financial snapshot that is easy to understand, plus there is an Investment Checkup tool that checks your investments, looking for ways to minimize risk while maximizing rewards. The Retirement Planner is an excellent option when you want to create and manage your retirement. You also have the option to join Personal Capital as an investment client so you can receive direct support from its financial advisors.
Pocketguard
| Type of plan | Cost |
| Monthly | $7.99 |
| Annual | $34.99 |
| Lifetime One-Time Purchase | $79.99 |
Personal Capital, a portfolio tracker created expressly to assist with your investments and providing a cutting-edge digital approach to your personal finances, is used by more than 2.8 million users. The program is compatible with a wide range of accounts, including standard bank accounts, investments, stocks, and retirement plans. You may quickly and easily get a thorough picture of your financial situation by using the exclusive Retirement Planner feature, which allows you to view your debt as well as your 401K and IRA accounts. The Cash Flow graph compares your income and expenses to create a clear picture of your total financial situation. Additionally, an Investment Checkup tool examines your investments to find strategies to reduce risk while increasing returns. The
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Budgeting Tools
Pen and Paper
Despite the popularity of budgeting applications and tools, all you really need to establish a budget is a pen and some paper. Writing down all of your spending, from regular bills to smaller luxuries like morning coffee or lunches, is a fundamental step in creating a budget. Next, classify those costs based on whether they are needs or wants. Add up your income next. Prioritize your priorities before splurging on wants with the money you have left over.
You will need to decide what adjustments to make if your expenses are higher than your income. Cutting out needs like eating out or a gym membership may help you balance your budget, but in some circumstances, you may need to think about making more severe adjustments.
Envelopes
Cash is put into envelopes that are designated for main budget areas like food, clothing, and dining out. It makes it simple to understand how much money is available for each category of spending.
According to Howard Dvorkin, CPA and CEO of Debt.com, “The envelope approach is a wonderful tool for budgeting since it pushes people to take control of their expenditures with cash in hand.” It is a sign that no more purchases should be made in that category until the money in that envelope is replenished.
Spreadsheets
Use a spreadsheet to track income and expenses in a way that is extremely customisable. Budgeting spreadsheet templates that are designed with formulas, dates, and labels are available for download, according to Dvorkin. “This strategy can make it simpler to amend a budget and track income, as well as taking the guesswork out of budget organization.”
Users can download free budget templates from Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, respectively. Although using the applications can need some understanding, you can also make your own. On its support page for Office products, Microsoft offers free online training courses. Otherwise, YouTube has a ton of tutorials available.
Worksheets
A worksheet helps reduce some of the guesswork when creating your first budget. These documents frequently include suggested percentages that show how much of your income should be allocated to each category each month.
Many businesses provide free budgeting spreadsheets online. A nonprofit financial counseling organization called American Consumer Credit Counseling includes worksheets for household budgeting, tracking expenses, and budgeting for particular needs. On its Next Step Financial Education website, Regions Bank offers free worksheets that anybody can download. These include a personal spending plan worksheet and a daily spending tracker.
According to Joye Hehn, vice president of financial education strategy and implementation at Regions Bank, “the resources and tools we offer through Regions Next Step, like these worksheets, can help people improve their financial skills, stay organized, and take the next steps to reaching their goals.”
Banking Tools and Apps
You could find free budgeting tools on the website of your bank. Among the organizations that provide clients budgeting tools that can track expenses, generate spending reports, and export data to spreadsheets or computer software are Bank of America, Chase, and even local credit unions.
According to Divilek, “At Chase, we are always improving our digital banking capabilities to help our customers make the most of their money. Customers can track their monthly spending with the budget feature of the Chase Mobile app to see how much money is left over after payments for bills and transfers.
By using banking facilities to pay bills online, spending patterns can be categorized in charts and graphs that can be utilized to establish a household budget. Additionally, banks could provide other money management tools that aren’t specifically designed for budgeting. You might be able to do things like program automatic transfers to savings accounts or sign up for low balance notifications.
Mint
Without discussing the numerous free budgeting websites and applications accessible today, no list of free budgeting tools would be complete. The most well-known smartphone and internet-based budgeting app is called Mint, and it provides a wide range of functions without charging a fee.
Users of Mint can connect a variety of financial accounts to the platform, which tracks and organizes spending. It comes with a payment tracker and bill reminders, and its calculators let users see how their choices could affect how far they get toward their goals.
Honeydue
Honeydue is a tool that was created especially to assist couples who are jointly managing their finances. People can link numerous accounts to the free app to share balances and expenditure data. Partners can chat about certain transactions if necessary.
Honeydue categorizes expenses for budgeting purposes to make it simple to make sure your monthly spending stays on target. Bill reminders will also be sent by the app. Honeydue also provides joint bank accounts, with deposits covered by Sutton Bank, for people who are looking for one.
SoFi Relay
Another unpaid software for budgeting is SoFi Relay. Users can link accounts, check balances, and establish spending goals with this tool. Accounts are combined, and categorizing spending is simple to do.
The app also makes it simple to connect with a professional to talk about financial objectives and plans and gives access to VantageScore 3.0 credit scores. Users of SoFi Relay are entitled to a free 30-minute consultation with a business financial planner.
Goodbudget
For individuals who prefer the concept of an envelope cash management system but don’t want the trouble of carrying physical envelopes, there is smart budgeting software available.
Instead, users can finance virtual envelopes with Goodbudget, which is used to sync and share budget data across devices while tracking costs. Ten standard envelopes, ten additional envelopes, a year’s worth of account history, and access to community help forums are all included in the free edition.
Truebill
A workable budget typically requires cutting costs, and the Truebill app can assist users in finding sources of spending that can go unnoticed. Once you’ve connected a bank account, Truebill will automatically look for recurring payments like subscription fees and let you cancel them if you so choose.
Truebill can track your expenditures and build a budget based on your transactions. It might be able to reduce monthly costs for wireless, cable, and insurance payments, among others, through its bill-negotiation tool. While the software is free to download and use, if Truebill is successful in lowering a bill, it will keep 40% of your savings.
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.