A Comprehensive Review of Finance Apps: Top Picks for 2025

In today's fast-paced world, managing your finances can feel overwhelming. Thankfully, finance apps have come a long way and can make budgeting and tracking expenses a lot easier. Whether you're a seasoned budgeter or just starting out, there’s an app out there for you. In this review finance apps article, we'll look at the top 10 picks for 2025, highlighting their unique features and what makes them stand out.

Key Takeaways

• Finance apps help simplify budgeting and expense tracking.

• Different apps cater to various budgeting styles and needs.

• Many apps offer free versions, while others have premium features.

• User experience and ease of use are crucial for choosing an app.

• Consider your personal financial goals when selecting an app.

1. Monarch Money

Monarch Money has become a popular choice, especially with Mint users looking for an alternative. It's designed for people who want to plan for the long term, helping you track expenses, investments, and your overall net worth. One cool thing is that you can invite unlimited collaborators, which makes it great for family budgeting. You can even add your financial advisor so they can easily check your budget when you meet.

Monarch lets you sync your bills to a calendar, so you always know what's due and when. You can also run different scenarios to see how your money moves today will affect your future goals. It's pretty easy to set unlimited savings goals and track your progress using their bucket system.

Monarch Money is a solid option if you want to create monthly budgets and save for specific goals. The downside is that there's no free plan, so you'll need a subscription.

Here's a quick rundown:

• Track expenses and investments.

• Set financial goals.

• Invite unlimited collaborators.

Monarch Money offers a premium plan with a 7-day free trial, then it's $14.99 per month or $99.99 annually. If you're looking for a budgeting app with robust features, Monarch Money might be a good fit.

2. YNAB

YNAB, or You Need A Budget, is all about proactive financial planning. The core idea is to "give every dollar a job, meaning you decide exactly where your money will go before you spend it. It's a hands-on approach, requiring you to manually categorize your spending, which can be a good thing if you want to be super aware of where your money is going.

Here's what makes YNAB stand out:

• Zero-Based Budgeting: Every month, you allocate all your income to specific categories, ensuring that every dollar has a purpose.

• Living on Last Month's Income: YNAB encourages you to eventually reach a point where you're spending money you earned in the previous month, giving you a buffer and reducing financial stress.

• Real-Time Tracking: You track your spending as it happens, and YNAB provides alerts if you're about to overspend in a category.

YNAB is great if you're serious about getting your finances in order and are willing to put in the time and effort. It's not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of app; it requires active participation and commitment. But if you stick with it, it can be a powerful tool for achieving your financial goals.

YNAB can be a bit pricey, costing $14.99 per month or $109 per year. It's definitely an investment, but if you're committed to the process, it could be worth it.

3. PocketGuard

PocketGuard is an app that aims to simplify budgeting, especially if you're just starting out. It's not overloaded with features, which is actually a good thing if you find other budgeting apps overwhelming. The basic version is free, which is a plus.

With PocketGuard, you can connect your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and even investments. It helps you track your bills and shows you how much money you have left to spend after setting aside funds for necessities and goals. It's all about giving you a clear picture of your financial situation.

PocketGuard can guide you through creating a budget that works for you. You sync your accounts, provide info about your goals, and the app helps sort and categorize your spending. It's designed to help you make an initial budget and see how much you have left for the month.

Here's a quick rundown:

• Connects to your accounts.

• Categorizes your spending.

• Shows you what's available to spend.

• Offers reporting tools with charts.

PocketGuard's catalog of features isn’t the most robust on our list, but that’s part of why we like it.

It also partners with BillShark to help you negotiate lower bills. Keep in mind that BillShark takes a cut of any savings they negotiate for you. If you are new to budgeting with PocketGuard, this app can help you by taking you through each step of creating a tweakable budget.

4. Rocket Money

Rocket Money, previously known as Truebill, is a popular app designed to help you manage your finances. It aims to simplify budgeting, track spending, and even negotiate bills on your behalf. Let's take a closer look at what it offers.

Rocket Money has both free and premium options. The free plan lets you link your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts to monitor your spending and create a budget. The premium plan unlocks more features, such as bill negotiation and cancellation services.

One of the standout features is its bill negotiation service. You provide a copy of your bill, and Rocket Money will try to negotiate a lower price with the service provider. If they succeed, you'll pay them a percentage of the savings. It's worth noting that if you plan to switch providers soon, this might not be the best option.

Rocket Money can be a useful tool for those looking to get a better handle on their finances. Its bill negotiation feature can potentially save you money, but it's important to weigh the costs and benefits before subscribing to the premium plan.

Here's a quick rundown of what you can expect:

• Budgeting Tools: Track your spending and create budgets to stay on track.

• Bill Negotiation: Let Rocket Money negotiate lower rates on your bills.

• Subscription Management: Identify and cancel unwanted subscriptions.

Rocket Money's pricing structure involves a sliding scale for premium features. You can choose how much you want to pay per month, typically ranging from $6 to $12, with lower prices for annual billing. There's also a free plan available, but it has limited features. The affordability of Rocket Money makes it a great option for many users.

5. Honeydue App

Honeydue is a finance app specifically designed for couples. It aims to make managing money together easier and more transparent. It's not always easy to talk about money, and Honeydue tries to bridge that gap with features built for shared finances.

With Honeydue, you can:

• Track expenses together.

• Set budgets as a team.

• Get bill reminders.

• Chat about finances within the app.

One of the cool things about Honeydue is that you can choose how much information to share with your partner. Need to buy a surprise gift? You can hide those transactions. Want to keep some accounts private? That's an option too. It's all about finding the right balance of transparency and privacy for your relationship.

Honeydue lets you and your partner view both your financial pictures in one app. You can sync bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and investments. Honeydue will also alert you when you or your partner is nearing them. It's free to use, but you can tip the developers if you find it helpful. If you're looking for budgeting with a partner, Honeydue is worth checking out.

6. Quicken Simplifi

Quicken Simplifi is a budgeting app that's been around for a while, and it's still a solid choice for people who want something more than just basic tracking. It's especially good if you're into seeing your financial data visualized in different ways.

One of the things I like about Simplifi is that it tries to make budgeting less of a chore. It focuses on helping you see where your money is going, and it can even help you find subscriptions you might have forgotten about. Plus, it gives you monthly reports on things like spending, income, and savings.

Simplifi isn't free; you'll need a subscription. But they often have deals, like the current one offering 33% off the first year (ends May 31, 2025). They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out without too much risk.

Here's a quick rundown of what you get:

• Detailed monthly spending and savings plans.

• Spending tracking.

• Subscription finding.

• Credit score checking (US residents only).

7. GoodBudget

Goodbudget is an interesting app because it really leans into the envelope budgeting system. It's less about tracking what you've already spent and more about planning where your money will go. I think that's a pretty cool distinction.

Goodbudget is all about planning your finances.

It's not for everyone, though. If you're the type who wants everything automated, this might not be your thing. You have to manually enter every expense since it doesn't sync with your bank accounts. But if you're trying to get a handle on where your money is going, this hands-on approach could be just what you need.

I tried Goodbudget for a month, and while it was a bit of work entering everything, I felt way more in control of my spending. It's like actually using cash envelopes, but without the risk of losing the cash. It's a good option if you're serious about budgeting.

Goodbudget offers a free version, which is nice. It's limited to one account, two devices, and a certain number of envelopes. If you want more, you can upgrade to Goodbudget Premium. That gets you unlimited envelopes and accounts, up to five devices, and some other perks. Premium costs $10 a month or $80 a year.

8. EveryDollar

EveryDollar is all about zero-based budgeting. What does that mean? Well, it means you're giving every single dollar a job. It's a pretty straightforward way to manage your money, and some people find it easier to handle than other budgeting methods.

With EveryDollar, you plan where your money goes before you spend it. You set up a budget, assign amounts to different categories, and then track your spending to make sure you stick to the plan. It's like telling your money exactly what to do, instead of wondering where it all went at the end of the month.

I tried EveryDollar for a few months last year. It was helpful to see where my money was going, but I found it a bit tedious to manually enter every transaction. I ended up switching to something that automatically tracked my spending, but I can see how EveryDollar would be great for someone who wants a really hands-on approach to budgeting.

Here's a quick look at what EveryDollar offers:

• Zero-based budgeting framework

• Manual transaction entry (unless you upgrade)

• Goal setting

• Debt tracking

The premium version lets you connect your bank accounts for automatic transaction tracking. It also gives you custom reports and recommendations based on your spending habits. If you want to link your savings and investment accounts, that's part of the premium package too.

9. Personal Capital

Personal Capital, now known as Empower Personal Dashboard, is more than just a budgeting app; it's a comprehensive financial tool. It's particularly strong for investment tracking and net worth calculation.

It lets you link various accounts, from checking and savings to 401(k)s and mortgages. This gives you a complete view of your financial situation. The app excels at providing insights into your spending habits by categorizing transactions and showing monthly totals. You can also track your [wealth and spending](#0425] with their cash management account.

• Account aggregation: Connect all your financial accounts in one place.

• Investment tracking: Monitor your portfolio performance.

• Net worth calculation: Get a clear picture of your assets and liabilities.

Personal Capital's strength lies in its ability to provide a holistic view of your finances, making it ideal for those focused on long-term financial planning and investment management. It's a great option if you want to see the big picture and not just track your daily spending.

10. Mint

Mint has been around for a while, and it's still a popular choice for many people looking to manage their finances. It's a free app, which is a big plus, and it connects to your bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts to give you a complete picture of your money. It automatically categorizes your transactions, which can be super helpful for seeing where your money is going.

Mint offers a range of features, including budgeting tools, goal setting, and bill tracking. You can set up budgets for different categories, like groceries or entertainment, and Mint will track your spending and let you know if you're going over budget. It also helps you set financial goals, like saving for a down payment on a house or paying off debt. The bill tracking feature sends reminders so you don't miss payments.

Mint is a solid option if you're looking for a free and easy-to-use budgeting app. It's not as feature-rich as some of the paid apps, but it's a great starting point for getting a handle on your finances.

Here are some of the things Mint can help you with:

• Tracking expenses

• Creating a budget

• Saving for individual savings goals

However, it's worth noting that Mint is ad-supported, so you'll see ads within the app. Also, some users have raised concerns about data privacy, so it's important to be aware of that before using the app. If you're looking for an alternative, consider Monarch Money App, which offers a 30-day trial.

Final Thoughts on Budgeting Apps for 2025

So, there you have it! We’ve covered the top 10

budgeting apps that can really help you manage your money better in 2025. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to get more serious about your finances, there’s something here for everyone. Remember, the best app for you depends on your personal needs and how you like to handle your money. Take your time to explore these options, and don’t hesitate to try a few out to see which one clicks. Budgeting doesn’t have to be a chore; with the right app, it can actually be pretty straightforward and even a bit fun!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a budgeting app and why should I use one?

A budgeting app helps you track your money and spending. Using one can help you save more and spend less.

Are budgeting apps safe to use?

Yes, most budgeting apps are safe. They use strong security measures to protect your information.

Can I use budgeting apps for free?

Many budgeting apps offer free versions, but some have paid features that you can choose to use.

How do I choose the right budgeting app for me?

Think about what you need. Some apps are better for tracking expenses, while others help with savings.

Can I use a budgeting app if I share finances with someone?

Yes! Some budgeting apps are designed for couples or families to manage money together.

What features should I look for in a budgeting app?

Look for features like easy tracking, reports, and the ability to sync with your bank accounts.