Top Budget Apps for 2025: Save More Without Breaking the Bank!

Why You’ll Love It: YNAB encourages you to take charge of your future by planning each dollar you earn! The zero-based budgeting method ensures every cent is assigned a purpose, turning budgeting into a proactive, engaging experience.

As soon as your paycheck hits, YNAB prompts you to allocate funds across diverse categories—be it spending, savings, or debt repayment. This hands-on approach makes you deliberate with your financial choices.

With a plethora of educational resources on the site, YNAB gears you up to comfortably navigate budgeting. Plus, link your checking, savings, credit cards, and loans—all accessible via mobile, desktop, or even your Apple Watch.

Consider This: YNAB requires a commitment—perfect for those eager to dive deep into budgeting. It’s a bit of an investment, so if you’re keen on saving, you might want to check out free alternatives.

Cost: $14.99 monthly or $109 annually, but enjoy a 34-day free trial to see if it suits you. Share with up to five people, making it a budget-friendly choice for groups. College students can snag a free year!

Goodbudget: The Envelope Budgeting Solution

Why It’s a Great Pick: Goodbudget revolves around planning, not just tracking historical spending. Based on the classic envelope budgeting system, it helps you allocate your income into ‘envelopes’ for various spending categories.

This app doesn’t connect to your bank. Instead, you manually input balances, making it a more hands-on experience. Access it from your phone or the web, with plenty of supportive articles and videos available to guide you.

Goodbudget features a free version with limited envelopes and accounts. The premium option opens the door to unlimited envelopes and multiple accounts.

Things to Consider: Since it doesn’t sync with financial accounts, you’ll need to log each expense, which may not suit everyone.

Cost: Goodbudget is free, while the premium version costs $10 monthly or $80 annually.

Why It’s Worth Your Attention: EveryDollar makes zero-based budgeting a breeze—adapting it for those who crave simplicity.

The free version allows you to manually enter income and expenses, categorize them, and even set bill reminders. If you opt for the premium version, you can connect your bank account for automatic transaction updates and tailored reports!

Consider This: The free version has limited features, and the premium option can be expensive. Also, the website lacks resources for beginners.

Cost: The basic version is free, while the premium version is $79.99 per year or $17.99 per month after a 14-day free trial.

Why We Recommend It: The Empower Personal Dashboard (formerly Personal Capital) is an investment tool that also excels at budgeting, giving you a comprehensive view of your finances.

You can link checking, savings, credit card accounts, and even investments like 401(k)s and IRAs while keeping tabs on your spending with categorized recent transactions and monthly spending snapshots.

Plus, track your net worth and investments—all from your mobile, tablet, or desktop!

A Word of Caution: If your primary goal is to plan for spending, consider another app. While Empower shines in investment tools, it may not dive deep into budgeting specifics.

Why You’ll Appreciate It: PocketGuard simplifies budgeting, making it perfect for those who prefer a more straightforward approach.

Connect your accounts, track bills, and see how much you have left to spend after accounting for necessities, bills, and savings goals. You can even monitor your net worth!

Prefer not to link your accounts? No problem! You can budget manually, too. For those who want more, the PocketGuard Plus version includes debt payoff plans and transaction importing.

Things to Consider: While this app does much of the heavy lifting, it may not be ideal if you’re looking to actively manage and plan your financial future.

Cost: The basic version is free, while PocketGuard Plus is $12.99 per month or $74.99 per year.

Why It Stands Out: Honeydue is perfect for couples looking to synchronize their finances. Both partners can link their bank accounts, credit cards, and loans within the app (you control what you share).

With automatic categorization of expenses and custom category options, you can set monthly spending limits and receive alerts when approaching those limits. Plus, stay on top of bills with reminders and even a built-in chat feature!

A Quick Note: Similar to other apps, Honeydue focuses more on past transactions rather than future planning, which might not fit everyone’s needs.

The free NerdWallet app helps you track your cash flow and understand your finances using the 50/30/20 guideline. Monitor your net worth and credit score as well!

Explore even more free budgeting tools and resources to supercharge your financial journey.

Our selection process involved identifying apps that empower users to:

• Sync different financial accounts (with an option to opt-out).

• Plan for future financial decisions, rather than just tracking the past.

• Categorize expenses to understand spending habits.

• Track bills and receive timely alerts for due dates.

• Collaborate with partners by sharing financial information.

• Access the app from both mobile and desktop platforms.

We also sought out nice-to-have features like credit score tracking, net worth calculators, and investment tracking, favoring apps that are affordable or free.