Does “more month left at the end of the paycheck” describe YOUR financial situation? It’s a common expression during hard economic times. Unfortunately, it’s a reality for so many right now.
Smart money management is important in any economy … but even more so, in the wake of shutdowns and layoffs. Many families are struggling to make ends meet. If you’re trying to get a handle on your finances, online budgeting tools can help.
There are many great budgeting tools out there. Desktop budgeting software. Internet-based systems. Convenient mobile apps. These easy-to-use resources help take the mystery out of “where did all my money go?”
But which one should YOU use? Let’s find out.
DISCLAIMER – I am not a financial expert. The content in this post is accurate to the best of my knowledge and is for information only. It does not substitute for professional advice in financial matters.
Why Use Budgeting Tools?
If you’re like me, you want to improve how you save and budget your money. The tech world has noticed. Search online and you will find a steady stream of budgeting tools to help you save more and spend less.
Do you need a specific budgeting method – or just a reminder when your bank account dips too low? Either way, you are bound to find a solution on this list. Bonus: Some of the tools are free, and most are available on your smartphone.
DISCLOSURE – This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one of the links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.
Are Budgeting Tools Safe?
With so many digital finance tools available, you may wonder if budgeting apps are safe. In most cases, you must sync your bank accounts for accurate tracking.
In general, budgeting apps are generally safe to use. End-to-end encryption blocks third-party access and provides robust security.
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Budgeting Tools to Consider
Here are 28 smart budgeting tools that can help you manage your money. The list is in alphabetical order for ease of reference. If you use of these tools – or something not on the list – please tell us about it in the comments.
1. Albert
Need a mobile app that takes the math out of budgeting? Albert may be the answer. Its mission? “To build a world where no one – regardless of income or net worth – has to worry about making the wrong financial decision.”
Forbes magazine recommends Albert for those who want to “set it and forget it.” Self-manage your account for FREE, or let Albert Genius ($4/month) do it for you. Try your first month free and cancel anytime.
2. BudgetPulse
Don’t want to give an app access to your accounts? Then, consider BudgetPulse. This FREE program offers “standard budgeting and tracking features with simplicity,” said Forbes.
BudgetPulse lets you visualize your money with charts and graphs. What’s more, you can share your financial goals with family and friends. The social aspect of this tool helps keep you accountable.
3. BudgetSimple
BudgetSimple is a FREE online budget for your household. It analyzes your finances to help you create a budget, cut debt, and start saving money.
What started as a “basic Excel sheet in the cloud” evolved into an automated financial advisor. The automated financial tips can help you “save even more money and spend it where it counts.”
4. BudgetTracker
BudgetTracker is a FREE tool to help you track your bank accounts and transactions. It ties all your transactions (income, expenses, and budget) together in a calendar … then sends you reminders by email or text.
Are you wary of sharing your finances online? “Some people are still not comfortable linking their bank accounts … to a budgeting site,” said Kiplinger’s magazine. If this describes you, give BudgetTracker a try.
5. Buxfer
Buxfer is personal finance software for power users. PC Magazine likes the web app. Other reviewers like the robust budgeting tool. The software is ideal for roommates who share expenses.
With Buxfer, you get five different subscriptions- starting with a FREE basic plan. Upgrades include Pilot ($1.99/month), Plus ($3.99/month), Pro (4.99/month), and Prime ($9.99/month) plans.
6. Charlie
Charlie is a FREE budgeting app with a user friendly interface and penguin mascot. It’s ideal for learning more about money and developing healthy financial habits.
Penguin Charlie is a chatbot that answers questions about your finances. Setting up a budget is easy, and you get daily push notifications to help you budget and save. The notifications are persistent, but you can disable them.
7. Clarity Money
Clarity Money is a FREE budgeting app that “acts as your financial champion.” It requires you to link your financial accounts. Savings, checking, credit cards, loans, investments.
A pie chart displays your finances … to identify recurring expenses and show where you overspend. Use the data to cancel unwanted accounts that are draining your wallet.
{Note: Marcus, a Goldman Sachs brand, acquired Clarity Money. The app (still free) will integrate with Marcus, which offers personal loans and savings accounts.}
8. CountAbout
CountAbout is personal finance software. One feature is the ability to import data from Mint (Number 11 on the list) and Quicken (Number 21).
You can try before you buy with a 15-day FREE TRIAL. To continue using the service, you must pay for a basic ($9.99/year) or premium ($39.99/year) plan. Add-on features are also available. FREE phone apps offer limited access to your account.
9. EveryDollar
Is the envelope system the key to controlling your money? Dave Ramsey thinks it is. His FREE budgeting tool – EveryDollar – helps you cut debt, build wealth, and start living.
Ramsey based EveryDollar on his Baby Steps to beat debt and build wealth. Helpful visuals provide quick views for what you planned, what you spent, and what remains.
10. Goodbudget
Goodbudget is “a budget tracker for the modern age.” It also uses the envelope system to help you spend, save, and give – without having to carry paper envelopes.
This virtual budgeting tool keeps your family on track through its sync-and-share feature. The mobile app is available on iPhone and Android devices. Use the FREE plan, or pay for Plus ($7/month).
11. Mint
Are you a budget newbie? Then, check out Mint. It may be the most well-known budgeting tool on the list. Mint has many features, but the budgeting feature is where it shines, said Forbes.
Mint is FREE, but it makes money by suggesting offers such as credit cards and investing apps. Intuit, the financial software company that owns TurboTax and QuickBooks also owns Mint.
12. Moneydance
Moneydance is easy-to-use personal finance software. And it’s loaded with all the features you need to manage your money. Online banking, bill payment, budget planning, investment tracking.
Moneydance offers a FREE TRIAL for several platforms – desktop and smartphone. The trial version has limited features, but you can remove limitations by buying a license ($49.99).
13. MoneyStrands
With MoneyStrands, “your money never looked so good.” This FREE budgeting app helps you manage all your finances in one place – quick and on the go.
MoneyStrands is available for iPhone and Android devices. After you link your bank accounts, the app groups your transactions into tags or categories. See where you’re spending and saving – and check out the freebies, too.
14. Mvelopes
Do money worries keep you up at night? Mvelopes sticks to the basics of budgeting – simple, affordable, envelope budgeting. Start with a 60-day FREE TRIAL, then choose a plan that works for you.
The Basic plan ($6/month) offers basic budgeting tools plus live chat support. At the Premiere level ($9.95/month), you also get scheduled phone support. The Plus plan ($19/month) offers all this plus monthly sessions with a financial planner.
15. My Spending Plan
My Spending Plan (MSP) is innovative budgeting software that’s easy to manage. The main goal is “to enable you to [take] control of your finances – and not the other way around.”
The software works on any computer, tablet, or smartphone. The membership fee is €49 (euro). That’s about $55, and the service does not offer free or trial accounts.
16. NeoBudget
“Gone are the days of spreadsheets and ledger books. This is budgeting for the 21st century,” says NeoBudget, an envelope budgeting tool. Visual users will enjoy using the tool.
NeoBudget is for the layperson with little or no accounting background. The concepts come from everyday life. The FREE plan has one user, one account, and 10 envelopes. The standard plan ($4.95/month) removes these limits.
17. PearBudget
Are you new to budgeting? Do you feel overwhelmed by your finances? Do you like to keep things simple? Then, PearBudget is for you. Try the 30-day FREE TRIAL, then pay $4.95/month.
This manual-entry budgeting tool is much like a simple, do-it-yourself spreadsheet. It’s so simple The New York Times called it “under-powered” for complicated finances. See if it works for you.
18. Personal Capital
Personal Capital is for advanced users who want to track investments, cash flow, and net worth. Graphics help you see exactly where your money is going.
The FREE financial dashboard has budgeting tools to track your income and expenses. There is also a retirement planner to customize to your own circumstances.
19. PocketGuard
Are you looking for a way to “pocket” your cash? Want to spend more time living, while staying on budget? PocketGuard is personal finance simplified. And it’s FREE.
PocketGuard helps you plan a budget based on your spending habits. Then it shows you what you saved or pocketed. CNET recommends it for those who can’t afford You Need a Budget (Number 27 on the list).
20. PocketSmith
PocketSmith is a budgeting app that helps you “forge your own financial path.” It requires you to enter manual transactions. According to Business Insider, it’s not as intuitive as some of the other apps.
The basic plan, designed “for the casual budgeter,” is FREE. Premium ($9.95/month) and super ($19.95/month) plans offer upgrades such as automatic feeds and importing.
21. Quicken
By many accounts, Quicken is the most complete budgeting tool available. It is also one of the most complex. It allows you to create a budget, track spending, pay bills, and more.
Quicken offers a 30-day FREE TRIAL, so you can try it out. Paid desktop software is available for one- or two-year subscriptions ($34.99 to $159.98). There’s also a FREE mobile app for iPhone and Android devices.
22. Simple
Simple is a checking account with built-in budgeting features. You can set up recurring payments for monthly expenses … and see what’s available for non-essentials within your budget.
Simple is a FREE tool, but it may seem more complicated than other apps. Since the main function is a bank account, it takes a bit more time and effort to create an account.
23. Smarty Pig
Smarty Pig is an online piggy bank that helps you budget for specific goals. You can set up many financial goals – then, open FREE savings accounts for each one.
Tiered interest rates help you save even more money. Direct your savings into one of your financial goals. Or, withdraw some or all of your money whenever you need it.
24. Trim
Trim is a FREE tool that tracks your spending habits and shows you where to save money. Bill Negotiation is its most unique feature. It analyzes your bills to see where you can get the same service for a lower price.
If you agree to the proposed negotiations, you must pay 33% of your annual savings to Trim. In one lump sum. The Premium plan ($99/year) gives you access to extra features, including a financial coach. And, you won’t have to pay 33% for bill negotiations.
25. Wally
Wally is a popular budgeting tools among Millennials. It may be the BEST budgeting app for students. The sophisticated tool has many features, including a 360-degree snapshot of your finances.
Wally is FREE and supports most foreign currencies, so it’s ideal for travelers. The app is available on iPhone and Android devices.
26. Wismo
Wismo is a FREE hybrid budgeting tool AND social media platform. It’s “a new way to organize and share what, how, and where you spend your money.”
The app is actually three apps with one login: Wismo Budget, Wismo Local, and Wismo Social. “You won’t get the full experience unless your friends and family also use it,” said Business Insider.
27. You Need a Budget
Are you a visual learner? You Need a Budget (YNAB) may be just what you’re looking for. This personal budgeting program teaches you “how to manage your money and get ahead – for good.”
YNAB said it is possible to save more than $6,000 the first year on the program. The one downside is the cost. After a 34-day FREE TRIAL, you pay $6.99/month (annual billing).
28. Zeta
Zeta is a FREE budgeting tool designed for couples. It displays your individual and shared finances, all in one place. You also have the option to hide certain financial information from your partner.
Zeta is perfect for couples who combine their finances OR prefer separate banking. The app sends monthly reminders to set “money dates” – making it a good tool for learning to talk about money.
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Now It’s Your Turn
Thank you for reading my post. Now it’s YOUR turn to chime in. What budgeting tools do you use to manage your money? What is your best money management tip?
Let’s fill the comments with friendly conversation. Scroll down to leave a reply, ask a question, or say just hello. And if you liked this post, please give it a share.
Blessings, Annette
NOTE – You are reading “28 Budgeting Tools That Can Help You Manage Your Money.” An earlier version of this post appeared on HubPages in November 2013. It has been updated and expanded for the Savoring Home community.
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Nice post. This wasn’t what I was looking for, but I still liked reading it.
Thank you. I’m glad you stopped by. May your new year be safe, happy, and prosperous!