Best Budgeting Apps of 2026

PocketGuard

What we like: PocketGuard connects to your financial accounts and keeps track of your transactions and bills. Then, it gives you a snapshot of how much you have available to spend based on your income, past and upcoming bills, and the money you've budgeted for spending and savings goals.

If you want more detailed budgeting, you can get it through spending reports. You can also create a debt payoff plan, make up your own spending categories, add notes to transactions, set savings goals and more.

What we dislike: Unlike some other budgeting apps, the PocketGuard app doesn't offer a free version with basic budgeting features. You can still try it out for free for seven days, but beyond that, you'll need to pay.

Cost: $74.99 annually or $12.99 monthly

You Need a Budget

What we like: You Need a Budget (YNAB) allows you to connect your financial accounts and maintain a strict budget using a zero-based budgeting approach. With this method, you're essentially budgeting every single dollar you earn.

The YNAB app lets you share your budget with up to six people, set and track various financial goals, review spending and net worth reports, track debt and investment accounts and more. You'll also get access to a trove of resources, including workshops and guides.

What we dislike: YNAB's biggest drawback is that it doesn't offer a free version of its budgeting software, and it's among the most expensive options—though there is a lengthy 34-day trial.

The cost may be worth it if you're a serious budgeter who prefers the zero-based budgeting method over others. But if you're new to budgeting, it may be better to stick to a free app (at least for now).

Cost: $109 annually or $14.99 monthly

Goodbudget

What we like: Goodbudget is an envelope-based budgeting app that lets you share your budget with others. You'll create virtual envelopes for individual spending categories, then use those to manage your money.

Once the money from one envelope is gone, you can no longer spend money in that area unless you take it from another envelope.

The Goodbudget app has a free version with 10 envelopes, but you only get one year of budgeting history, and you can only share one account across two devices. You can, however, upgrade to Goodbudget Premium and get unlimited envelopes, unlimited accounts across up to five devices and seven years of history.

What we dislike: In addition to limited envelopes and history, the free tier of Goodbudget won't let you connect your financial accounts and directly import transactions. Instead, you'll need to manually update your transactions from each account.

This approach may be worth considering if your finances are relatively simple and you only have a few financial accounts. But the more accounts you have, the longer it will take to manually update transactions across all of them.

If you like what Goodbudget has to offer but want direct import, you'll need to pay for the premium tier.

Cost: Free basic tier; premium tier for $80 annually or $10 monthly

Monarch Money

What we like: The Monarch Money app offers a robust suite of features that go beyond what many other budgeting apps provide. To start, you can choose between a traditional or flexible budgeting approach, allowing you to customize it to your needs, goals and preferences.

The Monarch Money app also allows you to forecast your spending and savings for future months, track subscriptions, get bill statement balances, work toward custom financial goals and collaborate with an unlimited number of people.

In addition to linking an unlimited number of everyday financial accounts, you can also track your investments, sync your vehicle values, get access to your Zillow real estate values and even get Coinbase support.

What we dislike: The Monarch Money app doesn't offer a free version, making it less appealing to beginners. There is a one-week free trial, but with so many features, that might not be enough time to determine whether it's the right fit for you.

Cost: $99.99 annually or $14.99 per month

HoneyDue

What we like: HoneyDue is an app designed specifically to help couples budget together. You and your partner each sign up for your own individual accounts. Then, you can link views of your accounts and credit cards, choosing what accounts are shared between you and which are kept individual.

The app stands out for features that make budgeting as a couple and communicating about money easier. For instance, HoneyDue allows you to set bill due dates and create reminders—and designate which partner should receive them. Also, you can chat in the app or communicate in comment threads on transactions.

On the other hand, the app also allows you to keep private what you don't wish to share. So, for example, if you're checking off some birthday shopping for your partner, you can choose to keep those transactions to yourself.

What we dislike: One major drawback is that HoneyDue doesn't allow you to set up savings goals. When you contribute to your savings funds, those transfers will be tracked as transactions in your expenses. If staying motivated to save is a major priority in your budget, this could be a dealbreaker.

Cost: Free, though you may occasionally be asked for a tip ranging from $1 to $10

Other Budgeting Resources

How to Choose a Budgeting App

It can be overwhelming to try to find the best budgeting app for you, especially when there are so many overlapping features. As you research these and other options, here are some factors to consider:

• Cost: If you're new to budgeting or you don't have much cash to spare, you may be better off with a budgeting app that's entirely free. However, if you're confident that premium features can help you save more money overall, a paid subscription may be worth it.
• Budgeting style: Different budgeting apps may be better for different approaches to budgeting. If you prefer a zero-based budget, for instance, YNAB can be a great fit. If you prefer a simpler approach, however, PocketGuard may be better. Consider trying out a few apps to get a sense of which works best for your money management style.
• Features: If you're looking for specific features, such as direct import, savings goals or sharing, focus on apps that offer what you want to prioritize.
• User reviews: Take some time to read through some user reviews on your preferred app store. While experiences can vary, app reviews can give you a general sense of what you can expect.

Alternatives to Budgeting Apps

While a budgeting app can be helpful, it's by no means the only way to manage your money effectively. Other potential options include:

• Spreadsheet: Whether you use Excel, Google Sheets or Apple Numbers, you can opt to build your budget spreadsheet from scratch or use an online template. This may be worth considering if you want a fully manual approach to budgeting or if you want to maximize your data privacy.
• Envelope system: If you prefer to use cash instead of plastic, you may consider envelope budgeting. You'll separate your spending categories by placing cash in physical envelopes—an analog version of the Goodbudget app—and stop spending once you have no more cash left over.
• Pen and paper: If you consider yourself old school and want to write down everything to keep track, develop a system that works for you. That may include binders, folders and other storage options to stay organized.

With the above options, you'll need to do everything manually. Again, this might not be a problem if you only have a few accounts to keep track of. But as your financial situation gets more complicated, you may want to use a budgeting app to make things easier and less time-consuming.

Learn more: How Budgeting Can Help You Improve Your Credit Score

How to Make a Budget

Your budgeting process will depend on which method you use and how much oversight you want. With that said, here are some general guidelines for how to make a budget:

1. Determine your income. If you earn a fixed salary, this may be easy. However, if your income fluctuates from month to month, you may need to take an average over the past several months or set a minimum expected amount.
2. Lay out your expenses. Review and categorize your expenses from the past three to six months to get an idea of how you've been spending your money. You may simply separate transactions into necessary and discretionary spending, or you can break down categories more fully to get a complete picture of your costs.
3. Set goals. Once you know how you've managed your money in the past, set some goals on how you want to spend and save your money going forward. Then, you can set spending goals each month based on your overall financial goals.
4. Track your spending. Review your expenses at least once a week to track your spending and make sure it stays in line with your goals.

It's also important to regularly evaluate your budget to make sure it's realistic and helpful for your situation.

Evaluate Your Budget to Ensure You're Still on the Right Track

As with anything in your financial life, it's important to evaluate your approach to budgeting at least once a year to determine if it's still working for you and helping you achieve your financial goals. This can include evaluating whether your current budgeting app is still right for you or if you should switch your budget over to another one.

Because this can be a time-consuming process, it's important to take your time to research your options and consider how to proceed. As you evaluate your financial health, be sure to keep an eye on your credit, which you can do for free through Experian.