Rocket Money Promises to Make Budgeting Easy. Does It Deliver?

Looking for a simpler way to save? I recommend one of the best budgeting tools out there: Rocket Money.

Rocket Money is a personal finance app designed to help you track spending and manage your money more effectively. You start by simply linking your financial accounts, then the app will pull in your transactions, track balances, and give you the tools to manage your budget and save more in the long run.

Here's what to know about Rocket Money before signing up.

How Rocket Money makes budgeting easier

Rocket Money automatically categorizes all purchases, but it also lets you create your own spending categories so you can track what matters to you. Whether it's groceries, streaming services, or weekend takeout, you can assign every dollar to a bucket.

You can also set spending limits and get alerts when you're close to your cap. And the Smart Savings feature helps you automatically save small amounts based on your habits.

While the free version shows your balances and transactions, the Premium service also includes:

• One-tap subscription cancellations
• Credit score monitoring
• Automated Smart Savings
• Unlimited custom budgets
• Real-time syncing and net worth tools
• Bill negotiation services (you pay Rocket Money 35%-60% of your first-year savings)

To get access, just pay $6 a month -- you can actually pay up to $12 a month, but $6 is all you need to to access all premium features. There's also a seven-day free trial if you're still on the fence.

Want to get started? Sign up for Rocket Money Premium today for as little as $6/month, with a seven-day free trial.

What to love about Rocket Money -- and what you might not like

First, the good news: The Rocket Money platform is clean and intuitive, making it ideal for beginners. After a small learning curve, everything feels easy, from tracking your net worth to canceling a forgotten subscription.

It also supports most major U.S. banks and credit card issuers, so it's likely that all your accounts can be linked. Having a full view of your finances in one place can help you stay on top of bills and avoid overspending.

The biggest downside of Rocket Money is that you can't use it without linking a bank account. If that's a deal-breaker, for privacy reasons or otherwise, this app won't be for you.

Also, the best features -- the ones that really make Rocket Money useful -- are behind the paywall. You'll need to commit to the Premium plan to really benefit.

Final thoughts: Does it deliver?

For anyone trying to get their spending under control, Rocket Money does exactly what it promises.

With a long list of intuitive tools, it's great for people who want a simple, effective budgeting app. And because it costs as little as $6 a month, it won't break the bank, either.

Ready to start saving? Sign up for Rocket Money and take control of your budget today.