The Best Budgeting Apps for 2025
Updated
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If you constantly find yourself wondering where your money is going, a budgeting app may be just what you need. Whether you're looking for a budget app for iPhone or Android, there are more great options than ever.
We've analyzed all the most popular choices and narrowed them down to this group of the best budgeting apps for 2025.
2025 Award Winner
Bottom line: Monarch Money offers the ability for users to sync all their financial data in one place, making it easy for multiple people in a household to access financial information.
2025 Award Winner
Bottom line: Rocket Money consolidates financial accounts, budgeting, and credit tracking in one place. But to gain access to its rich feature set, including bill negotiation, be prepared to subscribe to the Premium version, as the free version offers limited functionality.
Bottom line: YNAB sets itself apart from other budgeting apps with its unique system of giving every dollar a job. It uses your current, actual income and requires that you allocate all your money toward bills and spending goals.
There's a greater learning curve and more time involved with YNAB than with most budgeting apps. That time commitment is, however, also a reason why this app is made for those who need to take more control of their money. In particular, it's excellent for people living paycheck to paycheck or who are struggling with debt.
Bottom line: Empower, formerly known as Personal Capital, lets you put all your financial accounts onto its handy dashboard. From there, you can track your net worth, your retirement savings, and your current investments.
The investment and retirement planning tools are what makes this free app special. You can see at a glance how your portfolio looks and how it compares to recommended asset allocations based on your target retirement date. Empower can also save you money on your investments by uncovering hidden fees.
Bottom line: Goodbudget brings the popular envelope budgeting system to the digital age. It still involves assigning an envelope to different spending categories and then filling those envelopes with money. The difference is that Goodbudget allows you to create virtual envelopes. Since you can enter everything manually, this app is perfect if you'd rather not link your financial accounts.
Bottom line: The name says it all for Pocketguard, which aims to help users avoid overspending. It lets you connect all your accounts so that you can track balances and transactions in one place. Pocketguard's spending reports are particularly useful, and you can easily group expenses together using hashtags. And while this is one of many budgeting apps that tracks your bills, it goes a step further by helping you negotiate better rates.
Budgeting apps organize your income and expenses for you. They can do this through records you add manually or by linking to your financial accounts and pulling the information automatically.
With the manual method, you're responsible for adding every paycheck, bill payment, and purchase to the app. It's like a digital version of a traditional budget spreadsheet. Linking financial accounts is easier, but consumers often wonder what exactly is happening behind the scenes.
Budgeting apps that let you link financial accounts almost always work with a third-party data aggregator. In this case, information in the app won't be quite as up to date as information in the account itself. Approved transactions can take a little time (usually no more than 24 to 48 hours) to reach your budgeting app.
Here's what you should do to pick the best budget app for you.
Budgeting apps normally have very high security standards. If you want to learn about the safety of a specific budgeting app, look for a security page on its website. Trustworthy apps will have this information readily available.
To provide a few examples of budgeting app security, YNAB uses bank-grade or better encryption for all data sent by its customers. It uses a method called OAuth to access your account and transaction data without needing your online banking credentials. Empower uses encryption that passes U.S. military standards and operates a security bounty program.
There are several ways that budgeting apps can help you with personal finance.
Make sure you're getting the best account for you by comparing savings rates and promotions. Here are some of our favorite high-yield savings accounts to consider.
| Account | APY | Promotion | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
Open Account for American Express® High Yield Savings Account
On American Express's Secure Website. 
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
3.60%
Rate info
3.60% annual percentage yield as of July 3, 2025. Terms apply.
Min. to earn: $0
|
N/A
|
Open Account for American Express® High Yield Savings Account
On American Express's Secure Website. |
Open Account for SoFi Checking and Savings
On SoFi's Secure Website.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
up to 3.80%
Rate info
SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Eligible Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or SoFi members with $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Eligible Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either SoFi Plus or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. If you have satisfied Eligible Direct Deposit requirements for our highest APY but do not see 3.80% APY on your APY Details page the day after your Eligible Direct Deposit arrives, please contact us at 855-456-7634. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. See the SoFi Plus Terms and Conditions at https://www.sofi.com/terms-of-use/#plus.
Min. to earn: $0
|
N/A
|
Open Account for SoFi Checking and Savings
On SoFi's Secure Website. |
Open Account for Barclays Tiered Savings
On Barclays' Secure Website.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
3.90%
Rate info
Balances less than $250,000 earn 3.90%, and balances greater than $250,000 earn 4.10%.
Min. to earn: $0
|
N/A
|
Open Account for Barclays Tiered Savings
On Barclays' Secure Website. |
There are both free and paid budgeting apps available. Most budgeting apps are either free or offer a free version.
Budgeting apps are generally as secure as the apps offered by major financial institutions. If you choose a reputable budget app and practice good cybersecurity, including not reusing passwords and keeping the app updated, your information should be protected. For added security, you could also pick a budget app that lets you enter your information manually instead of linking your financial accounts.
Budgeting apps can help you monitor your spending, set savings goals, and keep better track of all your financial accounts. The biggest benefit of budgeting apps is that they give you a clear picture of where your money is going and how you can improve your spending habits.
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