However, you’ll still need to manually categorize your transactions the app won’t do it for you. It also offers a financial roadmap to track your net worth, progress toward retirement goals and Baby Steps milestones. The Premium plan allows the app to connect to bank accounts and dynamically track spending, plus gives you access to group coaching calls with financial experts. Using the zero-based budgeting approach, you categorize your expenses before the month begins, assigning all of your take-home dollars until there’s nothing remaining.ĮveryDollar’s free version allows you to create and customize your budget, manually track expenses and sync data across multiple devices. Popular personal finance speaker and author Dave Ramsey launched the EveryDollar app to help fans of his money philosophy follow his “Baby Steps” out of debt and toward financial freedom. Rocket also offers bill negotiation, which costs 30% to 60% of your first year’s savings (you choose the amount).Īs a former Mint user, I tested several popular budgeting apps and found the paid version of Rocket Money to be the best replacement for Mint’s in terms of features, user experience and accessibility to the average budgeter. You get the same features regardless of how much you pay. The free version is pretty barebones, but you can get the premium version by paying anywhere from $4 to $12 monthly - your choice. You can also set up automated transfers to your savings account to make saving a breeze. Rocket’s app and desktop platform are both intuitive and easy to navigate, and it offers a plethora of notifications and reports to help you stay on top of your budget, including bill increase alerts and monthly spending reports. It has all the features you need to do basic budgeting, plus some advanced ones to help you manage your overall financial situation. Rocket Money is great for budgeters who want a simple budgeting experience. To help you narrow down your options, we’ve compiled a list of the best budgeting apps and what they can do for you. Even better, many budgeting apps offer basic features for free or a trial period to test out premium features. There are plenty of apps out there to make it easier to monitor your income and spending, set goals and stay on track. Budgeting is singularly the most important financial skill I learned to become debt-free and a millionaire because it taught me how to prioritize what matters most to me.”Īnd budgeting doesn’t have to be tedious. “By doing a proper budget at the beginning of the month, you can have a clear picture of what your priorities are and what you are not focused on in a given month. “Contrary to popular belief, budgeting is about gaining freedom, not restricting your life,” said Bernadette Joy, personal finance coach and CNET expert review board member. Without one, it’s easy to lose sight of your long-term goals and neglect the steps necessary to reach them. If you want to get smart with your money, creating - and sticking to - a monthly budget is essential.