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Budgeting apps compared

Last updated:

10 min read

Budgeting apps differ more in how they want you to budget than in what they cost. This page sorts seven apps by that style, shows each one’s pricing, trial and limitations from its own official pages, and says who each might suit. There are no ratings or winners, because the right app depends on how you like to work.

How we chose these apps

This page covers apps that we have, or have applied for, affiliate relationships with: Tiller, Monarch Money, YNAB, Rocket Money, Simplifi by Quicken, PocketGuard, EveryDollar. That is the only reason these apps are here. It is not a ranking of every budgeting app on the market, and apps without an affiliate program are not covered, so a good option may be missing. We do not rate, score or rank the apps. Facts come from each app’s official pages, with the date we checked; where we could not read a page we say so. See our disclosure.

Pricing, trials and sources

Prices and trials change often. Each row links to the page we read and the date we checked it. Check the app’s site before you subscribe.

Pricing from each app’s official pages, with source and date checked
App Plan Price Free trial Source (checked)
Tiller Annual $99/year after the free trial 30 days; the page says your card is not charged until the end of the trial source (October 16, 2026)
Monarch Money Yearly $99.99/year (the pricing page does not name the tier) 7 days source (October 16, 2026)
Monthly $14.99/month (the pricing page does not name the tier) source (October 16, 2026)
Monarch Plus $199/year, per Monarch’s April 20, 2026 announcement source (October 16, 2026)
YNAB Annual $109/year ($9.08/month), plus tax where applicable 34 days, no credit card required when signing up directly through YNAB source (October 16, 2026)
Monthly $14.99/month, plus tax where applicable source (October 16, 2026)
Rocket Money Free plan Free 7 days for new Premium members source (October 16, 2026)
Premium Typically $7–$14/month (you choose on a sliding scale); the range is subject to change. From a page dated January 19, 2026. source (October 16, 2026)
Premium+ $15/month, from the same page source (October 16, 2026)
Simplifi by Quicken Annual billing, regular price $6.99/month billed annually. Renewals are charged at the then-current price. None. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to subscriptions bought directly from Quicken. source (October 16, 2026)
First-year offer (ends 2026-11-13) $3.99/month billed annually, first year only, for orders by November 13, 2026. Not the regular price. source (October 16, 2026)
PocketGuard Plus, monthly $12.99/month; the app is free to download. Prices may vary by region. 7 days for Plus; unused trial time is forfeited once a subscription is purchased source (October 16, 2026)
Plus, annual $74.99/year source (October 16, 2026)
EveryDollar Free version Free, “as long as you want” 14 days for premium (new users only) source (October 16, 2026)
Premium, annual $79.99/year ($6.67/month billed annually) source (October 16, 2026)
Premium, monthly $17.99/month source (October 16, 2026)

Spreadsheet-based

The app moves your bank data into a spreadsheet and you build the budget yourself.

Tiller

Feeds your bank transactions into spreadsheets you own, in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.

Pricing
Annual: $99/year after the free trial ( Annual , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
30 days; the page says your card is not charged until the end of the trial ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel (via an add-on). No dedicated smartphone app; you use the Sheets or Excel mobile apps. ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Daily automatic feeds from linked accounts; the FAQ says it supports over 12,000 institutions ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
US-based banks only; some non-US institutions may work, UK banks are incompatible ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You are comfortable working in a spreadsheet and want to own your data
  • You want to customise categories, formulas or reports

May not suit you if

  • You want a polished phone app with built-in budgeting screens
  • You bank outside the US

Limitations

  • There is no dedicated smartphone app; you use the Google Sheets or Excel mobile apps instead. source
  • It supports US-based banks only, and UK banks are currently incompatible with its data provider. source
  • You can link and automate up to five spreadsheets at a time. source

Visit Tiller

Plan every dollar first (zero-based style)

You decide what each dollar is for before you spend it, then record spending against that plan.

YNAB

A budgeting app built around deciding what your money is for before you spend it.

Pricing
Annual: $109/year ($9.08/month), plus tax where applicable ( Annual , checked October 16, 2026)
Monthly: $14.99/month, plus tax where applicable ( Monthly , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
34 days, no credit card required when signing up directly through YNAB ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
iOS, Android, Web and watchOS (listed in the pricing page’s structured data) ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Direct import for select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks; file-based import elsewhere ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
Direct bank import: select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks. Priced in US dollars. ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You want to plan every month’s money before spending it
  • You will give the budget a few minutes of attention regularly

May not suit you if

  • You want a free app after a trial
  • You want to use several currencies in one plan

Limitations

  • When the free trial ends you need a paid subscription to continue; the pricing page lists only paid plans. source
  • Direct bank import supports only select banks in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU. source
  • You cannot use multiple currencies together in a single spending plan. source

Visit YNAB

EveryDollar

A zero-based budgeting app from Ramsey Solutions with a free version and a premium version.

Pricing
Free version: Free, “as long as you want” ( Free version , checked October 16, 2026)
Premium, annual: $79.99/year ($6.67/month billed annually) ( Premium, annual , checked October 16, 2026)
Premium, monthly: $17.99/month ( Premium, monthly , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
14 days for premium (new users only) ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
Computer, phone or tablet (the page does not name iOS or Android) ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Premium only, via Mastercard Connect and Plaid; the free version is manual entry ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
TODO-VERIFY: the official page names no countries ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You want to plan where every dollar goes before you spend it
  • You are happy to enter transactions by hand, or to pay for bank connect

May not suit you if

  • You want automatic bank transactions without paying
  • You want a tool that is not tied to a specific budgeting method

Limitations

  • Bank connection is a premium feature; the free version means manually entering and tracking transactions. source
  • EveryDollar cannot cancel or issue refunds for purchases made through third parties such as Apple or Google Play. source

Visit EveryDollar

Automatic tracking

Linked accounts feed transactions in, and the app categorizes them and shows where you stand.

Monarch Money

Connects your accounts and shows budgets, goals and net worth together, with household sharing.

Pricing
Yearly: $99.99/year (the pricing page does not name the tier) ( Yearly , checked October 16, 2026)
Monthly: $14.99/month (the pricing page does not name the tier) ( Monthly , checked October 16, 2026)
Monarch Plus: $199/year, per Monarch’s April 20, 2026 announcement ( Monarch Plus , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
7 days ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
Web, iOS and Android ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Syncs with linked accounts; the homepage cites 13,000+ financial institutions ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
TODO-VERIFY: the pages we could read name no countries (help.monarch.com returned HTTP 403) ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You want accounts, budgets, goals and net worth in one automatic view
  • You and a partner want a shared view of money

May not suit you if

  • You want a permanently free plan
  • You want to keep some accounts private from a household member

Limitations

  • The pricing page lists only paid monthly and yearly subscriptions after the 7-day trial; we did not find a permanent free plan. source
  • Monarch recommends signing up on the web rather than through the Apple or Google app stores, for easier subscription management. source
  • In a shared household, both people have full visibility into all accounts and transactions. source

Visit Monarch Money

Simplifi by Quicken

A cloud-based app that connects accounts and tracks spending, bills, goals and net worth.

Pricing
Annual billing, regular price: $6.99/month billed annually. Renewals are charged at the then-current price. ( Annual billing, regular price , checked October 16, 2026)
First-year offer (ends 2026-11-13): $3.99/month billed annually, first year only, for orders by November 13, 2026. Not the regular price. ( First-year offer (ends 2026-11-13) , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
None. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to subscriptions bought directly from Quicken. ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
Web and mobile (cloud-based); “certain features not supported on mobile apps” ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Connects to over 14k financial institutions ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
US and Canada; USD and CAD only, one currency at a time ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You want automatic tracking with bills and goals in one app
  • You are in the US or Canada

May not suit you if

  • You want a free trial before paying
  • You need several currencies at once

Limitations

  • Only annual plans are offered, and there is no free trial (a 30-day money-back guarantee applies instead). source
  • It supports US and Canadian accounts and USD and CAD only, one currency at a time; mixing them “may cause balance discrepancies”. source
  • Certain features are not supported on the mobile apps. source

Visit Simplifi by Quicken

PocketGuard

A category-budgeting app that can identify bills, subscriptions and recurring payments from linked accounts.

Pricing
Plus, monthly: $12.99/month; the app is free to download. Prices may vary by region. ( Plus, monthly , checked October 16, 2026)
Plus, annual: $74.99/year ( Plus, annual , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
7 days for Plus; unused trial time is forfeited once a subscription is purchased ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
TODO-VERIFY: the App Store listing confirms iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch; pocketguard.com returned HTTP 403, so Android and web are unconfirmed ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Connects through data providers (Plaid, Finicity, Salt Edge, Apple Wallet); linking is optional, you can add transactions manually ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
Connects to financial institutions in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You want an app that finds recurring bills and subscriptions from linked accounts
  • You are comfortable with category budgets

May not suit you if

  • You bank outside the US, Canada or the UK
  • You need a confirmed shared-budget feature

Limitations

  • Bank connections are limited to institutions in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. source
  • Any unused portion of the free trial is forfeited once a subscription is purchased. source
  • The App Store listing describes PocketGuard as category budgeting, which is a different approach from planning every dollar in advance. source

Visit PocketGuard

Bill and subscription management

The focus is finding recurring charges, cancelling what you do not use and lowering bills.

Rocket Money

Finds and tracks subscriptions, offers bill negotiation and cancellation help, and includes budgeting tools.

Pricing
Free plan: Free ( Free plan , checked October 16, 2026)
Premium: Typically $7–$14/month (you choose on a sliding scale); the range is subject to change. From a page dated January 19, 2026. ( Premium , checked October 16, 2026)
Premium+: $15/month, from the same page ( Premium+ , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
7 days for new Premium members ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
TODO-VERIFY: the pages we could read confirm a web version (Premium) and iOS widgets, but not Android ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Links accounts through Plaid; real-time syncing of linked accounts is a Premium feature ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
TODO-VERIFY: the FAQ mentions Plaid’s coverage of institutions “across the United States” but does not list supported countries ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

May suit you if

  • You mainly want to find, track and cancel subscriptions
  • You want help lowering bills and accept a fee on negotiated savings

May not suit you if

  • You want every feature without paying
  • You want detailed budgeting on the free plan

Limitations

  • Hands-off subscription cancellation, net worth tracking, real-time sync and the desktop experience are not available on the free plan. source
  • Bill negotiation carries a one-time fee of 35–60% of your first year’s savings. source
  • Premium prices vary on a sliding scale and can differ across platforms and over time. source

Visit Rocket Money

Before you pay for an app

  • Start with the numbers. Our budget planner shows your split against the 50/30/20 rule of thumb or a zero-based plan, free.
  • If you are paying down debt, run your balances through the debt avalanche or snowball calculator. No app does that math for you at no cost.
  • Put a date on a goal in the dated savings plan and build an emergency fund target.
  • Use a free trial, and put the cancel date in your calendar.

Comparing two specific apps? See YNAB vs EveryDollar, Rocket Money vs Monarch, Tiller vs YNAB, or budgeting apps for couples.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a list of the best budgeting apps?

No. It covers only apps we have, or have applied for, affiliate relationships with, so it is not a ranking of the market and some good apps are not here. We use no scores or ratings.

Do I need an app to budget?

No. A notebook or our free budget planner works, and it keeps your numbers in your browser. An app can save time on tracking if you are comfortable linking bank accounts.

Why do some entries say TODO-VERIFY?

Those are facts we could not confirm from the app’s official pages, for example because a page blocked our checker. We would rather show a gap than guess.

Do you earn money from these links?

Possibly. Some links may be affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you. Until a program approves us, links go to the app’s own site. See the disclosure.

Sources