Best Budgeting Apps of 2022

Budgeting apps help track your expenses and achieve your financial goals. Read all you need to know about the best budgeting apps of 2022 today.

When you make a budget, you begin taking control of your finances. This is challenging to do for people who are always on-the-go, such as single parents, businesspeople, college students and more. The truth is, however, the more you are on-the-go the more likely you need to keep track of your expenses with as little time spent and effort possible.

Fortunately, numerous budgeting apps are available to help achieve your financial goals by sticking to a budget even when life is moving fast. Budgeting apps connect to your bank and credit card accounts for easy access to your funds. Your expenses are automatically tracked, and transaction notifications are sent out to you via text message or email. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about the best budgeting apps of 2022 today.


What Is a Budgeting App?

Having a budget allows you to control your expenses and save more money. Creating and following a budget takes time, however, which is hard to come by for many people in today’s hectic world. Budgeting apps use smart technology to help manage your finances for you according to preset parameters and configurations set up by you. This means your budgetary needs run automatically and conveniently in the background of your life while your valuable time is saved.

Budgeting apps are designed for both business and personal finance needs. These apps link into applicable bank and/or credit card accounts and automatically track all transactions. Some budgeting apps also include bucket categorization features for various types of expenses, which are helpful for both business and personal-based itemization accounting and needs.

How Do Budgeting Apps Save You Time?

Keeping records of all your expenses is a vital part of effective financial planning. Budgeting strategies also help you save money. Actualizing these strategies requires effort and time, however. Certain people are not fans of performing these tasks or simply do not have the required skills. Budgeting apps are overall fast and convenient to use. Users select specific parameters pursuant to how money is spent and saved. Notifications and alerts are also set up based on user-selectable preferences. Essentially, once programmed, the best budgeting apps of 2022 handle your finances in the background based on your preferences while you carry out your normal daily routines.

Choosing the Best Budgeting App for 2022

The budgeting apps listed below all include transaction sync features. They are all user-friendly and compatible with multiple types of devices. Finally, each of the 2022 budgeting apps listed below also allow users to sign up either for free or at a nominal cost. The list of the top budgeting apps for 2022 includes:

You Need a Budget (YNAB)

The You Need a Budget (YNAB) app is overall the best option for consumers in need of serious budgeting power. This is also the budgeting app to use when saving money is a priority. The YNAB website states the app saves its users an average of $600 within the first two-month usage period and over $6,000 during the first year. Credit card and bank accounts are synced to the app. Goals and spending categories are all customizable to your specific preferences. The YNAB app is also compatible with personal computers, which means it works as well at home as it does on-the-go.

The YNAB app costs $11.99 per month or $84 per year. A 34-day free trial is offered, however, and students showing proof of current enrollment are eligible for a full year of usage for free. This app further offers the availability of accredited data centers and third-party audits. Your data is also encrypted, and the YNAB app is available for both iOS and Android systems.

Mint (by Intuit)

The Mint budgeting app (by Intuit) has approximately 25 million users. Its popularity is largely due to the app’s availability for free. Free does not always equate to quality, however, but in the case of the Mint budgeting app - it does. This app is a reliable choice for all levels of budgeting needs. Investments are trackable and reminder notifications are sent out before bills are due. The Mint budgeting app also lets users access their FICO scores via TransUnion.

The app syncs with your applicable accounts automatically. An option to add your transactions manually instead is also available. The Mint budgeting app does include in-app product advertising, which is how the app provider earns its money. Additional features provided in the Mint budgeting app include:

  • Monthly bill tracking.

  • Tracking of portfolio fees.

  • Home affordability calculator.

  • Personal finance-related blogs.

  • Touch ID mobile access.

PocketGuard

One of the most essential aspects of budgeting is the control of expenses and spending habits. PocketGuard is a budgeting app designed to do just that. A free trial period and free basic app version are both available. The paid version of PocketGuard costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. PocketGuard utilizes a proprietary algorithm to keep track of your finances. Savings goals, income and expense are all tracked methodically to accomplish this.

The app syncs to all your applicable accounts. Reminder notifications are sent out prior to bills coming due. PocketGuard also offers suggestions about which bills might be negotiable for lower prices. Spending and savings categories are all customizable. Data is exportable and your cashflow is available to view in an instant. PocketGuard also allows users to split transactions through multiple accounts. Perhaps the best money-saving feature offered by PocketGuard is its automated money transfer features. Your money is automatically moved to an FDIC-insured bank account based on your customized savings and goal-oriented preferences.

Personal Capital

The Personal Capital app focuses more on investment funds than it does on budgeting, although budgeting features are also included. A free wealth management app is included, as well as retirement planning, education planning and net-worth tracking tools. Users who invest $100,000 or more qualify for a free Advisor feature. The paid Personal Capital app charges a 0.89% AUM investment management fee, includes a portfolio Fee Analyzer and numerous additional wealth management tools. 

Expensify

One of the biggest obstacles to managing a budget is finding the time to do so during an already-busy lifestyle. The Expensify budgeting app is one of the best on-the-go apps of its kind. Receipts are conveniently trackable, making it easy to submit expense receipts to employers for reimbursement. Expensify is available for both iOS and Android systems. A maximum of twenty-five SmartScans of receipts are available for free each month. A 6-week free trial is offered, followed by a price-point of only $4.99 per month. Companies using Expensify for employees are offered a starting group rate of $5 per user per month.


Need Assistance?

Get answers to frequently asked questions.

CONTACT US