If you and your significant other want to join forces and tackle shared financial goals, budget apps can help. They bring all of your financial information together in one shared digital place. No more wondering if your partner paid a bill or where a debt balance stands. But which one should you try?
Here are five of the best budget apps for couples this year. Note that the popular app Mint was shut down by owner Intuit on March 23, 2024, so it’s not on this list; Intuit integrated its user base into Credit Karma.
1. EveryDollar: Best for Dave Ramsey Followers
App Store: 4.7 stars Google Play Store: 3.3 stars Cost: Free; upgrade to premium for $17.99 per month or $79.99 per year Key features:
— Create a budget (free)
— Savings fund (free)
— Set bill due dates (free)
— Split transactions (free)
— Bank sync
— Real-time transaction tracking
— One-click transaction tracking
— Custom income and spending reports
— Tracking recommendations
— Goal tracking progress
“I recommend the EveryDollar budgeting app. It’s a budgeting app based on Dave Ramsey’s budgeting method,” Gabriel Lalonde, a certified financial planner and president of MDL Financial Group in Canada, wrote in an email.
“It allows users to create a budget by assigning every dollar to a specific category. It also has a feature that will enable couples to share their budget,” he said.
EveryDollar says most users cut their monthly expenses by 10% and uncover up to $400 in savings in their first months.
2. You Need a Budget: Best for an Ad-Free Experience
App Store: 4.8 stars Google Play Store: 4.7 stars Cost: $14.99 per month, $109 per year, 34-day free trial
Key features:
— Goal tracking
— Spending reports
— Net worth reports
— No ads
— Real-time expense tracking
— Bank sync
— Loan calculator
“The best tool for managing a budget, in my opinion, is YNAB,” Jordan Nietzel, CFP and founder of Trek Wealth Planning in Columbia, Missouri, said in an email. “This tool is set up to help you plan for your true expenses, including nonmonthly expenses,” he added.
YNAB allows up to six users per account. Once you sign up you can securely connect your accounts and automatically import your transactions. Additionally, you can set spending and savings targets and track your progress.
A standout feature is that it’s ad-free and uncluttered so you don’t have to worry about popups or third-party products. It does, however, come at a cost of $14.99 per month or $109 per year. If you’re not ready to open your wallet right off the bat, you can try it free for 34 days.
But the fee may be worth it: The average YNAB user saves $6,000 in their first year using the app, according to the company.
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3. Goodbudget: Best if You Like the Envelope-Saving Method
App Store: 4.6 stars Google Play Store: 4.0 stars Cost: Free; upgrade to premium for $10 per month or $80 per year
Key features:
— Schedule transactions and envelope fills (free)
— Debt tracking (free)
— Spending by envelope report (free)
— Income vs. spending report (free)
— Debt progress report (free)
— Sync across devices (free)
— Unlimited accounts and envelopes
Goodbudget is based on the envelope-saving method. You and your significant other can create digital envelopes for each of your budgeting categories like rent, groceries or a trip to Hawaii.
You decide on the amount of money you’ll add to each envelope each pay period. When it comes time to pay a bill, one of you can pull it from the designated envelope and the app will notify both users.
The free version of Goodbudget gives you one account, access for two devices, 10 regular envelopes and 10 other envelopes. If you need more, the paid version offers unlimited accounts, access for up to five devices and unlimited envelopes.
[Simple and Free Budgeting Tools]
4. HoneyDue: Best for Free Budgeting for Couples
App Store: 4.5 stars Play Store: 3.9 stars Cost: Free
Key features:
— Financial account syncing (free)
— Transaction tracking (free)
— Bill reminders (free)
— Chat (free)
Honeydue is the only app on our list that’s designed specifically for couples. It enables you to connect bank accounts, loans, investment accounts and more from over 20,000 financial institutions in five countries.
You can also add your bills and receive reminders to avoid late payments. Best of all? It’s free.
5. Pocketguard: Best for Debt Payoff Plans
App Store: 4.6 stars Google Play Store: 4.1 stars Cost: Free; upgrade to PocketGuard Plus for $12.99 per month or $74.99 per year
Key features:
— Financial account syncing (free)
— Bill and income tracking (free)
— Insights and spending reports (free)
— Cash tracking (free)
— Budgeting (free)
— Debt payoff plans
— Unlimited budgets
— Unlimited savings goals
— Extended transaction history
— Data transfer and storage
PocketGuard is another couple-friendly budget app worth considering. While not designed for multiple users, you and your significant other can share the same profile on different devices by logging in using the same username and password.
The free version includes budgeting, account syncing and bill and income tracking. You’ll need to upgrade to the Plus plan, however, if you want to add more budgets, additional goals or a debt payoff plan.
Which Budget App Is Best for You and Your Partner?
Each of these apps has the potential to help couples better manage their money.
“The key with couples and budgeting is not the app but the communication that’s required,” Jay Zigmont, CFP and founder of Childfree Wealth, said in an email. “There are a lot of budgeting apps out there. The best one is the one that works for you.”
If an app helps you talk to your partner about money and manage it effectively, it’s a winner.
More from U.S. News
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Best Budget Apps for Couples in 2024 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/28/24: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
