Many Americans are struggling to repay debt, manage their finances and set realistic goals. A 2025 State of Personal Finance in America survey by Ramsey Solutions found 33% report that they’re struggling or in crisis with their money, and 6 in 10 worry about their finances daily.
Tech tools can come to the rescue. Budgeting apps have the power to educate, prevent costly errors and put you on track from the start. They’re especially valuable for busy parents who don’t have much time to dedicate to their financial affairs. For this reason, the app store is bursting with options.
Stephan Shipe, finance professor at Wake Forest University and founder of Scholar Financial Advising, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, believes the rise of this technology is positive. It makes life easier for all kinds of families.
“Apps can tell a story,” he says. “They provide visuals, many have sounds or emojis. That helps significantly. It gamifies the process so money is no longer boring.”
Here are seven great apps that can help you and your family manage finances efficiently and plan for the future.
1. Banish Balances: Debt Payoff Planner
Credit cards are a terrific tool, but accumulating overwhelming debt with them can be too easy. According to 2025 TransUnion data, the average credit card debt per American is $6,434.
Want to pay it all off but don’t know the most efficient process? The Debt Payoff Planner can be an ideal download, and the free version works for most people.
Just enter the details of your current accounts, including the balance, interest rate and minimum payment. It will calculate different payment plans, with time frames and costs. The debt avalanche approach prioritizes accounts with the highest interest rate, while the debt snowball prioritizes accounts with the lowest balance first.
A custom strategy allows you to position your debts in any way you like. Select the plan you want, follow its lead and you’ll be back in the black on schedule.
[READ: 7 Steps to Paying Off Debt]
2. Save for College: Backer
Many budgeting apps have a feature that can help you save money. However, for long-term goals like saving for your kids’ higher education, you’ll want an app that is designed to maximize asset building. An excellent app for college savings is Backer, which has both a free and a paid version.
Backer allows you to enroll in a new 529 college savings plan or add to the one you’ve already opened. Set up is simple, and you can start funding the account with automated contributions immediately.
What makes this app unique, though, is that you can create a gifting page for friends and family members who may want to give for milestone events like birthdays, holidays and graduations. With multiple people contributing, you may hit your target faster than you even hope.
[See: Qualified Expenses You Can Pay for With a 529 Plan.]
3. Accumulate Cash for a Down Payment: Qapital
If you’re tired of paying rent or your family is outgrowing your small apartment, you may want to prepare for homeownership. Conventional loans typically require down payments of at least 20% of the purchase price, though, so if the home you want is $400,000, you’ll need $80,000 ready to go. A goal this ambitious requires a comprehensive plan.
With Qapital, you’ll connect your deposit accounts, then select the amount you want transferred into savings. Although you can do this with your bank, this app offers additional features.
For example, you can trigger additional transfers when you make a purchase from a specific store, or add more to your account when you spend less. With the “Dream Team” feature you can save as a couple without having to merge bank accounts.
Meanwhile, Qapital’s robo-advisor will help your contributions grow over time so you’ll have enough to put down when you’re ready to buy your dream home. The basic plan is just $3 a month and offers a free 30-day trial.
[READ: These Are the 5 Best Free Budgeting Apps to Use]
4. Refine Spending: YNAB (You Need a Budget)
Where does all your money go? If you have no idea, or you think you do but often come up short by the end of the month, you may be asking the wrong question. Instead, it should be, “Where do you want your money to go?”
The answer can be found with the YNAB app, which is the digital version of the classic envelope budgeting system. When you set it up, you assign the amount of cash for each of your expenses, putting you in control. The annual plan is $9.08 a month, but it’s free for 34 days to test it out.
YNAB also addresses the issue of not having enough money for unexpected bills, such as property taxes, car and home maintenance, and holidays, since you will be actively funding them throughout the year. The app is also extremely flexible, so while it guides you to spend within your means, you always have the power to make adjustments.
5. Teach Kids About Money: FamZoo
The sooner your kids understand the best way to use cash and cards, and save and borrow, the better for you.
For this reason, FamZoo can be a smart app to include on your devices. It’s a hands-on educational tool that provides debit cards for the kids. The price is $5.99 a month, but if you prepay for the year, it’s $4.99 per month.
After setting up a parent account, you create individual accounts for your children that you and they can fund. For example, you may add a monthly allowance to the card or pay the kids for certain tasks. To encourage careful spending and planning for the future, consider setting saving and shopping rules.
You can even create chore charts with assigned values, and you can deposit the payment when they’ve completed a task. They learn by doing, but you hold the reins and can pull them in at any time.
6. Streamline Accounts: Monarch Money
One of the most frustrating aspects about managing money, especially when you’re a busy parent, is how quickly you can feel out of control. How much money is in your savings, checking and investment accounts? How much do you owe to your creditors?
You can pull and review all your accounts individually, but a better approach is to consolidate everything into a single excellent app, such as Monarch Money. It syncs with over 13,000 financial institutions, so odds are strong that yours are included. It currently costs $8.33 a month if you prepay for the year; otherwise, it’s $14.99 a month.
You’ll have all of these accounts in one place, so you can see everything as soon as you open it. Monarch also keeps track of your transactions and automatically categorizes them.
This means you’ll know exactly how much money you’re spending on things like groceries, dining out, gas and any other expenses that go into your budget. Rather than mystery, you will have clarity.
7. Grow Wealth: Robinhood
A financial plan that includes investments will work to your advantage. The Robinhood app can be the best way to start making your money work for you and your family. With this platform, you can trade and invest in stocks, options, cryptocurrencies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
After downloading the app, you will create the type of account you want, such as a brokerage account or an individual retirement account. There is no minimum deposit necessary, so you can start funding the account with whatever you have, and can trade and invest right away. The app itself is free (unless you go for the Gold version, which costs $5 a month), and there are no commission fees for buying and selling.
Robinhood also offers excellent educational resources, enabling you to make informed decisions. Older children may be interested in the process, so bring them into the fold. And if you have questions or need help, round-the-clock customer service is available.
Use Apps as Tools, Not Replacements
Regardless of the apps you use, Josh Richner, founder and senior advisor of FaithWorks Financial, headquartered in Boynton Beach, Florida, advises people to utilize them while maintaining personal involvement in your household finances.
“Families that sit down once a week, even just for 10 minutes, to check in on their progress will see even better results,” Richner says.
As a general principle, financial software of any kind doesn’t replace the wisdom and encouragement that comes from trusted sources.
“Whether it’s a financial coach, a nonprofit credit counselor or a financial advisor, real progress often comes from pairing tools with community and accountability,” Richner says. “Apps help you see the numbers. People help you change the story.”
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7 Best Budgeting Apps for Families According to Your Financial Situation originally appeared on usnews.com
