Simplifi by Quicken ranks best for cash flow because of the app’s effective tracking capabilities. It’s the best option for staying on top of how much you can spend between your paychecks. The app offers a free 30-day trial, and then you will pay $2.99 per month (billed annually at $35.99) or $3.99 per month if you choose not to pay upfront.
To get started, you have to sync bank accounts, and then you will have a complete snapshot of your finances. The app automatically categorizes your spending, tracks recurring bills and subscriptions, and stays on top of upcoming expenses.
One standout feature is the app’s custom watchlists, which allow you to limit spending by category or payee. Also, the custom spending plan monitors cash flow to make sure you never spend more than you make. Simplifi by Quicken offers tips while you’re using the app, but there’s also a blog full of educational content at your fingertips.
Security and privacy are top priorities for Quicken, the app’s parent company. Quicken has been trusted with sensitive financial data for decades (since 1982) and continues to work on new security measures. The app uses 256-bit encryption to transmit banking data and keeps the information confidential.
10 Best Budgeting Apps to Help Plan Your Month
PocketGuard earned the top spot as best for overspenders because its features focus on helping users control overspending. The app offers a free and a paid, premium version, PocketGuard Plus.
To get started, you need to connect your checking, savings, and credit card accounts. The app can see what you are spending, where to save, and reminds you when credit card bills are due. PocketGuard's "In My Pocket" feature uses an algorithm to identify how much money you can spend based on your income, upcoming bills, goals, recent spending, and budgets.
The app offers a smart bill reminder to keep track of due dates and shows where you may be able to negotiate for lower bills. There’s also an automated savings feature, which allows you to set a goal and save for it. PocketGuard automatically moves the money to an FDIC-insured bank account on your behalf.
PocketGuard Plus offers additional features like creating your categories, changing transaction dates, the ability to export data, tracking cash, managing ATM deposits and withdrawals, and splitting up transactions. The company also publishes an educational blog for additional opportunities to learn.
PocketGuard prioritizes security with 256-bit encryption, a four-digit PIN, and biometrics like Touch ID and Face ID as another layer of protection.
10 Best Budgeting Apps to Help Plan Your Month
Personal Capital lands at the top of our list with the best app for building wealth. You can use the product’s dashboards to sync accounts for a complete picture of your finances. The company’s primary app is free, with the option to add investment management services for 0.89% of your money for accounts under $1 million.
Unfortunately, Personal Capital doesn’t allow you to add budgeting transactions manually, but you can manually add investments without syncing those accounts. You can use Personal Capital’s budgeting tools to see your total income and expenses every month. While you can’t create specific goals, you can add a budget, compare to previous months, and see your spending by categories.
Although the company’s budgeting features aren’t as comprehensive as others, Personal Capital does offer better investing tools. You can use the dashboard to see changes to your net worth over time, and Personal Capital’s Fee Analyzer gives you a closer look into your portfolio fees. You may also prepare for the future with the company’s Retirement Planner tool or save for college with the Education Planner tool. Personal Capital’s blog, Daily Capital, covers a range of financial planning topics for beginners to more experienced users alike.
Personal Capital protects your data with encryption, fraud protection, and robust authentication. No one has access to your individual login credentials, and the company’s partnership with Yodlee, a veteran financial technology company, offers another layer of security.
YNAB rises to the top of our list because of its budgeting philosophy. The company offers a free trial for 34 days (no credit card required), and after that, the cost is $84 per year. If you prefer to pay less upfront, the cost is $11.99 per month.
YNAB offers the ability to sync your bank accounts, import your data from a file, or manually enter each transaction. To begin, the company suggests learning the basics about the app through video courses, a live workshop, or reading a guide. YNAB offers a proactive budgeting approach, rather than tracking what you have already spent, like some competitors.
After signing up, you create your first budget and assign every dollar a purpose, like your rent or car payment, for example. The goal is to eventually get at least one month ahead, so you’re spending money you earned from 30 days ago. The company offers extensive educational resources and customer support to keep you on track.
YNAB says privacy and security are its top priority. The company protects your information by using bank-level encryption for all data, best practices for password security, third-party audits, and more.
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