2024 was supposed to be the year of “locking in” our financial dreams, grinding hard, and finally reaching new money milestones. But now that the year has come to a close, many of us wonder where all that talk and money we made went. Despite our clear intentions, money seems just to slip right through our fingers, and many times without a plan.
It’s 2025 already and most people are putting financial stability on the list of the new year goals. But to avoid a repeat of 2024, you can now use budget apps to create your personal budget goals.
Budgeting applications will help you track how much you spend, manage your savings account, and help you meet your goals. From tracking transactions to real-time alerts, these budget tools allow you to know where you stand financially. 69% of people using budget apps said they strongly agree that budgeting apps have helped change their spending habits.
Below are some of the best budget apps to help you start 2025 on the right foot and make it easier than ever to set up and maintain a budget.
Why Use Budget Apps in 2025
It’s worth asking why a budget app can be such a powerful tool. For what it is worth, budgeting apps take all the draining part out of tracking your income and expenses and make it enjoyable by letting you:
- Achieve Financial Clarity: Realize through clear vision the amount one has spent, the savings potential, and general financial well-being.
- Goal Setting & Tracking: Set goals about saving, debt repayment, or spending caps with ease.
- Optimize Your Spending: Recognize where your money is going and cut back on frivolous spending.
- Be organized and accountable: Budgeting apps provide features of reminders, insight, and analysis to help one stay on track with all their financial objectives.
8 Best Budget Apps for 2025
The best budget apps for this year are
- Mint
- YNAB
- GoodBudget
- PockeyGuard
- EveryDollar
- Empower
- Honeydue
- Quicken Simplifi
1. Mint – Best Free Budgeting Application
Mint is easy to use, free, and can track all your finances in one place. With Mint, you can track virtually anything from your bank account to your various credit card accounts, loans, and investments. It automatically classifies your transactions so you can see where every cent went, gain valuable insights, and receive tips on saving better per your spending pattern.
Mint allows you to set goals for your budget, reminds you of bill due dates, and even provides your credit score at no charge whatsoever. Mint is easy to use and efficient, especially for beginners. However, because it is free, it contains ads.
2. YNAB – Best for Building a Financial Strategy
YNAB is more than a budgeting application; it’s a complete financial philosophy. The application will have you “give every dollar a job” to help you allocate money toward certain goals and expenses. It works best for people who want to change their financial habits since the application takes a very proactive approach toward spending.
YNAB contains financial education, like budgeting workshops that would change your mindset in terms of money. YNAB is the best budget app for those who intend to build a financial strategy from scratch and keep their money habits in the black.
Although YNAB requires a subscription, it is free for the first 34 days.
3. Goodbudget – Best for Families and Couples
Goodbudget uses the classic envelope budgeting approach whereby the user can assign money into different virtual envelopes for groceries, rent, and entertainment. It is also perfect for those who need to deal with family or couples because it allows syncing across many devices.
The app is available in both free and paid versions, with the paid version offering unlimited envelopes and more robust features. If you’re looking to budget as a household, Goodbudget is the best budget app for collaborating on financial goals.
4. PocketGuard – Best Budget App for Overspenders
If you happen to overspend, then PocketGuard is a real saviour. Its “In My Pocket” calculation makes the app stand out. With the feature, you can see what is left after bills, goals, and necessities are subtracted from your income. This makes the app good for people who have problems with impulsive buying.
PocketGuard’s interface is simple and good for budgeters who want to perform their money management needs with minimum additional features. It has both free and paid versions.
5. EveryDollar – Best for Beginners and Simple Budgeting
EveryDollar is a product from the Ramsey Dave group. For anyone following Dave Ramsey’s philosophies on managing money, this will prove to be a useful app. It implements a zero-based way of budgeting whereby every dollar of income is attributed to an expense, savings, or investment goal.
The free version of the app lets you create and track a budget, while the paid version syncs with your bank account for more automated tracking. EveryDollar is the best budget app for beginners who want an easy, no-nonsense budgeting tool.
6. Empower – Best for wealth-building and Investment Tracking.
Empower is an investment-tracking financial application. While not necessarily a budgeting app per se, it’s the right tool for those who need to manage their budgets in building wealth. Empower offers an all-around view of your finances by tracking expenses and giving you control to optimize your investment portfolio.
Empower is the best budget app if your 2025 goal is wealth accumulation and retirement planning. It allows tracking net worth, observing cash flows, and managing retirement accounts.
7. Honeydue – Best for Couples and Shared Finances
Honeydue is tailored for couples who have an earnest urge to manage their money matters together. It helps the partners keep track of the other’s expenditures, shows them shared expenses, and enables them to set common budgets among other things. It also allows bill-split options and custom categories for shared goals.
With Honeydue, you get notifications of upcoming bills and expenses. This makes it easier to keep up with your payments together. Honeydue is the best budget app for couples who want good financial habits together.
8. Quicken Simplifi – The most customizable budget app
Quicken Simplifi is a relatively new application but is fast growing in popularity because of its flexibility and personalization options. It allows users to personalize budget categories, goals, and financial tracking on the platform. From tracking your spending habits and net worth to setting savings goals, Simplifi gives you fresh insights. If you are willing to pay for a subscription, Simplifi is a robust tool that gives you total control over financial planning.
How to Choose the Best Budget App for You
Choosing the best budget app in 2025 all depends on what exactly you intend to achieve with your finances.
If you’re new to budgeting, try EveryDollar for a simple, straightforward approach. If you need a more comprehensive tool, Empower or Simplifi might be ideal. For family or couples budgeting, consider Goodbudget or Honeydue respectively.
Regardless of the budget app you use, the bottom line is to ensure your money is well accounted for. Budgeting apps will help you trace where your money goes meet certain savings goals and make better financial choices all of which are crucial for financial stability.
Conclusion
Financial freedom begins with knowledge, followed by action. Budgeting applications are more accessible and user-friendly than ever, so leverage one of these top-rated budget apps to reach your 2025 financial goals.
Armed with the right tools and a proactive attitude, you’ll be well on your way to the financial stability you want in the upcoming new year.
Next Read: How to Budget Using The 50-30-20 Rule.
