UPDATE: We’ve updated this post! Check out our Top Personal Finance Apps of 2015!
We’re about two weeks into January, which means the excitement we felt for our New Year’s resolutions is starting to wane. Or perhaps for some of us it has already wilted and died. Boooo! If so, time to replant that baby! And although we can’t help you feel excited about ingesting that kale you bought last week, we’ll try to help reignite your excitement for your 2014 finances. Johnny and I are big proponents of tracking every cent, and budgeting apps make it so simple to do just that. You’ve got your phone with you all the time, so tracking your spending each day literally takes less than a minute.
All right, ready for the best budgeting apps of 2014? Here we go…
NOTE:All apps listed below are for iPhone. We cannot speak to the availability or functionality on other phone platforms.
Paid Budgeting Apps
L: HomeBudget // R: Dollarbird
HomeBudget with Sync($4.99 – 4.5 stars)
Everyone has a budgeting system that works for them. For Johnny and me, this is the holy grail. We swear by this app. The design and flow is intuitive and really easy to set up. But the biggest draw has always been that it syncs our budget in the cloud to both of our phones so that we’re always on the same page.
Dollarbird($1.99 – 4.5 stars)
This app’s design is simple and intuitive. And it’s calendar-centric, tracking where you are for the month and charting your net worth over time. It’s a beaut, and we’d be using it exclusively if only it had a sync option!
Moneywiz ($4.99 – 4.5 stars)
This app has it all. You can import all of your accounts, as well as create custom budgets. And the app alerts you know when you’re running low on dough in certain categories. The best part? It has immediate cloud syncing across all of your devices. Suhweet.
Free Budgeting Apps
Level Money(4.5 stars)
If you’re looking for the cleanest, most beautiful app for your moneys, here ya go. It automatically links to your bank accounts, and gives you an easy, at-a-glance view of how your remaining budget balance looks on any given day, week, or month.
Mint.com(4.5 stars)
If you don’t have a Mint account, go get one. Now. We’ll still be here after you sign up… Done? Good. This app syncs with your Mint.com account and automatically tracks everything on your phone: your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, spending, etc. It’s incredibly intuitive and it’s all in one place so you can easily see the big financial picture. We use this alongside our HomeBudget app.
Budget Ease(New)
This brand spankin’ new app looks promising for all you envelopers out there. It’s simple design makes it easy to add and track all of your envelope transactions. Time will tell since it’s a youngin’, but I’m betting this one’s a keeper.
Honorable Mentions
Spendee ($1.99 – 4 stars)
If you’re looking for sleek and user-friendly, give this app a try. It’s got both brains and beauty, while keeping your budgeting experience super simple. I’m hoping they come out with an update that syncs devices so Johnny and I can use it for ourselves!
LearnVest (free – 4.5 stars)
Talk about helpful! LearnVest not only tracks your transactions, but it also links your accounts and lets you set goals. You can also sign up to get expert help (for a fee) with your bottom line. If you’re looking for a comprehensive money app, this is another worthy option of your consideration.
Bonus
While you’re looking to optimizingyour budget with a new app in 2014, don’t forget to optimize your savings with your online shopping, too. Our go-to site for every online purchase is Ebates. Why? Well, they give you cash back when you shop through their site for most online stores. We saved a couple hundred bucks this past year from our normal, budgeted online shopping.There’s no catch, no strings attached, and joining the site is completely free. Free money doesn’t get easier than that, so take advantage of it!
Pin the image below to bookmark this post!
Conclusion
Hopefully one of those apps is just the ticket you need to get back on track with your budgeting this year. Now if we can just find an app that cleans our kitchen while we sleep and makes kale taste like Twinkies, we’ll be all set!
Any other apps you’d add to this list? How do you feel about paying money for an app that’s supposed to help you save… money?
[sa_captivate]
