9 Best Free Budgeting Apps in 2026 (No Trial Required)

Goodbudget is my decide for one of the best free budgeting app in 2026, as a result of its free plan is an actual envelope finances with no time restrict.

In case you finances a unique method, EveryDollar, Cashew and Precise Finances are additionally free, and Credit score Karma, Empower or SoFi Coach are free should you simply wish to see the place your cash goes.

However “free” can imply very various things.

Some apps are free for good, some cease at a number of envelopes or skip financial institution syncing, and a few are solely free for a 7-day trial.

You possibly can finances with out paying, however examine what every free finances app leaves out earlier than you arrange your finances in it.

Why you may belief this overview

I examined YNAB, Copilot and Rocket Cash myself in 2025 and early 2026, and I checked each different app by itself pricing web page, assist middle or app retailer itemizing in November 2026.

That method you realize precisely what every free plan consists of, whether or not it hyperlinks to your financial institution, how the corporate makes cash, and whether or not you may take your information with you should you depart.

Right here’s how I made a decision which apps rely as free.

What Counts as a Free Budgeting App

A free budgeting app is one you may preserve utilizing with no finish date and no card on file.

A free trial doesn’t rely, so apps like YNAB and PocketGuard are in their very own paid part additional down.

Each free app on this checklist falls into one in every of three teams:

• Actually free: You get the complete app for gratis. Precise Finances is the clearest instance. Cashew is shut, with an non-compulsory Professional improve.
• Free with limits: The free plan works, nevertheless it caps one thing necessary, like envelopes, accounts or financial institution syncing. EveryDollar, Goodbudget and Rocket Cash match right here.
• A tracker, not a full finances: The app hyperlinks your accounts and exhibits the place your cash went, nevertheless it doesn’t actually allow you to plan every greenback forward of time. Credit score Karma and Empower are trackers. SoFi Coach provides a easy finances planner on prime.

No group is healthier.

If you wish to plan the way you’ll spend every greenback earlier than the month begins, you want a finances planner.

In case you simply wish to see the place your paycheck goes every month, a free expense tracker could be all you want.

Free Budgeting Apps In contrast

Right here’s how one of the best free budgeting apps evaluate:

App	Free label	The place the free model stops	Free financial institution sync
Goodbudget	Free with limits	10 common + 10 extra envelopes, 1 account, 2 units, 1 12 months of historical past	No
EveryDollar	Free with limits	You kind in each buy. Financial institution connection and export are Premium.	No
Cashew	Actually free (non-compulsory Professional)	No financial institution sync on any plan	No
Precise Finances	Actually free	Utilizing it in your telephone wants a server. Financial institution sync prices $1.50 a month.	Paid add-on
Rocket Cash	Free with limits	Latest assist web page says budgets are paid. Cancellation assistance is paid.	Sure (real-time sync is paid)
SoFi Coach	Tracker with a finances planner	You want a SoFi account (opening one is free)	Sure
Empower	Tracker	One month-to-month spending goal, no class budgets	Sure
Credit score Karma	Tracker	Tracks spending however doesn’t set budgets	Sure

Honeydue, the free app constructed for {couples}, has its personal part under with the opposite choices for sharing a finances.

If You Used Mint: Free Apps Like Mint in 2026

Mint shut down on March 23, 2024, and Intuit now points former Mint users to Credit score Karma.

So should you’re nonetheless in search of what changed Mint, that’s the official reply.

The catch?

Credit score Karma tracks your spending and internet value, nevertheless it doesn’t allow you to set budgets the best way Mint did.

Right here’s the closest free match for what you miss about Mint:

• Automated monitoring: Credit score Karma or Empower will really feel essentially the most acquainted.
• Month-to-month spending limits along with your financial institution linked: SoFi Coach is the closest free match I discovered, since its finances planner enables you to set month-to-month spending targets.
• In case you’re prepared to pay: Monarch is an alternative choice, which I cowl within the paid part.

Free Apps That Plan Your Spending

These 4 apps assist you plan your cash earlier than you spend it.

The trade-off is that none of them pull in your financial institution transactions without spending a dime, so that you’ll be typing in purchases, importing a file, or paying a small price for syncing.

Typing in purchases takes extra work, nevertheless it additionally makes you have a look at every factor you purchase, which helps you spot spending you want to cut.

1. Goodbudget: free envelope budgeting app

Goodbudget is a digital model of the outdated money envelope technique.

You cut up your cash into envelopes like groceries, gasoline and lease, then spend from every one till it’s empty.

For instance, say you place $600 in your groceries envelope for the month. Every time you purchase groceries, you are taking that quantity out of the envelope, and when it hits zero, you’ve used up your grocery finances.

Is Goodbudget free?

Sure. Goodbudget calls its free plan “Free Without end,” and it’s one of many extra beneficiant free plans I discovered for envelope budgeting.

Right here’s what Goodbudget’s free and paid plans include:

• Free: 10 common envelopes plus 10 extra, 1 account, 2 units, 1 12 months of historical past and no financial institution sync.
• Premium: $10 a month or $80 a 12 months for limitless envelopes and accounts, 5 units, 7 years of historical past and financial institution sync (US banks solely).

How Goodbudget makes cash

It sells Premium, and its privateness coverage says your private data is rarely bought or rented.

Export: You possibly can export your transactions to a CSV file from the web site, and you’ll import a CSV file too.

Sharing a finances: The two-device restrict is a pleasant bonus should you finances with a accomplice. You possibly can each use the identical finances by yourself telephones with out paying.

2. EveryDollar: free zero-based budgeting app

EveryDollar is the budgeting app from Ramsey Options, Dave Ramsey’s firm.

It makes use of zero-based budgeting, which means you assign each greenback of your earnings to a function till your earnings minus deliberate spending equals zero.

Is EveryDollar free?

Sure. You should utilize the free model indefinitely.

Right here’s what you get with the free plan:

• A month-to-month finances
• Limitless finances classes
• Handbook transaction entry

The principle disadvantage: You must enter each paycheck, buy and invoice your self. In case you use a couple of bank card, that’s numerous typing.

What EveryDollar Premium provides

Premium prices $79.99 a 12 months (about $6.67 a month) or $17.99 month-to-month. New customers get a 14-day free trial.

Right here’s what you get with Premium:

• Financial institution connection: Linking your bank is a Premium feature. Connections run via Plaid and Mastercard Join.
• Transaction export: You possibly can export one month’s transactions to a CSV file, however solely from the web site. You possibly can’t import information.
• Teaching: Premium consists of Ramsey’s teaching options.

How EveryDollar makes cash

EveryDollar makes cash by promoting Premium subscriptions.

In accordance with Ramsey’s privateness coverage:

• It doesn’t promote your private data.
• It does permit third-party promoting companions to indicate you interest-based adverts.

Sharing a finances: You possibly can invite your partner to share one family finances, and each of you may make modifications. See the {couples} part for extra particulars.

3. Cashew: free finances app for Android and iPhone with no financial institution hyperlink

Cashew is a free budgeting app that by no means asks in your financial institution login. You add transactions your self, otherwise you import them from a CSV file or Google Sheets.

Is Cashew free?

Sure. Cashew is open source, and its fundamental options are free. An non-compulsory Professional improve prices $1.49 a month, $11.99 a 12 months or $19.99 one time.

Right here’s what you are able to do with Cashew:

• Class budgets: Set budgets by class with your personal time durations, so you may finances weekly, month-to-month or by yourself schedule.
• Objectives: Set financial savings objectives.
• Export: Export your transactions to a CSV file, save a full Cashew backup file, or again as much as Google Drive, so you may take your information with you should you swap apps.

Professional tip: Let Cashew learn your financial institution alerts on Android

On Android, Cashew can add transactions for you by studying your financial institution’s notifications and textual content messages. That will get you near automated monitoring with out ever linking your checking account. It solely works in case your financial institution sends you a textual content or app alert for every buy.

4. Precise Finances: open supply finances app that’s utterly free

• Official web site: actualbudget.org
• Works on: Your browser, desktop apps for Home windows, Mac and Linux, or your personal server.

Precise Finances is the reply should you’re asking whether or not there’s a very free budgeting app. It’s open supply underneath the MIT license, and the challenge runs on donations.

It makes use of envelope budgeting, like Goodbudget.

Do you want a server for Precise Finances?

Not in your pc. You don’t need a server to use Actual there. Obtain the free desktop app for Home windows, Mac or Linux, and you’ll construct a full finances, even offline.

You solely want a server for these:

• Your telephone: Utilizing Precise on a telephone.
• An internet browser: Utilizing it in your browser. There’s a fast try-it model with no server, nevertheless it has no syncing or backup, so Precise doesn’t advocate it for long-term use.
• Syncing: Maintaining your finances the identical on a couple of system.
• Financial institution sync: Pulling in transactions out of your financial institution.

You possibly can run a server your self, or pay a small price to a internet hosting service like PikaPods or Fly.io.

Financial institution sync: It’s non-compulsory. Within the US, it runs via SimpleFIN Bridge, which prices $1.50 a month or $15 a 12 months, on prime of any internet hosting price.

Export: You possibly can export all of your finances information as a zipper file from the settings at any time.

If you need Precise in your telephone, plan on establishing a server. In case you simply wish to open an app in your telephone and begin, Goodbudget or Cashew will get you there quicker.

Free Apps That Observe Your Spending for You

These apps hyperlink to your financial institution and kind your spending into classes robotically. That’s the large benefit over the planning apps above.

The trade-off is how they make cash. Most of them are free as a result of they wish to promote you one thing else, like a premium plan, a checking account, a bank card or funding recommendation.

5. Rocket Cash: free subscription tracker with paid budgets

• Official web site: rocketmoney.com
• Works on: iPhone, Android and an online dashboard.

Rocket Cash is finest identified for locating your subscriptions and serving to you cancel those you don’t use. It hyperlinks your accounts via Plaid, so that you’ll want a checking account that Plaid helps.

Is Rocket Cash free?

Sure, Rocket Cash has a free model, however its latest assist web page says budgets are only for Premium and Premium+ members.

Right here’s what the free model consists of:

• Your subscriptions in a single checklist
• Your spending by class
• A month-to-month snapshot of what got here in and what went out

What about free budgets?

Once I examined Rocket Cash in 2025 and early 2026, the free model let me arrange budgets, however with actual limits in comparison with the paid plans. Its FAQ nonetheless says the free plan consists of as much as two customized class budgets.

So examine what your free account exhibits earlier than you decide Rocket Cash only for budgeting.

Right here’s what the paid plans price:

• Premium: You pay what you suppose is truthful, normally $7 to $14 a month, with a 7-day free trial. It provides customized budgets and real-time account syncing.
• Premium+: $15 a month. It provides Rowan, an AI assistant, and invoice negotiation. Since November 2, 2026, invoice negotiation is simply on Premium+, with no further success price.

What I discovered after I tried to cancel a subscription

Subscription cancellation is the function that makes Rocket Cash stand out, in order that’s the half I checked out most intently.

The principle catch: The free model confirmed me my subscriptions, however having Rocket Cash cancel one for me was a Premium function.

Once I requested it to cancel one, I picked the subscription within the Recurring tab, selected “Cancel This For Me” and despatched the request. After that, Rocket Cash’s workforce contacts the corporate for you.

If cancelling subscriptions is the principle cause you’re downloading the app, plan on paying for Premium, or find and cancel them yourself without spending a dime.

Are you able to export your Rocket Cash information?

Sure. You possibly can export your transactions to a CSV file from the app or the web site. Rocket Cash emails you the file, and it solely opens on a pc.

Privateness: Rocket Cash’s privateness coverage is shared with its mother or father firm, Rocket Firms, so learn it earlier than you hyperlink your accounts if information sharing issues to you.

6. SoFi Coach: free finances planner (the brand new residence of SoFi Relay)

• Official web site: sofi.com/coach
• Works on: The SoFi app on iPhone and Android, plus Coach Chat on the net.

In case you used SoFi Relay, its instruments at the moment are a part of SoFi Coach, which launched on June 2, 2026. SoFi says your Relay dashboard is now Coach Insights, with the identical budgeting and credit score instruments.

Is SoFi Coach free?

Sure, for SoFi members. You want some form of SoFi account, nevertheless it doesn’t need to be a checking account, and you’ll open one without spending a dime simply to make use of Coach.

Right here’s what you get without spending a dime:

• Finances planner: Set month-to-month spending targets in your linked accounts.
• Credit score rating: Your VantageScore credit score rating from TransUnion.
• Cash summaries: Your debt, property and investments in a single place.

A number of extra issues to know:

• AI chat: SoFi’s AI Coach Chat rolled out first to SoFi Plus members, which prices $10 a month.
• Financial institution hyperlink: SoFi Coach hyperlinks your accounts via Plaid.
• Presents: Because it lives contained in the SoFi app, anticipate to see presents for SoFi’s personal accounts and merchandise.
• Export: You possibly can export transactions out of your linked accounts with “Export All,” however solely on the SoFi web site, not within the app.

One SoFi consumer on Reddit says SoFi’s finances device keeps tagging transfers to savings as spending till you repair them by hand. That’s one individual’s expertise, however should you transfer cash to financial savings usually, examine your classes after every switch.

7. Empower: free spending and internet value tracker

Empower’s free Private Dashboard is constructed for individuals who wish to see their entire monetary image. It exhibits your spending by class, and it provides a retirement planner and a overview of your investments.

That’s helpful in case your retirement accounts, investments and financial institution accounts are unfold throughout completely different firms, because you see them multi functional dashboard.

Is Empower a budgeting app?

Not likely. Empower’s personal assist middle says you can’t set specific budgeting goals, and also you get one month-to-month spending goal as an alternative.

How Empower makes cash

Empower is an funding firm.

Right here’s how the free dashboard pays for itself:

• Monetary recommendation: Empower sells fee-based monetary recommendation.
• Advertisements: Some elements of the free dashboard could also be paid for by promoting companions.
• Calls and texts: Once you enroll, you comply with get calls and texts from Empower and its associates, together with automated ones. You possibly can choose out of the promotional ones.

One App Retailer reviewer mentions getting a sales call after signing up. That’s one individual’s report, nevertheless it matches how Empower makes cash.

Export: Free. You possibly can obtain your transactions as a CSV file on the web site, and on iPhone you may export your internet value too.

8. Credit score Karma: free tracker that changed Mint

Credit score Karma is free, and it enables you to hyperlink accounts from greater than 17,000 banks and different monetary firms. It exhibits your spending by class, month-to-month insights and your internet value.

Right here’s how its spending tracker works:

• Classes: Credit Karma picks a category for each purchase from greater than two dozen, like Groceries and Auto & Transport.
• Adjustments: You possibly can change a class or conceal a transaction.
• Time vary: It tracks your spending by class month by month, however not for the entire 12 months.

Is Credit score Karma a budgeting app?

No. It doesn’t assist you set budgets, so that you’ll want one other app or a spreadsheet in order for you a month-to-month finances.

It’s a great match should you already use Credit score Karma to check your credit score and need your spending in the identical app.

How Credit score Karma makes cash

Credit score Karma makes cash from advertisers, which is why you’ll see suggestions for bank cards, loans and insurance coverage. There’s additionally a paid Credit score Karma Plus.

Export: Don’t rely on downloading your transaction historical past. One poster on Intuit’s group discussion board says Credit Karma told them downloading isn’t possible, so if preserving your personal information issues to you, decide an app with an export possibility.

What about NerdWallet and Cleo?

The NerdWallet app describes itself as a internet value tracker, so I’d use one of many apps above if you wish to finances.

Cleo is an AI chat app that tracks your spending and hyperlinks your financial institution via Plaid. Its paid plans start at $5.99 a month and add money advances and credit score assist, however Cleo doesn’t spell out what its free model consists of, so examine that within the app earlier than you rely on it for budgeting.

Finest Free Budgeting App for {Couples}

You don’t need to pay to share a finances along with your accomplice. Honeydue and Goodbudget each allow you to do it without spending a dime, and EveryDollar has a sharing possibility too.

9. Honeydue: free budgeting app constructed for {couples}

• Official web site: honeydue.com
• Works on: iPhone and Android.

Honeydue is made for 2 individuals managing cash collectively. Every of you chooses what to share, after which you may observe payments, set a finances, cut up bills and chat contained in the app.

Is Honeydue free?

Sure, with optional monthly tips from $0.99 to $9.99 if you wish to assist it.

A number of issues to know earlier than you begin:

• No extra debit card: Honeydue’s debit card program ended on August 31, 2023. The app itself continues to be being up to date.
• Latest critiques: Learn its latest App Retailer and Google Play critiques, particularly what individuals say about financial institution connections and transactions updating.
• Your information: If preserving a replica of your historical past issues to you, ask Honeydue’s assist learn how to get your information out earlier than you commit.

Shared budgets in Goodbudget and EveryDollar

In case you’d fairly use an everyday budgeting app collectively, you could have two choices:

• Goodbudget: The free plan covers 2 units on one shared finances, so you may every use your personal telephone.
• EveryDollar: You possibly can invite a partner to share one family finances, and you’ll each make modifications. EveryDollar doesn’t say which plan that is on, so if sharing is the principle cause you’re selecting it, ask EveryDollar’s assist earlier than you arrange your finances.

Paid Apps (Free Trials Solely) Definitely worth the Cash

Is it value paying for a budgeting app? For some individuals, sure, particularly if typing in each buy is the explanation you retain giving up on budgeting.

None of those have a free plan, however 4 of the 5 have a free trial. And all 5 allow you to export your transactions to a CSV file, so that you gained’t lose your historical past should you swap.

10. YNAB: zero-based budgeting with a studying curve

Is YNAB free?

No. YNAB costs $14.99 a month or $109 a 12 months.

Methods to strive it or pay much less:

• Free trial: 34 days, with no card wanted should you enroll on YNAB’s web site.
• Faculty college students: Free for a 12 months.
• YNAB Collectively: As much as 6 individuals can share one subscription.

What tripped me up after I examined YNAB

Bank card spending was the complicated half for me.

Say you could have $100 in your grocery finances and also you spend $150 on a bank card. YNAB didn’t put aside the additional $50 for the cardboard fee. I needed to cowl the overspending myself by shifting cash over from one other class.

Once I first added a bank card that already had a stability, I additionally needed to assign cash to its Credit score Card Cost class individually.

YNAB’s options aren’t unhealthy, however there’s a studying curve. In case you’re used to checking your financial institution stability and monitoring bills, YNAB’s method of budgeting takes some getting used to. Give your self the complete trial to be taught it earlier than you determine.

11. Copilot: polished budgeting app for iPhone and Mac

• Official web site: copilot.money
• Works on: Internet, iPhone, iPad and Mac. There’s no Android app.

Right here’s what Copilot prices:

• Value: $109 a year proper now as a limited-time value (it’s usually $119), or $18 a month.
• Free trial: 1 month.

What I observed after I examined Copilot

Recurring payments wanted further work from me. After I arrange my web invoice as a recurring expense, the app didn’t all the time hyperlink the subsequent fee to it. I needed to open the transaction, scroll to the Recurring part and hyperlink it myself.

Copilot additionally counted recurring bills as spent initially of the month, earlier than the cash really left my checking account. That’s helpful for planning, however it may well make your spending look larger than what’s actually gone.

I’d wish to perceive that earlier than trusting Copilot’s spending totals.

12. Monarch: paid Mint different with a {couples} possibility

• Official web site: monarch.com
• Works on: iPhone, Android and the online.

Right here’s what Monarch prices:

Monarch’s pricing web page has a bit only for {couples}, so it’s one to take a look at should you and your accomplice wish to finances in a single app.

13. Simplifi: low-cost budgeting app from Quicken

Simplifi is the most affordable paid app right here proper now, in your first 12 months.

Right here’s what Simplifi prices:

• Value: $3.99 a month, billed yearly, as a promotional value (usually $6.99 a month).
• Free trial: None listed, so that you pay up entrance.
• Export: You possibly can export your transactions from the web site.

14. PocketGuard: paid budgeting app with a 7-day trial

Some lists nonetheless name PocketGuard free, nevertheless it not has a free plan.

Right here’s what PocketGuard prices:

• Free trial: 7 days.
• Value after the trial: $12.99 a month, $74.99 a 12 months or $149.99 one time.
• Export: A part of its paid Plus options.

Free Methods to Finances With out an App

You may not want a separate app in any respect. Your financial institution might have already got a budgeting device inbuilt.

Your financial institution’s app: When you’ve got a Chase checking account or bank card, the Chase Spending Planner is already in your Chase app. You don’t have to enroll in something, and you’ll set budgets by class.

Different banks might have one thing related of their apps, so examine yours earlier than you obtain something new.

A spreadsheet: Google Sheets is free, and a sheet along with your earnings on the prime and your payments and spending under it’s all a fundamental finances wants. And no budgeting firm ever sees your financial institution information. You possibly can construct your personal or begin from a free Google Sheets budget template.

Is It Secure to Hyperlink Your Financial institution Account to a Budgeting App?

How secure it’s to hyperlink your financial institution relies upon so much on how the connection is made. Many apps on this checklist, together with EveryDollar Premium, Rocket Cash and SoFi Coach, use an organization referred to as Plaid to make that connection.

Plaid connects to your bank in one in every of 3 ways:

• OAuth connection: You’re despatched to your financial institution’s personal web site to log in, and Plaid doesn’t retailer your username and password.
• API connection: You kind your financial institution login into Plaid’s sign-in display screen, and Plaid connects with out storing it.
• Non-OAuth connection: You give your login to Plaid, and Plaid shops it to maintain pulling in your information.

You possibly can see each app linked via Plaid, and take away those you don’t use, at my.plaid.com.

Are you able to finances with out linking your checking account?

Sure. You should utilize EveryDollar’s free plan, Goodbudget’s free plan, Cashew or Precise Finances and enter your spending your self.

If privateness is the explanation, right here’s the place your information is stored:

• Cashew: On your device, with no Cashew account. It solely backs as much as your personal Google Drive should you flip that on.
• Precise Finances: In your pc with the desktop app, and in your server too should you add one, with non-compulsory end-to-end encryption.
• Goodbudget: On-line, saved in america with Amazon Internet Companies.

The right way to Decide the Proper Free Budgeting App

The very best free budgeting app for you is determined by the way you wish to finances: plan each greenback, use envelopes, or simply observe your spending.

Begin along with your budgeting model:

• You wish to plan each greenback: EveryDollar makes use of zero-based budgeting without spending a dime.
• You just like the money envelope technique: Goodbudget, or Precise Finances in order for you it utterly free.
• You employ Android and don’t wish to hyperlink a financial institution: Cashew, which may add purchases out of your financial institution’s alerts.
• You employ an iPhone: Goodbudget for envelopes, or EveryDollar for zero-based budgeting.
• You simply wish to see the place your cash goes: Credit score Karma or Empower.
• You need a free finances along with your financial institution linked: SoFi Coach and its finances planner.
• You finances with a accomplice: Honeydue, or Goodbudget on two telephones.

If none of these really feel proper after a month, that’s when a paid app’s free trial is value making an attempt.

Begin With One Free App This Week

Don’t strive three apps directly.

Decide the one that matches your model from the checklist above, add your earnings and your largest payments tonight, and log each buy for the subsequent 30 days.

On the finish of the month, you’ll know if a free plan covers what you want or if a paid app is value about $100 a 12 months to you.

Both method, you’ll have a working finances, and also you’ll know if one in every of these prime free budgeting apps is sufficient for you or if it’s time to pay for one.