Free Budget Apps: What You Really Get Without Paying

The best free budget apps are Goodbudget if you want envelope budgeting with no ads, EveryDollar if you want a simple zero-based monthly plan, and Honeydue if you're a couple who wants to see your money together at no cost. Rocket Money's free plan suits people who mainly want to track subscriptions, and Tricount or Splitwise suit groups who split costs. Each free plan has a catch, and this page shows exactly what it is.

What free budget apps really mean by free

"Free" on the App Store can mean three very different things. Knowing which one you're looking at saves you a surprise charge later.

• Free for good, with everything. You can use the whole app and never pay. Honeydue and Tricount work this way.
• Free with limits. The core works for free, and a paid plan unlocks more. Goodbudget, EveryDollar, Rocket Money and Splitwise work this way.
• A free trial. The app is free for a few days or weeks, then it becomes a subscription. YNAB and Monarch Money work this way. They're good apps, but they aren't free apps.

This page covers the first two groups. For each app, you'll see what the free version gives you, what it leaves out, and who it suits. Then we look at when paying is actually worth it.

Goodbudget: free envelope budgeting

GoodbudgetView app ›

Goodbudget uses the envelope method. You split your income into virtual envelopes like groceries or rent, then spend from them. When an envelope runs low, you know to slow down.

What's free: Goodbudget is free forever with 10 regular and 10 annual envelopes, and there are no ads. Your budget syncs between phones and the web, so you and a partner always see the same numbers. It needs no bank connection.

The catch: you log every expense by hand on the free plan. Skip it if you want transactions to import from your bank automatically for free.

Who it suits: people who want to plan spending, alone or together, and are happy to type in purchases.

EveryDollar: a free zero-based budget

EveryDollarView app ›

EveryDollar is a simple zero-based monthly budget from Ramsey Solutions. Zero-based means you give every dollar a job until there's nothing left unplanned.

What's free: monthly budgeting is free. You can share the budget with your household. Paid plans add bank connections and more, so on the free plan you enter your spending yourself.

The catch: it pushes the paid Premium plan and other Ramsey products. Skip it if upsells bother you.

Who it suits: people who follow a zero-based, debt-free approach and want a clean monthly plan.

Honeydue: a free budget app for couples

Honeydue · FreeView app ›

Honeydue is a money app made for couples. You and your partner set shared spending limits, see accounts and bills together, and chat about purchases inside the app.

What's free: all of it. Honeydue is free to use, with optional tips if you want to support it.

The catch: it needs a bank connection and works best with linked US bank accounts. Skip it if you won't link a bank or you live outside the US. It's on iPhone and Android.

Who it suits: couples who want to see their money in one place without paying anything. If that's you, our guide to a budget app for couples compares more options.

Rocket Money: free subscription tracking

Rocket MoneyView app ›

Rocket Money links to your bank accounts and spots every subscription and bill you're paying. It can also help you cancel subscriptions and set a monthly budget.

What's free: the free plan covers budgeting, subscription tracking and spend tracking, with up to two custom budgets.

The catch: everything depends on linking your bank. Skip it if you don't want to share bank access with an app.

Who it suits: people who mainly want to find and cancel forgotten subscriptions, and are fine linking a bank.

Free expense trackers for shared costs

Two more apps come up when people search for free budget tools, but they do a different job. They track who owes what in a group. They don't plan a monthly budget.

Splitwise

SplitwiseView app ›

Splitwise records shared expenses between friends, roommates or partners and keeps a running balance. Add a bill, say who paid and how to split it, and everyone sees what they owe.

What's free: splitting expenses and tracking balances. Pro adds receipt scanning, charts and more. The free app shows ads, and you need an account.

Tricount

Tricount · FreeView app ›

Tricount splits group costs and shows who owes what.

What's free: everything. It's free and unlimited, with no subscription and no ads. It also works offline, which helps on trips.

Who they suit: roommates, friends on holiday and couples who split bills. Neither replaces a budget. For a closer look, see our guide to the best apps to split bills.

Compare free budgeting apps

Here's how the free options line up side by side.

Free budget app with no bank connection

If you'd rather keep your bank details out of any app, your free choices narrow down:

• Goodbudget needs no bank connection at all.
• EveryDollar works without one on the free plan, since bank connections come with paid plans.
• Tricount and Splitwise need no bank connection either, but they split costs rather than budget.

Honeydue and Rocket Money both rely on a linked bank, so they're not a fit here.

When paying for a budget app is worth it

Free plans are enough for many people. Paying makes sense when you want something the free plans leave out.

• You want to pay once, not every year. HomeBudget costs $4.99 once. It needs no bank connection, works offline and has Family Sync for the household. There's a separate free Lite app to try first. The catch: it looks dated, and each platform is bought separately.
• You want a strict method that changes your habits. YNAB is free for 30 days, then a yearly subscription. Up to six people can share one plan.
• You want every account tracked for you. Monarch Money is free for 7 days, then a yearly membership. You can invite a partner at no extra cost.

If you try a paid app, set a reminder a few days before the trial ends. That way you decide on purpose. For a fuller list of paid and free options, see our guide to the best budget apps.

What most people actually need

Most people starting out don't need to pay anything. Here's a simple way to choose:

• You want a real budget and don't mind typing in purchases: start with Goodbudget or EveryDollar.
• You're a couple with US bank accounts: try Honeydue.
• You mostly want to stop paying for things you forgot about: try Rocket Money.
• You share costs with roommates or friends: use Tricount, or Splitwise if you don't mind ads.

Give your pick a few weeks. If you find yourself wanting bank imports, more envelopes or a stricter method, that's the moment to look at paid plans. New to all this? Our guide on how to start budgeting walks you through your first month, or you can search Squapp for a free budget app.

Keep deciding: How to start budgeting, Best Budget Apps for iPhone, Find a free budget app.