Budgeting Financial Planning Financial Software Best Expense Tracker Apps Take control of your finances By Eric Rosenberg Eric Rosenberg Eric Rosenberg is a financial writer with more than a decade of experience working in banking and corporate accounting. He specializes in writing about cryptocurrencies, investing and banking among other personal finance topics. Eric has an MBA in finance from the University of Denver. learn about our editorial policies Updated on March 30, 2023 Reviewed by Ebony J. Howard Reviewed by Ebony J. Howard Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She has been in the accounting, audit, and tax profession for more than 13 years, working with individuals and a variety of companies in the health care, banking, and accounting industries. learn about our financial review board Fact checked by Matthew Klammer We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. The world of expense tracking has come a long way since the first versions of Quicken and Microsoft Money came to the market in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. Now you have web- and phone-based expense tracker apps that can help you reach a whole new level of financial knowledge and preparedness. If you need to track your budget, one of these apps is likely a great fit for you. Best Expense Tracker Apps Best for Investors: Personal Capital Best for Small Businesses: QuickBooks Best for Millennials: Wally Most Popular: Mint Best for Budgeting: YNAB Best Expense Tracker Apps View All Best Expense Tracker Apps Our Top Picks Personal Capital QuickBooks Wally Mint YNAB See More (2) FAQs Methodology Best for Investors : Personal Capital App cost: Free (investment services carry extra cost)Platform availability: Android, iOS, web Learn More Why We Chose It Personal Capital is our top choice for investors because it offers budgeting and investing options in one convenient app. Pros & Cons Pros User-friendly interface Has an investment component Cons Too many features may overwhelm new users Overview If you have your money situation under control but want better charts and graphs for your finances, Personal Capital is a good option. It's actually a full-featured investment manager for hire, but its free personal finance dashboard is available for anyone who signs up and is packed with features. Specific to expenses, Personal Capital automatically tracks and categorizes every expense you make on a linked credit or debit card. From there, the app creates charts showing your monthly cash flow with an ability to break down expenses by category and dig deeper into any concerning spending habits. It isn’t great for budgeting but is powerful for tracking your finances overall, particularly your investments. Best for Small Businesses : QuickBooks App cost: $15/month & upPlatform availability: Android, iOS, web Learn More Why We Chose It For small business owners looking to get a better handle on their finances, QuickBooks offers the features and tools you need. Pros & Cons Pros Option to upgrade as your business grows Integrates with hundreds of third-party apps Cons Can get expensive May be overwhelming for new users Overview If you run a small business, you might have attempted to run both your personal and business finances through one expense tracker app. This leads to messy reporting, unclear results, and difficulty understanding what is going on with both sides of your financial life. Plus, blurring your finances between personal and business can lead to problems with taxes and might harm your personal finances if your business is ever sued. Like Mint, Intuit is the clear leader in this space through its popular QuickBooks program. QuickBooks comes in various versions and editions depending on your computer and business needs. While it is far from perfect, it currently is the most prominent and best option to wrap up your entire business management, including expense tracking, contract management, and payroll, all in one app. Best for Millennials : Wally App cost: Free (with optional paid upgrade)Platform availability: iOS Learn More Why We Chose It Wally makes it simple to track your budget by syncing with your accounts, and it allows you to easily manage shared expenses. Pros & Cons Pros Basic version is free Ability to set custom budgets Real-time expense tracking Cons Only available for iOS Overview Wally is an integrated expense tracker app that provides insights into your spending habits by syncing with your financial accounts. Wally has a big focus on expenses and presents feedback and useful information on your spending, but it also has a social feature for shared expenses. For example, if you share utilities with a roommate, Wally can track those expenses. The appealing graphics and social features will be appreciated by millennial users. Note that Wally is available only on iOS devices. Most Popular : Mint Intuit Mint Logo App cost: FreePlatform availability: Android, iOS, web Learn More Why We Chose It Mint by Intuit is popular for a reason: It's easy to use and offers all the features you need to track and manage your money in one place. Pros & Cons Pros User-friendly interface Credit monitoring tool available Allows you to customize budgets Cons Software can be buggy Connecting with support is sometimes challenging Overview No list of expense tracker apps would be complete without mentioning Mint, one of the most popular personal finance tools around. Mint is great because it is free, supports a wide range of banks and lenders, and comes from one of the largest and most trusted names in financial software, Intuit. With this app, you receive help with budgeting, expense tracking, credit monitoring, and bills. However, while Mint is one of the oldest and most full-featured expense tracker app options, it isn’t perfect. There are a handful of bugs in the software, and new features have been slow to release since Intuit bought the app in 2009. If you find a bug or a problem in your account, getting support sometimes can be a challenge. Best for Budgeting : YNAB Courtesy of YNAB App cost: $14.99/month & upPlatform availability: Android, iOS, web Learn More Why We Chose It YNAB lets you track where every dollar you make ends up, offering both a detailed and high-level view of your finances. Pros & Cons Pros Lets you track all your money goals at a glance No ads Cons Can get expensive Tracking every dollar may be overwhelming Overview YNAB stands for You Need a Budget. The folks behind this app worked hard to build an app specifically focused on budgeting and expense tracking. The app takes an uncommon philosophy of budgeting. Users are forced to give a job to every dollar they earn, whether it is related to savings, expenses, or investments, and the app uses that to show user budgets. It isn’t perfect for everyone, but if you want to start budgeting and need help getting the process moving, YNAB is likely a good fit for your needs. Frequently Asked Questions What Does an Expense Tracker App Do? An expense tracker app is either web- or phone-based and can help you track a range of expenses. You enter incoming and outgoing money, and the app can help you store and track that information. It can help you track your budget, track your investments, use graphs and charts to show your progress, and keep your business and personal expenses separate.Expense tracker apps also can track your spending habits and give you insights to better help you understand where you’re spending and how you can cut back. You can use expense trackers on the go, and different apps are good for different types of expense tracking. How Much Does an Expense Tracker App Cost? Expense tracker apps vary greatly in costs. Some are free, some offer a free 30-day trial, and others offer both a free and a paid version. Some offer additional services for a fee. Is an Expense Tracker App Worth the Cost? Decide what kind of expense tracking you need help with and compare the free apps to the paid ones. If the features you need cost money, you need to weigh if it’s worth the cost. It’s a good idea to start with a free or low-cost version and see if you actually use it before spending money on a premium version. Still, none of the expense tracker apps are that expensive, and if they save you more than they cost, they will be worth the expense. How We Chose the Best Expense Tracker Apps To choose the best expense tracker apps, we compared several different options. We looked at criteria like cost, compatibility, features, goal-setting capabilities, and ease of use. Ultimately, we chose these six apps for their respective categories because they offered a positive user experience that set them apart from competitors. The Balance / Julie Bang Article Sources Personal Capital. "Mobile Apps." QuickBooks. "Homepage." Wally. "Homepage." Mint. "Managing Money Made Simple." Intuit. "Intuit Completes Acquisition of Mint.com." YNAB. "The Best Features in One App." Related Articles Best Expense Tracker Apps to Download Best Debt Reduction Software Programs Best Budgeting Apps Best Personal Finance Apps Best Personal Finance Software Options Best Bill-Splitting Apps Investing Best Accounting Software of 2024 Best Online Banks Best Watch Insurance Providers for 2024 Best Accounting Apps for Independent Contractors Best Online Will Makers Best Websites for Freelance Jobs Best Payment Apps The Best Free Personal Finance and Budgeting Software Best Sites to Find Gig Jobs