Calling All Finance Newbies: Here Are Five Budgeting Apps That Actually Work

Maybe you just got your first salary or perhaps you’ve recognised the need to manage your finances more effectively–a good budgeting app is the solution to your money woes. Whether it’s tracking your expenses, sticking to a monthly budget or a new savings goal, downloading a financial app will help you take the first step in the direction of better money management. But when app stores are flooded with a plethora of apps claiming to ‘double your income!’ or ‘reduce your expenses by half!’, things can get confusing. Lucky for you, we’ve curated a list of tried and tested budgeting apps that actually do what they’re supposed to. Here are our top picks.

1. Wallet

Wallet is the one budgeting app to rule them all. You can be a finance rookie or someone who knows their way around money–both will benefit from this app. You can start with basic expense tracking, and then move to travel planning, financial analysis and expert tips…the possibilities are (nearly) endless! My favourite thing about this app is that you can sync it directly to your bank account–this means there’s no need to manually enter your expenses–they’ll get updated in the app automatically! And did we mention that you get all this for free?

What we like: The ability to sync the app with our bank accounts
What could be better: The app has a tendency to be slow and glitchy at times

Download the iOS app here and for Google Pay here. Free for download with in-app purchases.

Also Read: 7 Super Easy Ways I Save Rs 5,000 Every Month & You Can Too!

2. Expense Manager

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If you’re a newbie to finance management, this is the app you should download. It uncomplicates a lot of your money woes and arranges your data into neat and eye-catching graphs and charts. You even have an integrated calculator for when you need to add multiple expenses under one heading, daily/weekly/monthly reminders for recurring payments and summarised weekly/monthly/yearly reports of your expenses. Additional features like having a login pin and the option to erase all data is an extra plus. This app definitely gets a thumbs up from us.

What we like: Colourful, eye-catching visuals
What could be better: We would love the option to export data to spreadsheets

Download the iOS app here and for Google Pay here. Free for download with in-app purchases.

3. Money Manager

If you’re the kind of person who likes to create an elaborate colour-tagged spreadsheet for a two-day vacay, this app is for you. It will simplify all of your minute, haphazard data in the most effective ways. We’re talking statistics, categories and sub-categories, multiple currencies, double-entry bookkeeping and debit/credit card management–and that’s just some of the features. Is the idea of this app making you happier than your ex ever made you feel? We suggest you download it ASAP.

What we like: So, Much. Colour!
What could be better: Users have reported losing data after switching currencies

Download the iOS app here and for Google Pay here. Free for download with in-app purchases.

Also Read: Did You Know That You Can Make *Real* Money Just By Playing These 8 Games Online?

4. Buddy

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Buddy is the budgeting app for people who are familiar with the ins and outs of financial management…but hate doing it. Managing your money can be drab and boring. With Buddy, get to choose cute icons for every time you want to enter a new expense. It does everything a regular budget tracker would do, except its UI is a lot more user-friendly and dare we say…actually fun? After all, who doesn’t want to see a monthly report of their expenditure in a visualised format complete with smileys and emojis? Plus, this app also doubles as a shared budgeting app, which helps you split expenses with other users. Honestly, what’s not to love? We’ll wait for you to figure it out. In the meanwhile, download the app to make money management something you actually look forward to!

What we like: The emojis! And the shared expense feature
What could be better: In-app purchases are pricey

Download the iOS app here and for Google Pay here. Free for download with in-app purchases.

5. GoodBudget

This budgeting app does exactly what it claims–with no extra frills. It breaks down and simplifies all your financial habits into simple and colourful pie charts and graphs. You also have the option of using it across devices–including smartphones, tablets, laptops and the web. You can sync up to five devices at a time and save data worth transactions for five years. Plus, this app also comes with the nifty shared expenses feature, which is always a plus.

What we like: A no-frills approach to managing your finances
What could be better: A more visually-appealing user interface wouldn’t hurt

Download the iOS app here and for Google Pay here. Free for download with in-app purchases.

So, whether you’ve just started your career or if you want to take your money management skills to the next level…try one of these budgeting apps. We swear it’ll change your life!

Featured Image: Shutterstock