Updated July 2026 · 8 min read
Mint shut down in early 2024 and left millions of users searching for a replacement. Since then the budgeting app market has matured considerably. The right choice depends on your budgeting method, how much you want the app to do for you, and whether you'll actually use a paid tool or just need something free.
Cost: ~$14.99/month or ~$99/year. Free trial: 34 days.
Method: Zero-based budgeting. You assign every dollar a job before you spend it. Syncs with most bank accounts automatically but requires manual engagement — you're expected to approve transactions and move money between categories when you overspend. This is a feature, not a bug.
Best for: People who want to change their relationship with money, not just track what already happened. YNAB teaches a specific method. If you follow it, it works. If you want passive tracking with no engagement, it will frustrate you.
Notable: YNAB consistently cites user surveys showing average new users pay off $600 in debt in the first two months. That's a marketing number, but the methodology is genuinely effective.
Cost: $14.99/month or $99.99/year.
Method: Aggregates all accounts (banking, investment, mortgage, credit cards) into a single dashboard. More passive than YNAB — it tracks and reports rather than requiring active engagement.
Best for: Couples managing finances together (excellent shared-access features), people who want net worth tracking alongside budgeting, and former Mint users who primarily used Mint for account aggregation rather than active budgeting.
Notable: Cleaner, more modern UI than YNAB. Better investment portfolio view. Less focused on behavioral change, more on financial picture visibility.
Cost: $13/month or $95/year. Free trial: 30 days.
Method: AI-assisted transaction categorization with a highly polished iOS app. Learns your spending patterns and suggests categories. Requires minimal manual input.
Best for: iPhone users who want a beautiful, low-friction app and don't need the behavioral structure of YNAB. Great for tracking spending after the fact rather than planning in advance.
Notable: iOS only — no Android app. Best-in-class transaction categorization accuracy. Design quality significantly above competitors.
Cost: Free forever (for the budgeting/tracking features). They make money by offering wealth management services to high-net-worth users, which you're not required to use.
Best for: People who want Mint-like passive tracking without paying. Better investment tracking than budgeting, but the spending tracker is functional.
Notable: The best free option available in 2026. The investment analysis tools (asset allocation, fee analyzer) are genuinely useful and available at no cost.
Not an app, but worth including: a Google Sheets budget template from Vertex42 or Budget with Babs is free, infinitely customizable, requires no data sharing with third parties, and works for exactly the kind of person who will actually maintain it. If you've tried apps and never stuck with them, a spreadsheet might win by simplicity.
If you overspend habitually and want to change: YNAB. If you primarily want net worth visibility and couple-friendly features: Monarch. If you want beautiful passive tracking on iPhone: Copilot. If you want free: Empower. If you've tried every app and quit them all: a spreadsheet with one column per month and a weekly 5-minute review session.
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