Bottom Line Up Front
YNAB is the best budgeting app in 2026 for anyone serious about changing their money habits — new users save an average of $600 in their first month. Monarch Money is the best replacement for Mint. Empower Personal Dashboard is the best free option. And Copilot is the sleekest app for Apple device users.
Why Budgeting Apps Matter More Than Ever in 2026
After Intuit shut down Mint in early 2024, millions of users were left searching for a replacement. The good news: the budgeting app market has never been more competitive, and the best options today are far more powerful than Mint ever was.
Whether you want a zero-based budget that gives every dollar a job, a simple spending tracker, or a full financial dashboard with investment tracking — there's a perfect app for you. Here are the seven best, ranked by real user ratings aggregated from the App Store, Google Play, and Trustpilot.
The 7 Best Budgeting Apps, Ranked
YNAB (You Need A Budget)
Best overall budgeting app — zero-based budgeting that actually changes behaviorYNAB uses a zero-based budgeting philosophy where every dollar you earn gets assigned a specific job before you spend it. Unlike passive tracking apps, YNAB actively changes how you think about money — which is why it consistently produces the most dramatic financial transformations of any budgeting app. New users save an average of $600 in month one and $6,000+ in year one.
Copilot Money
Best for Apple users — the most beautiful budgeting app ever madeCopilot Money is iOS and macOS only — and if you're in Apple's ecosystem, there's nothing better. It uses AI to automatically categorize and learn your spending habits, surfaces insights proactively, and is hands-down the most visually stunning finance app available. It also syncs with Apple Pay and works beautifully on all Apple devices.
Monarch Money
Best Mint replacement — collaborative budgeting for couples and householdsWhen Mint shut down, Monarch Money was the top destination for former Mint users. It offers the same core features — account aggregation, budget tracking, net worth — with better reliability, cleaner design, and a standout feature: collaborative access for couples or financial partners. Both partners can view and manage finances together from separate logins.
Simplifi by Quicken
Best for simplicity — budgeting without the complexitySimplifi strips away complexity and focuses on what matters: seeing where your money goes and planning what's coming up. Its "spending plan" approach is less rigid than zero-based budgeting, making it perfect for people who want oversight without micromanagement. It also shows projected cash flow — so you can see what your balance will look like weeks from now.
Rocket Money
Best for killing subscriptions — finds and cancels bills you forgot aboutRocket Money (formerly Truebill) made its name automatically detecting subscriptions you've forgotten about and helping you cancel them. It also offers bill negotiation — a service where Rocket Money will contact your cable or phone company to lower your bill, keeping a percentage of what it saves you. Strong for subscription-heavy households.
Tiller Money
Best for spreadsheet lovers — your bank feeds auto-populate into Google SheetsTiller Money is for people who love spreadsheets. It securely connects your bank accounts and automatically imports every transaction into Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel — where you control the layout, formulas, and analysis entirely. Tiller provides templates to get started, but the power is in full customization. If you want total control, nothing beats Tiller.
Empower Personal Dashboard
Best free option — net worth tracking and investment analysis at no costEmpower (formerly Personal Capital) is the best completely free budgeting and financial tracking app available. It aggregates all your accounts — checking, savings, credit cards, investments, mortgages — into a single dashboard with net worth tracking, cash flow analysis, and investment fee analysis. The free tier is genuinely excellent; the premium wealth management service is optional and expensive.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| App | Price | Budgeting Style | Platform | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB | $14.99/mo $99/yr |
Zero-based#1 Pick | iOS, Android, Web | Behavior change | 4.9/5 |
| Copilot | $13/mo $95/yr |
Tracking + insights | iOS, macOS only | Apple users | 4.8/5 |
| Monarch Money | $14.99/mo $99.99/yr |
Collaborative | iOS, Android, Web | Couples / Mint migrants | 4.7/5 |
| Simplifi | $5.99/mo $47.99/yr |
Spending plan | iOS, Android, Web | Simplicity | 4.5/5 |
| Rocket Money | Free / $6–12/mo | Subscription tracking | iOS, Android, Web | Killing subscriptions | 4.4/5 |
| Tiller Money | $79/yr | Spreadsheet | Google Sheets, Excel | Spreadsheet power users | 4.3/5 |
| Empower | Free | Tracking + net worth | iOS, Android, Web | Free comprehensive view | 4.2/5 |
The Best Mint Alternatives in 2026
Intuit shut down Mint in January 2024, leaving 3.6 million users without a budgeting tool. Here's where to go depending on what you valued about Mint:
- If you loved Mint's free price: Switch to Empower Personal Dashboard — it's free and more powerful for tracking net worth and investments.
- If you want the closest feature match: Monarch Money replicates Mint's interface almost exactly, with better reliability and collaborative access for couples.
- If you want to actually change your habits: Mint was great at showing where money went. YNAB goes further — it helps you plan where it should go. The behavioral shift is worth the subscription.
- If you're on Apple: Copilot Money is the upgrade you didn't know you needed — AI-powered, beautiful, and tightly integrated with the Apple ecosystem.
How to Choose the Right Budgeting App for You
Not every budgeting app works for every person. Here's a simple framework to find your match:
- If you're in debt or paycheck-to-paycheck: YNAB. The zero-based method is specifically designed to break the cycle. The results are dramatic — and the trial is free for 34 days.
- If you're financially comfortable but want oversight: Copilot or Simplifi. You don't need aggressive budgeting — just a clear picture of your spending.
- If you're managing finances with a partner: Monarch Money. Collaborative access and shared budgets make it uniquely powerful for households.
- If you just need something free: Empower. You'll get account aggregation, net worth tracking, and cash flow analysis without spending a dollar.
- If you love spreadsheets: Tiller. Full control over your data with automatic bank import.
Start Your Budget Today
YNAB users save an average of $600 in their first month. 34-day free trial — no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
YNAB (You Need A Budget) is the best budgeting app in 2026 for anyone serious about changing their financial habits. Its zero-based budgeting system is proven — new users save an average of $600 in their first month. For a free option, Empower Personal Dashboard is the top pick.
-
Yes. Empower Personal Dashboard (formerly Personal Capital) is the best free Mint replacement. It offers account aggregation, spending tracking, and net worth monitoring at no cost. Rocket Money also has a free tier. Monarch Money and Simplifi are strong paid alternatives that closely match what Mint offered.
-
YNAB costs $14.99/month or $99/year. New users report saving an average of $600 in their first month and over $6,000 in their first year — making the subscription cost easy to justify for most users. It comes with a 34-day free trial with no credit card required, so you can test it risk-free.
-
Zero-based budgeting means giving every dollar you earn a specific job — spending categories, savings goals, or debt payoff — so that your income minus your allocations equals zero. This differs from passive spending tracking; instead, you intentionally plan ahead for every dollar before you spend it. YNAB's implementation of this method is widely considered the best available.
-
After Intuit shut down Mint in early 2024, the best replacements are: Monarch Money (most similar feature set and interface), Empower Personal Dashboard (free), YNAB (best for behavior change and debt reduction), Copilot Money (best for Apple users), and Simplifi by Quicken (easiest to set up).