How to choose the best budgeting app for you: what to check before you sign up

Why the adverts and the app store are not enough

Budgeting app adverts show the best result an app can reach. The detailed terms often say something different. For example:

• An app may not connect to your bank, or may connect only some of the time.
• A "free" app may make money by showing you offers for loans and credit cards, or by using your spending data.
• A free trial may turn into a yearly subscription automatically.

So check the same things for every app, using its own security, privacy and price pages, before you connect a bank account.

Before you look at any app

Write down your answers to these four points. They decide which checks in the list matter most to you.

• Your accounts. Your banks, credit cards, cash and any other accounts you want to track, and the country they are in.
• How you like to budget. Tracking where money went, planning every amount in advance, or saving towards goals.
• Who will use it. Just you, or a partner who needs to see the same budget.
• How much you want to connect. Automatic connection to your bank, or entering spending yourself.

The checklist

The checks are in three groups. Must have means a problem here can make it hard to use, put your data at risk or cost more than expected. Nice to have means it makes a real difference for many people. Optional means it only matters to some people. When you open the checklist in NeutralPick, you can move any check to a different group to match your answers above.

• Must have
• Works with your banks, or lets you enter spending yourselfDoes it connect reliably to my banks and cards in my country, and can I add spending by hand or import a bank file if a connection fails?Bank connections depend on the country and the bank. User reviews often mention connections that keep breaking.
• Read-only access to your bankDoes it use my bank's official read-only connection, where I log in on my bank's own page or app and never give the app my bank password?Read-only means the app can see transactions but can't move money. Giving an app your bank password may break your bank's terms and affect refunds after fraud.
• Your financial data isn't sold or used for advertsDoes the company sell or share my spending data, or use it to show me offers for loans, cards or other products?Read the privacy policy. Free or paid, every app makes money somehow; check how this one does.
• Strong account securityCan I protect my account with two-step login, and does the company explain how it stores and protects my data?Your budget shows a lot about your life. Two-step login stops someone who learns your password from getting in.
• A price you know after any trialWhat will I pay after the free trial, monthly and yearly, does it renew automatically, and how do I cancel?Many apps start a paid subscription automatically when the trial ends. Write down the date.
• Nice to have
• Suits how you like to budgetDoes it support the way I like to budget, such as planning every amount, tracking categories, or saving towards goals?An app that fights your habits gets abandoned. Try the trial with a real month of spending.
• Sorts spending correctlyDoes it sort my spending into categories automatically, and can I correct it and create my own categories?Automatic sorting saves time, but it makes mistakes. Correcting it should be quick.
• Shared budgets, if you need themCan a partner see and edit the same budget from their own account, and does that cost extra?Only matters if you share money with someone.
• Export and delete your dataCan I export all my data to a spreadsheet file, and delete my account and data completely?This lets you keep your records if you leave, and remove your data from the company when you go.
• Your currency and languageDoes it support my currency, my language and the way dates and numbers are written where I live?Some apps are made for one country. Check before connecting anything.
• Optional
• Works on your phone and computerDoes it work on my phone and on a computer, and does my data stay the same on both?Many people enter spending on a phone and plan on a bigger screen.

Claims to look at carefully

Adverts and product pages often describe the points below in vague terms. When you see one, look for the specific information shown here. If you cannot find it, assume the answer is "no" or "only partly".

• "Bank-level security". Look for how it connects to your bank, two-step login, and what its privacy policy says about your data.
• "Free". Look for how the company makes money: subscriptions, offers, or your data.
• "Connects to thousands of banks". Look for your own banks, in your country, and user reviews about how reliable the connection is.
• The price. Look for the price after the trial, monthly and yearly, and how to cancel.

What to do with what you found

1. Put all the apps side by side.
2. Look at the Must have checks first. If an app gets a No on one of your must-haves, remove it, however good the rest looks. Look closely at any Partial.
3. Try the one left at the top with real spending for as long as the trial allows, and note the date the trial ends.
4. If you stop using an app, delete your account in the app (removing it from your phone isn't enough). If your bank lets you, also remove the app's access in your bank's settings. If you ever gave the app your bank password, change it.

Why use NeutralPick to compare budgeting apps

• The same checks for every budgeting app. You fill in the same checklist for each budgeting app you are considering, so you compare them in the same way.
• Everything in one table. You see every budgeting app side by side, check by check, instead of switching between shop pages and notes.
• Nobody can pay to influence it. There are no adverts, no paid placements and no "featured" products. No maker or shop can pay to be shown to you or placed higher.
• Free, with no account. You don't need to sign up or pay anything.

Start with this checklist See an example comparison