Best Budgeting Apps That Put Money Back in Your Pocket

Why budgeting apps? Feeling in control of your finances takes a huge weight off your shoulders and keeps you in the driver’s seat. And with the job market the way it is, it’s natural to want to put some money away and avoid overspending where you don’t have to.

Let’s take a look at five apps for budgeting that can help you track your finances and avoid overspending.

Quick overview

• Monarch: Connect all your financial accounts in one place, keep track of your cash flow, and set savings goals.
• PantryPal: Get recipe ideas based on what you have in your kitchen, reduce food waste, and save money on groceries.
• Rocket Money: Find and cancel unwanted subscriptions that quietly drain your wallet.
• OnSkin: Skip costly trial and error and go straight to products that match your skin and hair profile.
• Coupert: Automatically find and apply the best coupon codes at checkout at over 200,000 stores.

Monarch: Budget and track money

You can use the Monarch budgeting app to keep all your financial accounts in one place. It saves you from hopping between bank apps, credit card portals, and investment dashboards. Instead, you get a clear view of your balances, spending, investments, and debt all in one place. It’s one of the most versatile budget planner options.

Key features:

• All accounts, one dashboard.
• Smart AI categorization, or create your own.
• Budget by category or cost type.
• Set unlimited goals and track your progress.

While Monarch is one of the best budgeting apps currently available, it comes with its own set of drawbacks. The app doesn’t offer a free version. It’s $14.99 per month or $99.99 annually (about $8.33/month when billed yearly), with a 7-day free trial to start. Some users also note that customer service options are somewhat limited.

The app is available on iOS and Android.

PantryPal: Save on groceries

PantryPal helps you avoid overspending at the grocery store by showing you exactly what you can cook with what you already have in your kitchen. It finds recipes you can make right now and ones you’re just 2–3 ingredients away from making.

Key features:

• Browse thousands of recipes using ingredients you already have.
• Filter by diet, time, or other lifestyle preferences.
• Add missing ingredients from any recipe to a single shopping list.
• Cook a recipe, and your pantry and shopping lists update automatically.

The main limitation is that you have to enter ingredients manually. You can use your voice to speed things up, but the initial pantry setup still takes some time.

The app is available on iOS and Android.

Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions

Rocket Money is widely recognized as one of the top budgeting apps, particularly for its subscription management tools. It analyzes your spending to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions that quietly drain your wallet month after month.

Key features:

• Find and cancel recurring subscriptions in just a few taps.
• Use a concierge service to lower your cable, phone, and internet bills.
• Set spending limits by category and get alerts before you hit them.
• Access your credit score with a full breakdown of contributing factors.

One of the main considerations here is that while there is a free version, like many budgeting apps, some of the most useful features, such as bill negotiation, are locked behind a Premium subscription. Users have also reported occasional bank connectivity issues.  

The app is available on iOS and Android.

OnSkin: Skip the trial-and-error costs

Like most budgeting apps on this list, OnSkin offers a unique approach to saving money. It helps you avoid costly missteps by matching products in-store to your skin and hair profile, so you buy what works the first time.

Key features:

• Suggests products based on dermatological research.
• Personalized, AI-powered advice and recommendations.
• Real-time feedback on the products you scan.
• Decodes confusing labels in seconds, so you know why a product suits you.

As with many of the best apps for budgeting, OnSkin helps you make smarter choices before you overspend. But there are a few things to consider before committing. While the advice is backed by scientific research, no app can guarantee that a product will work for you with 100% accuracy. That’s why you should always patch-test.

The app is available on iOS and Android.

Coupert: Get coupons and cashback offers

As a free shopping assistant, Coupert claims to help you save about $600 a year. It automatically finds coupons and allows you to earn cashback as you shop online. While not directly a budget app, Coupert can make your life easier by testing available promo codes at checkout across more than 200,000 stores and applying the one that saves you the most.

Key features:

• Scans and tests coupon codes at checkout so you don’t have to.
• Finds the same products at other stores for less.
• Allows you to earn up to 40% cashback, redeemable via gift cards or PayPal.
• Real-time alerts when prices drop on items you’re watching.

The main drawback for smartphone users is that Coupert is primarily a browser extension that works best on desktop, though there’s a mobile app for shopping on the go. The free version also includes some ads and sponsored offers.

The app is available on iOS and Android.