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Updated on Mar 4, 2024Reviewed by Steve Rogers
Reviewed by: Steve Rogers All Articles →Steve Rogers has been a professional writer and editor for over 30 years, specializing in personal finance, investment, and the impact of political trends on financial markets and personal finances.
Is money causing you stress? There’s an app for that. Personal finance software has made it easier than ever to take control of your finances. We’ve rounded up a list of the very best personal finance software to help you achieve your financial goals and say goodbye to money worries.
Personal finance software helps you budget, plan for the future, and become better at managing your money. From budgeting to tax-software, we rank the top players in each category based on reviews, reputation, and functionality so you can find the right fit.
📚 In this post:Budgeting software has been a game-changer in the financial lives of many users. These tools can help you create custom budgets, offer insights into your spending, and help you pay down your debts. They link directly to your bank accounts so all your finances are in one place.
🥇 Best Paid Software
👍 Recommended for: People who are serious about budgeting and zero-based budget enthusiasts.
Life-changing, eye-opening, and amazing customer service are just some of the ways users describe this popular budgeting software. While its price tag may deter you from trying it, YNAB claims its budgeters save on average an impressive $6,000 in their first year alone. It’s designed to help you stop living paycheck-to-paycheck and clear your debts.
What differentiates YNAB from its competitors is that it’s not just a budgeting tool. According to users, it’s an educational tool that completely changes your mindset and your relationship with money.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.8/5 (45k ratings)
💵 Cost: $14.99/mo (34-day free trial) or $99/year
🥇 Best Free Software
👍 Recommended for:
Mint is the most downloaded and widely used budgeting tool you can get. Besides tracking your spending and budgeting, it also offers extra features like credit monitoring and bill payment reminders. Users say it’s helped them stay on top of all their bills, create long-term savings, and improve their credit score.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.8/5 (777k Ratings).
💵 Cost: Free
💡 Determining which budgeting method works best for you can help you choose the right budgeting software.
If you have a savings goal and want to be more in control of your spending, here is the best personal finance software specifically designed with savings in mind.
🥇 Most Popular
👍 Recommended for:
This popular app allows you to create different goals, like saving for a vacation or paying off your credit card debt and automatically finds money in your checking account to put aside towards these goals. Oportun claims that the average member saves $2,200/year.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.7/5 (274k ratings).
💵 Cost: $5/mo (30-day free trial).
🥇 For saving & investing.
👍 Recommended for:
Qapital helps you put away a percentage of each paycheck and also makes saving fun by setting rules with each savings goal you have. For example, if your goal is to save for your honeymoon, you can ask Qapital to transfer $5 to your savings every time you buy coffee. With the complete subscription, you can invest your savings and Qapital handles it all for you, a big help for new or inexperienced investors.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.8/5 (82k Ratings)
💵 Cost: From $3/mo to $12/mo depending on user needs (30-day free trial)
Small business owners and freelancers take note: some software goes beyond personal finance and integrates features that can help you manage your small business.
👍 Recommended for: Freelancers
Bonsai is a small business management tool that will make any freelancer’s life easier. This software is packed with features. It can help you with things like contracts, proposals, invoicing, tax preparation and even task management.
👎 Cons:
⭐ Average User Rating: 4.8/5
💵 Cost: Starter – $24/month, Professional – $39/month, Business – $79/month
👍 Recommended for: Small business owners
Often mentioned as an alternative to Quicken, this personal finance software is for individuals and small business owners alike. You can also set up invoicing as an add-on feature (for an extra $60/year). Some of its features include attachments of receipts, financial reports, budgeting, and more. It’s easy to use and customizable according to your business needs.
👎 Cons:
⭐ Average User Rating: 4.4/5
💵 Cost: $9.99/year for basic, $39.99/year for premium (45-day free trial)
👍 Recommended for: Micro-businesses, freelancers, and startups.
GnuCash is free accounting software that you can use for your personal and small business needs. It may not be the prettiest looking software, but its users don’t mind as it offers excellent features. You can manage your personal accounts as well as your customers, vendors, invoicing, and more.
👎 Cons:
⭐ Average User Rating: 3.3/5
💵 Cost: Free
Investment management software can help you achieve your investment objectives by consolidating and tracking all your investments in one place. Whether you’re a first-time investor or a veteran, modern tools are at your disposal and only a click away.
🥇 Best Free Software
👍 Recommended for: All investors.
Empower’s completely free financial dashboard is one of the best investment management tools you can use. You can link all your existing investments (including retirement accounts) to it and use their Investment Checkup Tool to track their performance and compare them against benchmarks. You will receive an investment strategy, risk analysis, and advice on how you can improve your current investments.
The software will even help you minimize your retirement plan fees and look for ways to save you money on your investment fees while minimizing risk.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.7/5 (132k ratings)
💵 Cost: Free
🥇 Most Reputable Software
👍 Recommended for: All Investors.
Morningstar offers a free way to track your investments, create an investment strategy, and manage your investment portfolio in one place. It’s been around for a long time and it’s a trusted tool that many investors use to manage their portfolios.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.2/5 (6.4K ratings).
💵 Cost: $249/year or $34.95/month (7-day free trial)
Whether you’re new to filing taxes or want to save money filing this year, here is some of the best tax software available to you. If you’re thinking about using paid software to file your taxes, check out our guide to the IRS Free File Program.
🥇 Best Free Software
👍 Recommended for:
Credit Karma is very user-friendly, straightforward, and helps you narrow down the sections you need to file based on your unique tax situation.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.8/5 (6.0 Mil Ratings).
💵 Cost: Free
🥇 Best Paid Software
👍 Recommended for: All taxpayers, including self-employed individuals.
While this is one of the pricier products around, it’s also one of the most trusted tax filing software packages. Users rave about its easy-to-use layout and its expert advice at your fingertips. Many say it’s like meeting face to face with a CPA without actually having to leave your home.
👎 Cons:
⭐ User Rating: 4.8/5 (148k Reviews).
💵 Cost:
🥇 Best Value
👍 Recommended for: all taxpayers, especially those who don’t need much support.
Whether you have simple or more intricate tax filing needs, TaxSlayer offers you great value for your money. Its fair pricing combined with a user-friendly experience makes it a favorite among American taxpayers.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.8/5 (13k ratings)
💵 Cost:
Are you looking for personal finance software that can do it all? The following tools were designed to give you a holistic view of your financial life in one place. They are especially helpful for users with multiple needs and financial assets.
🥇 Best Free Comprehensive Software
👍 Recommended for All users
With Empower’s easy-to-use software and advanced features, it’s easy to see why it’s made our list twice. On top of investments, Empower analyzes your accounts, credit products, and any other assets you have to give you a comprehensive view of your finances.
Users rave about it, saying it’s improved their overall financial well-being, offered them valuable investment advice, and helped them meet their long-term financial goals.
👎 Cons:
⭐ App Store User Rating: 4.7/5 (132k ratings)
💵 Cost: Free
🥇 All in One Personal Finance Software
👍 Recommended for:
Quicken is the OG of personal finance software. It’s been around for decades and has over 17 million users. If you want software that will do it all and prefer working on a desktop this may be the right fit. Quicken does everything from budgeting, bill payments, investment tracking, retirement planning, and more.
With so many high-quality players in the fintech market that can deliver the same functions for a quarter of the price, it’s not surprising Quicken has been fading from the limelight. Compare this product with newer alternatives before making a decision.
👎 Cons:
⭐ User Rating: 4/5 (43k reviews)
💵 Cost: From $28,68 to $71,88 per year
There is no shortage of personal finance software out there. Some will even help you with legal matters you’d rather avoid, like writing a will and even estate planning.
👍 Recommended for: Users with simple, straightforward wills and estates.
If you have simple needs and don’t want to splurge on legal assistance, DYOW gives you a free way to create a will, power of attorney, and access to other legal forms.
👎 Cons:
⭐ Average User Rating: 4.5/5
💵 Cost: Free
While these are all useful tools, it’s your responsibility to use them in a way that will be beneficial to you and your financial well-being. They will help you do the work, but they won’t do it for you!
There are dozens of products in this market, and all of them have devoted followers. Your task is to choose the one that fits your personal needs. To do that, you’ll need to clarify your needs and objectives and select the product that fits them best. It’s worth putting some effort into that decision. The right choice can streamline your finances and make your life easier. The wrong choice could just leave you frustrated. Smart shopping makes it more likely that you’ll make the right choice!
Personal Finance Software covers a pretty wide range, and we look at many packages here that do not compete directly with each other. There are still common features that we used to reach a decision.
Not all of these features will be equally important to all users. Keep your personal priorities in mind when making your choice!
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