Figuring out Quicken Simplifi
Start Budgeting with an App
free to create a budget (subscription fee applies to premium services)
- Connect all your bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts to track spending
- Create a budget
- Bill negotiation feature
- Free plan available
- Limited features available with free plan
- Limited customer support availability
Rocket Money is featured in our best budgeting apps guide. While the Rocket Money app is free, there is a subscription fee if you want to use Premium features, like concierge services or premium chat.
Rocket Money app
Premium Plan with a 7-day free-trial, then $14.99 per month or $99.99 annually
- Link bank accounts
- Create unlimited budgets and make customizable categories
- Track individual savings goals
- Graphs and charts that track your spending and savings
- No free plan
Monarch Money is an overall solid option if you prioritize creating monthly budgets and saving for individual savings goals. The main downside of the app is that it doesn't offer a free plan. You'll have to a monthly or annual subscription fee.
Monarch Money app
$71.88 annual subscription
N/A
N/A
50% off of first year subscription
- Connect all your bank accounts, investments accounts, and credit cards
- Help you save for individual savings goals
- Create a budget
- Track expenses
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Must buy a subscription (no free option)
Quicken Simplifi is a great budgeting tool if you want to create a detailed monthly spending and savings plan and don't mind paying for a subscription. If you would rather get a budgeting app that doesn't have a subscription fee, you'll have to consider other options.
Quicken Simplifi- For a limited time, get 50% off Quicken Simplifi (offer ends May 31, 2025)
- Stay on top of your finances in under 5 minutes per week.
- Check your custom budgeting plan — anytime, anywhere!
- Track your spending
- See where your money is going and discover places to save.
- Keep your bills in check
- Find subscriptions you don't use and start saving from day one.
Rocket Money: Best Overall Budgeting App
Rocket Money (previously known as TrueBill) is our best budgeting app overall because it has a variety of tools to help you save and limit spending.
Rocket Money has both a free plan and a premium plan. With the free plan, you'll be able to link bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts to track spending and you'll also be able to Quicken Simplfi Review
Budgeting App Ratings
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We also include the settlement history of the last 3 years so you're aware of any recent public controversies involving the bank.
We include ratings from the Better Business Bureau to evaluate how companies address customer issues and handle transparency.
| Company | BBB rating |
| Rocket Money | A+ |
| Honeydue | D- |
| Monarch Money | Not rated |
| Quicken Simplifi | F (rating for parent company, Quicken) |
Honeydue has a retirement plans has grown over time.
Fee Structure on Budgeting Apps
Typically, free budgeting apps can quickly be distinguished from ones that charge monthly or annual fees.
Free budgeting apps that do not require a subscription, and may not even have a sign-up process when you first get it. These budgeting apps have limited budgeting features, though. For example, you might be able to make a monthly budget, but you might not have tools that analyze your cash flow or help you save for individual goals.
Subscription budgeting apps will often require you to create an account, and many will have you input credit card information upon getting started. These apps also often offer a short free trial or free plan to help users test out features and decide if they're worth it. However, the app's more robust features require a subscription fee.
How to Choose the Best Budgeting App
To find the right budgeting app, you need to know what features you're looking for. Are you looking for ways to cut back on spending? Do you want a free plan or a subscription plan for your budgeting app? Do you want a detailed breakdown of your finances or more of a general overview? Do you want an app that helps you manage both your investment accounts and your bank accounts? Knowing the answers to these questions can help narrow down your options.
If you have your eye on a few budgeting apps, you can try out the free trials or free versions of each before settling on the right one. That way, you can see if the interface is also user-friendly and manageable for the long-term.
Account Linking vs. Manual Transaction Entry
The apps we chose as our best picks all offer bank account linking so that your savings account with buckets. Buckets are customizable tools that separate your savings so you can save for specific goals. Since they are an integrated bank account feature, they also might be easier to manage than a budgeting app.
If you would rather have more robust budgeting tools, a budgeting app will likely still stand out to you. Budgeting apps also connect investment accounts, credit cards, and loans, so you'll be able to see everything in one place.
Also, if you are currently unbanked because you don't have a U.S. ID, know that you have options. The editorial standards to learn more about how we cover and rate products.
FAQs
What are the benefits of using a budgeting app?
A budgeting app is beneficial for tracking expenses and sticking to a budget. It can also help you save for financial goals and prevent lifestyle creep.
Are budgeting apps safe to use?
Most budgeting apps have encryption to store data, making them secure to use if you're linking your accounts. To keep your username and password safe, budgeting apps might also have multi-factor authentication so they can verify your identity when you're logging in.
Are there any free budgeting apps available?
Yes, HoneyDue and Rocket Money are two of our top picks for free budgeting apps. There are free budgeting apps available in the Apple and Android stores, though they typically have more limited features than apps with paid subscriptions.
What is the best budgeting app for beginners?
Our best budgeting app that suits most customers is Rocket Money. It lets you create a budget and has useful tools for limiting spending. It has both a free plan and a subscription plan, so beginners can test out the free plan to see if they like the features before committing to a fee.
What is the No. 1 free budget app?
Rocket Money is our best budgeting app overall, and it has a free plan. If you're in a couple, our top pick is Honeydue, which is also free to download.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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