There are tons of money-saving apps out there, but it’s hard to know which ones are worth the hype. Here are 10 services available on iOS, Android, and on the web to help you take control of your finances this year:
1. You Need a Budget (YNAB)
Available on: ioS, Android, Web
Cost: Free 34 day trial, $11.99/month or $84/year
Regardless of what your financial goals are, you still need a budget to keep track of where your money is going. You can link checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards to figure out how you spend your money. From there, YNAB helps you “give every dollar a job” and build a budget based around custom goals. They also offer video courses and free workshops to help you increase your financial literacy.
2. Digit
Available on: iOS, Android
Cost: Free 30 day trial, $5/month
Saving money is hard. Digit wants to help you save more money, without having to think about it. Once you link your checking account to the app, it analyzes your spending patterns and determines what a “safe” amount to withdraw every day. That money is put in a separate account labeled as a goal of yours – go on a vacation, pay off a credit card, etc. You can also set a “limit” so Digit won’t pull out any money if your account dips below a certain amount. And if you do overdraft because of Digit, they will pay the fee. As an added bonus, you get a daily text updating where you are on your savings goals and how much is in your checking account.
3. KidFund
Available on: iOS (Android coming soon)
Cost: Free!
KidFund is designed to help parents save money for their kids. It’s also an easy way for relatives, family members, and other adults in a child’s life to contribute to that savings fund. Even if you don’t have kids, there’s an option to donate money to a low-income child’s college fund. Like other apps, you can set up auto-transfers to save a certain amount each month. You also have the option to add pictures and videos to each contribution – an easy way to save a sweet memento for a birthday or holiday. There’s no minimum to start an account, and you earn 3% yearly on the first $500. Plus, there’s a $5 referral bonus.
4. Chime
Available on: iOS, Android
Cost: Free
Chime is a bit different than the other apps on this list. It’s a mobile-only, FDIC insured bank. In 2018, a study by Deposit Accounts found that the average person pays about $34 in overdraft fees, $2.28 in ATM fees, and nearly $5 in monthly fees. Chime cuts down significantly on those, keeping your money in your pocket. There are no monthly fees, no minimum deposit or balance, no foreign transaction fees, and no replacement fee if you lose your debit card. You can also get direct deposit two days earlier.
5. Debt Payoff Assistant
Available on: iOS
Cost: Free, $0.99 for Pro version
Android alternative: Credit Card Payoff
Debt Payoff Assistant wants to help you find a strategy to pay off your debt. It focuses on the snowball method (paying off the smallest debt first and using that momentum to “snowball” to the largest debt), but you can customize your plan and use a different strategy. You can enter an unlimited number of debts to track. It also shows you statistics and visuals to see your progress, like a progress bar for each debt and total interest saved.
6. Qapital
Available on: iOS, Android
Cost: Qapital offers three tiers at different price points; Basic, $3/month, Complete, $6/month, and Master, $12/month. 30-day free trial.
Qapital is similar to Digit in that it is considered a micro-saving app. However, it has a few distinct features that may drive you to choose it over Digit. Qapital allows you to set “rules” on how it saves your money. For example, you can set up a “guilty pleasure” rule where a certain amount is put into a savings account when you indulge – fast food or a fancy coffee, for example. You can also set it to save a specified amount each day – but each day doesn’t have to be the same. A popular rule is the 52-week rule, where each day for 52 weeks, you save a little bit more ($1 on week 1, $2 on week 2, etc).
7. Twine
Available on: iOS, Web
Cost: Free to save, 0.6% annually to invest
Twine’s motto is, “Grow your future, together.” It’s built for couples trying to reach joint savings goals, without needing a joint account. Choose a savings goal, set how much each partner is contributing, and Twine automatically sets aside that money for you both. It offers 1.05% interest per year on all savings. It also features an investing option with different portfolio levels (conservative, moderate, and aggressive options).
8. Tip Yourself
Available on: iOS, Android
Cost: Free
Tip Yourself works on a simple concept. If you did something good (their examples include skipped an impulse purchase and went to the gym), you deserve to, well, tip yourself! Put some money in your virtual tip jar and withdraw whenever you’d like.
9. GasBuddy
Available on: iOS, Android, Web
Cost: Free
Everybody wants the cheapest gas in town, but it’s hard to know where to go, especially when you’re on a trip. Tell GasBuddy what city you’re in, and it’ll pull up a map with gas prices near you, so you always get the best discount. It also comes with a trip cost calculator, so you can plan your fuel stops ahead of time and know how much you’ll spend in gas next time you go road tripping.
10. Honey
Available on: iOS, Android, Web Extension
Cost: Free
Lots of people have heard about Honey – for a good reason! Honey searches the web for coupons for things you were going to buy anyway. Click a button before checkout, and find discount codes you didn’t know were available. You can be a good Samaritan and upload any codes you find for other people to use. Additionally, Honey features a “Droplist”. Tell the app what you’re looking to buy, and it automatically alerts you whenever the price drops so you can get the best deal.