The short version
The best expense tracker is the one that gets your spending in with the least typing. For bank sync that also splits shared costs between two people, pick Wonderful. For one list across every account, Monarch or Copilot. For a free tracker you type into, EveryDollar or Goodbudget. For photographing receipts, Expensify.
- 1
Wonderful: Couples who want every charge sorted and shared costs split
- 2
Monarch Money: One or two people who want every account in one list
- 3
Copilot Money: People on Apple devices who want a polished app
- 4
YNAB (You Need A Budget): People who want to plan each dollar, not only record it
- 5
Rocket Money: People who want to see subscriptions and have a free plan
- 6
PocketGuard: One person who wants a safe-to-spend number and rules
- 7
EveryDollar: People who will type spending in and want it free
- 8
Goodbudget: People who like envelopes and a free plan
- 9
Quicken Simplifi: People who want a spending plan and cash flow forecast
At a glance
| App | Best for | Price | Free trial | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wonderful | Couples who want every charge sorted and shared costs split | $14.99/mo or $99/yr | A free week | Web |
| Monarch Money | One or two people who want every account in one list | $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr | The pricing page says "Your first week is on us | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Copilot Money | People on Apple devices who want a polished app | $13/mo or $95/yr | The App Store and the FAQ say one month free for new users | iPhone, Web, Mac |
| YNAB (You Need A Budget) | People who want to plan each dollar, not only record it | $14.99/mo or $109/yr | The pricing page says a 34-day free trial | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Rocket Money | People who want to see subscriptions and have a free plan | Free, or $15/mo | The help center says new Premium members get a 7-day free trial | iPhone, Android, Web |
| PocketGuard | One person who wants a safe-to-spend number and rules | $6.25/mo or $74.99/yr | A 7-day free trial on each plan | iPhone, Android, Web |
| EveryDollar | People who will type spending in and want it free | Free, or $17.99/mo or $79.99/yr | Premium includes a 14-day free trial | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Goodbudget | People who like envelopes and a free plan | Free, or $10/mo or $80/yr | None stated | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Quicken Simplifi | People who want a spending plan and cash flow forecast | $6.99/mo; $3.99/mo the first year | "While we do not offer a free trial" there is a 30-day money-back guarantee from the original purchase date | iPhone, Android, Web |
- PocketGuard$74.99
- EveryDollar$79.99
- Goodbudget$80
- Quicken Simplifi$83.88
- Copilot Money$95
- Wonderful$99
- Monarch Money$99.99
- YNAB (You Need A Budget)$109
- Rocket Money$180
The cheapest way to pay for a year on each app's pricing page or the App Store. Copilot's lowest is the App Store's $95; its website shows $109. Simplifi's bar is the $6.99 a month shown beside its $3.99 first-year offer, times twelve; it renews at the then-current rate. Rocket Money's Premium price is set by you, so the chart shows Premium+ at $15 a month. EveryDollar and Goodbudget also have free plans.
How we compared
An expense tracker has one job: get every purchase in, put it in the right place, and show it back to you. So we compared the apps on what decides that:
- How spending gets in. Pulled from your bank, typed by you, or read from a receipt. This decides how much work it is every week.
- How it sorts. Automatic categories, your own categories, and rules for the merchants it gets wrong.
- What a limit does. Whether the app only records, or also measures spending against a budget.
- What it costs. Free plans, trials, and the price of a year.
- Sharing. Whether a second person can see and add to the same list.
- Where it runs. iPhone, Android, the web.
Every fact comes from the app's own pricing and help pages, its App Store and Google Play listings and their reviews, read on October 27, 2026. Each is numbered to its source at the end. Where a page doesn't say, this page says the pages don't say. For tracking subscriptions in particular, see the subscription manager apps page.
1. Couples who want every charge sorted and shared costs split
Wonderful
$14.99/mo or $99/yr· Web
What it is
A budgeting app for couples who keep their own money, and for one person: each of you connects your own bank, chooses what the other sees, and every paycheck gets a plan.
Why it's on this list
Wonderful connects your bank through Plaid and sorts every charge into a category, so nothing is typed. For two people it goes a step past the others: each charge counts for the person or the pair it belongs to, a shared charge shows each person's part, and a running total keeps track of who owes whom. It also finds recurring charges and subscriptions and shows what is due next (it doesn't cancel them). It runs in the browser, with no iPhone or Android app yet, and has no free plan after the first week.
Ideal for: Couples, and single people, who want every charge pulled from the bank and sorted, with shared costs showing each person's part.
What it does
- Every paycheck gets a plan for bills, spending and saving before it lands.[5]
- Banks connect through Plaid and every charge is sorted into a category.[4][5]
- Mine, yours and ours: each charge counts for the person or the pair it belongs to.[5]
- Finds recurring charges and subscriptions, lists what's due before your next paycheck, and flags a bill that comes in higher than usual. It doesn't cancel them for you.[5]
- Texts you by iMessage when a bill is charged twice, a price goes up or a refund lands, and you can text it questions.[5]
- Savings goals show the month you'll reach them.[5]
- Net worth for each of you and for both, from the balances your banks send, with its line over time.[5]
- Life events like getting married come step by step, with the deadlines.[5]
Good
2. One or two people who want every account in one list
What it is
A paid budgeting and net worth app that pulls every account into one place and lets a partner join under the same subscription.
Why it's on this list
Monarch pulls bank accounts, cards, loans and investments into one list and sorts transactions automatically. You can search across every account at once. A partner joins under the same subscription. Reviewers mention connections that drop, so a tracker you rely on needs an occasional look for missing charges.
Ideal for: People who want every account, including investments, in one searchable list.
What it does
- Connects bank accounts, credit cards, loans, investment accounts and real estate, through 13,000+ financial institutions.[9]
- Tracks net worth across all connected accounts.[7][9]
- Sorts transactions automatically and searches across every account in one list.[7][9]
- Two ways to budget: Flex, which splits spending into fixed, flexible and non-monthly buckets and gives one main number to watch, or Category budgeting.[7][12]
- Rollovers: money left in a category carries into the next month, to cover bills that do not come every month.[12]
Good
- A partner joins under the same subscription at no extra cost, with a separate login.[10][11]
- Two people can fund a shared goal even when their money sits in separate accounts.[11]
- Works on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web.[7][8][9]
- Rated 4.9 on the App Store (116K ratings) and 4.8 on Google Play (26.1K reviews).[7][8]
Not so good
- No free plan after the first week.[6][7]
- Paid monthly it is $14.99, which is $179.88 over twelve months, against $99.99 billed yearly.[6]
- Forecasting, several income sources and deeper investment tracking sit in the Plus tier. The App Store shows Plus at $199.99 a year; the pricing page lists no Plus price.[6][7]
- A partner sees all accounts and transactions. The couples page describes no way to keep one account private.[10][11]
Pricing
- Monthly[6][7]$14.99 a monthPricing page and App Store both show $14.99. The pricing page does not say which tier it is.
- Yearly[6][7]$99.99 a yearBilled yearly. The pricing page names two tiers, Core and Plus, but lists only these two prices.
- Yearly Plus[6][7]$199.99 a yearShown only as an in-app purchase on the App Store. The pricing page says Plus adds forecasting tools, tracking several income sources like a small business, and deeper investment tracking.
- The pricing page says "Your first week is on us." The App Store says the app is free to try for 7 days before a monthly or annual membership is billed. Neither says whether a card is needed.[6][7]
- No free plan is listed on the pricing page or the App Store. The only free access is the first week.[6][7]
“Too many transactions are the wrong category. Too many accounts disconnect all the time. Basically you need to check it everyday to stay on top of it.”Read it where it was said ↗
3. People on Apple devices who want a polished app
Copilot Money
$13/mo or $95/yr· iPhone, Web, Mac· App Store 4.8 (31K)[20]
What it is
A paid budgeting and net worth app for Apple devices and the web, with an AI money assistant and one plan that does everything.
Why it's on this list
Copilot sorts transactions automatically and lets you set your own categories with colors and emojis. Its Money Assistant can fix a transaction or match a refund to its purchase, on iPhone only. It has direct links for Venmo, Apple Card and Coinbase, which helps if your spending runs through them. It has no Android app, and its website and the App Store show different prices.
Ideal for: People on iPhone, iPad or Mac who want a polished tracker and are fine paying for it.
What it does
- Money Assistant: an AI you can ask about your money. The page says it "always asks before acting." It can fix transactions, run instructions in the background and flag spending trends with budget suggestions. The App Store says it is available only on iPhone.[17][20]
- Connects to 16,000+ US institutions through read-only integrations, with direct links for Venmo, Apple Card and Coinbase.[19][20]
- Sorts transactions automatically, and the assistant can change a category or match a refund to its purchase. You can set your own categories with colors and emojis.[17][20]
- Adaptive budgets that adjust to your spending.[20]
- Tracks spending, investments, net worth and subscriptions.[17][20]
Good
Not so good
- No Android app. The pages list iPhone, iPad, Mac and web only.[17][18][19]
- Sharing with a partner is not live. Households are marked "Coming soon."[17][18][19]
- No free plan after the trial.[19]
- The website and the App Store show different prices: $18 a month or $109 a year (shown as $9 a month) on the site, $13.00 and $95.00 on the App Store.[18][20]
Pricing
- Website, monthly[18]$18 a monthBilled monthly. The pricing page calls it "One simple plan" (checked in a browser 10/27).
- Website, yearly[18]$109 a yearShown as $9 a month, billed yearly, "instead of $119", and labeled a limited time offer.
- App Store, monthly[20]$13 a monthListed as $13.00 on the App Store, which is not what the pricing page shows.
- App Store, yearly[20]$95 a yearListed as $95.00 on the App Store.
“I gave this App every chance, but Connections to Financial Institutions FAILED CONSTANTLY. I worked with Support… get a connection repaired, ONLY TO FAIL AGAIN WITHIN DAYS.”Read it where it was said ↗
4. People who want to plan each dollar, not only record it
What it is
A paid budgeting app built on a method: give every dollar a job before you spend it.
Why it's on this list
YNAB imports transactions from your bank, but the point of the app is the method: every dollar gets a job before you spend it. As a tracker it is more work than the others on this list, and it pays you back if you want that control. One subscription can be shared with up to six people.
Ideal for: People who want to decide where money goes before it is spent, not only look back at it.
What it does
- The method: for every dollar, ask "What's it for?" Plan for now (before the next paycheck), for later (non-monthly bills like car repairs), and for ease (get a month ahead).[24]
- Bank import links accounts and brings in transactions automatically. Apple Card import is also listed.[23]
- Targets: set spending and savings goals per category and track progress at a glance.[23]
- Loan Planner: shows how much interest and time you save for each extra dollar paid toward debt.[23][25]
- Reports on spending, such as average grocery spend, and on net worth over time.[23][25]
Good
- A written method, not just a tracker: the app is built around planning before spending.[24]
- One subscription covers up to six people at no extra cost.[22]
- A 34-day trial with no card when you sign up on the site, and a free 365-day trial for college students.[22]
- Rated 4.8 on the App Store (62K ratings) and 4.6 on Google Play (25.4K).[25][26]
Not so good
- No free plan after the trial.[22]
- Paid monthly it is $14.99, which is $179.88 over twelve months, against $109 billed annually.[22]
- The website says a 34-day trial and the App Store says 30 days.[22][25]
- The method asks you to plan each dollar before you spend it, which the company's method page presents as the whole point of the app.[24]
Pricing
“Budgeting works if you want to change your life. In 10 years of using YNAB we went from being a total of $250,000 in debt to $950,000 in net worth. It takes time and commitment to change.”Read it where it was said ↗
5. People who want to see subscriptions and have a free plan
What it is
An app that finds your subscriptions, can cancel them and negotiate bills for you, and tracks spending and budgets, with a free plan and two paid ones.
Why it's on this list
Rocket Money is built around subscriptions and bills, and its free plan still links accounts and shows spending breakdowns. A full budget is where it asks you to pay: the free plan has two custom category budgets, and rules, splits, notes, tags and manual transactions are Premium. Its price is set by you within a range its article gives, which makes a year hard to predict.
What it does
- Finds recurring subscriptions in one place. On Premium, a team cancels them for you; its cost article says this usually takes 2 to 10 days. On Free you cancel them yourself.[30]
- Negotiates cable, phone and insurance bills for a success fee of 35% to 60% of the first year's savings.[30][31][32]
- Tracks upcoming bills, net income and spending, with automatic categories.[30]
- Custom budgets: two custom category budgets on Free, unlimited custom budgets and categories on Premium.[30]
- Premium adds transaction rules, splits, notes, tags, manual transactions and CSV export.[30]
Good
- A free plan exists and covers subscription tracking, bills and basic budgets.[30]
- Cancels subscriptions for you on Premium and negotiates bills.[30]
- Large installed base: 403K ratings on the App Store at 4.5 stars and 141K on Google Play at 4.5.[33][34]
- Premium is a sliding scale you pick yourself, with a 7-day trial.[30][31]
Not so good
- The price is not fixed: the learn article says $7 to $14 a month, the help center gives no numbers, and the App Store lists purchases from $2.99 to $9.99.[30][31][33]
- Bill negotiation costs 35% to 60% of the first year's savings for Free and Premium members.[30][31]
- On Free you cancel subscriptions yourself. Hands-off cancelling is Premium.[30][32]
- The free plan allows two custom category budgets, so a full budget needs Premium.[30]
Pricing
- Free[30]FreeMobile only. Tracks subscriptions and upcoming bills, with two custom category budgets.
- Premium[30][31][33]Pay what you think is fair, "typically $7 to $14 per month, subject to change," per the learn article. The help center says the price varies by platform and gives no numbers. The App Store lists Premium purchases from $2.99 to $9.99 without billing periods.
- Premium+[30][31][33]$15 a monthA fixed $15 a month plus tax. Adds Rowan, an AI assistant that works through text messages, and no fee on bill negotiation.
- The help center says new Premium members get a 7-day free trial, then the subscription continues at the price chosen at sign-up. The learn article states no trial.[30][31]
- A free plan exists. It links accounts (not in real time), tracks subscriptions but you cancel them yourself, tracks upcoming bills, and shows spending breakdowns.[30]
“I selected 7 dollars per month and it still charged me for 15”Read it where it was said ↗
6. One person who wants a safe-to-spend number and rules
What it is
A paid budgeting app for iPhone, Android and web that links bank accounts and shows how much is safe to spend after bills, goals and essentials.
Why it's on this list
PocketGuard shows what is left to spend after bills, goals and essentials, and it has transaction rules that match merchant names, keywords, amounts, categories or accounts. That makes it one of the more controllable trackers when automatic categories get something wrong. It also offers a one-time lifetime price besides subscriptions. Its pages don't describe a way to share it with a partner.
What it does
- "Leftover": what you can still spend after bills, goals and essentials.[37][41]
- Budget with zero-based, envelope or category methods, with rollovers for unspent or overspent money.[37][39]
- Pace: predicts how much you will have left at month's end from your spending habits.[37][41]
- Finds recurring charges and subscriptions automatically, and the listing mentions a built-in bill negotiation service.[37][41]
- Transaction rules that match merchant names, keywords, amounts, categories or accounts.[41]
Good
Not so good
- No free plan; the app requires the trial or a paid plan.[38]
- Monthly billing is $12.99, about double the yearly rate per month.[38]
- No partner or shared login is described on the pages opened.[37][38][39][40]
- App Store reviewers in 2025 and 2026 report being charged at the start of the trial, and a trial that does not appear in App Store subscription settings.[42]
Pricing
“I’ve been using this app for about 6 years now and it helps me stay on budget and know when to stop spending money. Also, whenever I have an issue with the app, the developers fix it fast.”Read it where it was said ↗
7. People who will type spending in and want it free
What it is
Ramsey Solutions' zero-based budgeting app: a free version where you type in transactions, and a paid version that imports them from your bank.
Why it's on this list
EveryDollar's free version has no time limit, and it is a real tracker: a monthly budget, unlimited categories, split transactions, due dates for bills and sinking funds. The catch is that you type every transaction. Importing from your bank is Premium.
What it does
- Zero-based budgeting: plan every dollar before the month starts so income minus expenses equals zero.[45]
- Free: monthly budget, unlimited categories and line items, split transactions, due dates for bills, and savings goals for big purchases.[44][46]
- Sinking funds for future expenses, in the free version.[44][45]
- Premium imports transactions automatically from connected accounts. Ramsey says it uses Mastercard Connect and Plaid.[44]
- Premium plans spending around payday and bill due dates.[44][45]
Good
Not so good
- No bank import on the free version. You type every transaction.[44]
- Premium is $17.99 billed monthly, which is $215.88 over twelve months, against $79.99 billed yearly.[44]
- Rated 4.3 on Google Play, lower than the App Store's 4.7.[46][47]
- The plans page and the App Store show different Premium plans and prices.[44][46]
Pricing
- Free[44]FreeUsable as long as you want. Manual transaction entry, no bank import.
- Premium, monthly[44][46]$17.99 a monthBank import and the rest of Premium.
- Premium, yearly[44][46]$79.99 a yearShown by Ramsey as about $6.67 a month.
- Ramsey+, yearly[46]$129.99 a yearListed only as an in-app purchase on the App Store, along with Ramsey+ at $59.99 for three months. The plans page does not describe it.
- Premium includes a 14-day free trial, for new users only.[44]
- A free version you can use as long as you want. It has a monthly budget, unlimited categories, manual transactions, sinking funds, split transactions, bill due dates and live-person support. It does not import transactions from a bank.[44][45]
“My wife and I’ve been using this app for eight years. Can’t live without it.”Read it where it was said ↗
8. People who like envelopes and a free plan
Goodbudget
Free, or $10/mo or $80/yr· iPhone, Android, Web· App Store 4.6 (13,516)[54]
What it is
An envelope budgeting app for the web, iPhone and Android where you divide income into virtual envelopes and share the budget across devices.
Why it's on this list
Goodbudget tracks spending by envelope: you divide income into envelopes and record each purchase against one. The free plan is manual entry, with 10 regular envelopes, 10 annual or goal envelopes and 1 account. Automatic bank sync is Premium and works with US banks only.
What it does
- Envelope budgeting: you divide income into category envelopes, spend from the matching envelope and stop when it is empty, with no physical cash.[56]
- The free plan has 10 regular envelopes and 10 annual or goal envelopes; Premium removes the cap.[49][50]
- Syncs and shares a budget across iPhone, Android and the web, with data backed up to Goodbudget's website.[52][54]
- Automatic bank sync is a Premium feature and works with US banks only. The free plan is manual entry.[49][50]
- Reports in the app: spending by envelope (a pie chart), income versus spending, and debt progress; more reports on the web.[54]
Good
Pricing
- Free[49][50]FreeCalled "Free Forever" on the page. 10 regular envelopes, 10 annual or goal envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices, 1 year of history, debt tracking, community support.
- Premium[49][50]$10 a month · $80 a yearAdds automatic bank sync (US banks only), unlimited envelopes and accounts, 5 devices, 7 years of history and email support.
“We’ve been using Goodbudget for several years now, after trying multiple budgeting apps. It’s the best solution we’ve found to budget with an envelope system, while utilizing credit cards and online payments.”Read it where it was said ↗
9. People who want a spending plan and cash flow forecast
Quicken Simplifi
$6.99/mo; $3.99/mo the first year· iPhone, Android, Web
What it is
A web and mobile budgeting app from Quicken that links accounts, builds a spending plan, projects cash flow and tracks bills, goals and investments.
Why it's on this list
Simplifi categorizes transactions automatically and connects to over 14,000 institutions. It adds a spending plan that shows what you can spend per day and a projected cash flow. It has no free plan and no free trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee on purchases made directly from Quicken. The price on its page is a first-year offer.
What it does
- A spending plan that shows what you can spend per day.[58]
- Projected cash flow with "what-if" scenarios.[58]
- Tracks upcoming bills and subscriptions and shows all your subscriptions.[58]
- Automatically categorizes transactions and connects to over 14,000 financial institutions.[58]
- Savings goals, reports and insights.[58]
Good
- A partner can use the shared space without paying for a second subscription.[60]
- 30-day money-back guarantee on purchases made directly from Quicken.[61][62]
- Every support channel is included with every subscription.[59]
- Covers budgeting, bills, investments and a retirement planner in one subscription.[58]
Not so good
- No free plan and no free trial.[62]
- Annual billing only, and renewal is at the then-current rate, not the first-year offer.[58][62]
- Only one shared space and one additional member; no way to share only some accounts.[60]
- A person invited to share must accept on the web app; signing in on the mobile app prompts them to subscribe.[60]
Pricing
- Simplifi, first-year offer[58]$3.99 a monthBilled annually. The page says the final price may differ from the monthly price times 12, and the offer is for the first year when ordered directly from Quicken by November 26, 2026.
- Simplifi, price shown beside the offer[58]$6.99 a monthBilled annually. Shown next to $3.99 on the page without a label. The subscription renews at "the then-current rates".
“Easy to set up. For me it’s great! Tracking my finances - I only have to look in one place for everything. Love it!”Read it where it was said ↗
Expensify, for receipts
Expensify is a different kind of tool, and it has no profile in our app database, so here is only what its own pages say. Its FAQ calls it an "all-in-one expense management platform" and says it is "completely free to use as an individual." Company plans start at $5 per member. Its home page says "Snap a photo, forward to receipts@expensify.com, or upload a file" and that Expensify will capture the amount, date, merchant and more.[1]
Its help article lists the ways to create an expense: scan a receipt on mobile or web, forward a receipt by email, text a receipt photo to 47777 (US numbers only), enter a cash expense by hand, and add a distance expense from a map or, on mobile, from GPS.[2] The home page also says you can link the corporate cards you already have, with 10k+ banks supported globally.[1] It is aimed at expense reports and work spending. The pages we read don't describe household budgets, categories with limits or a partner view, so it fits a person who needs receipts and mileage more than one who wants a monthly plan.
How spending gets in, app by app
This is the choice that decides how much work tracking is. Bank sync means a connection that someone has to keep working; typing means you are the connection.
- Wonderful: banks connect through Plaid and every charge is sorted. [4][5]
- Monarch: connects bank accounts, cards, loans and investments through 13,000+ institutions. [9]
- Copilot: connects to 16,000+ US institutions through read-only integrations, with direct links for Venmo, Apple Card and Coinbase. [19][20]
- YNAB: bank import brings in transactions automatically, and Apple Card import is listed. [23]
- Rocket Money: links accounts on the free plan, though not in real time; real-time and on-demand syncing are Premium. [30]
- PocketGuard: connects to more than 20,000 institutions in the US, Canada and the UK, read-only, and also tracks cash with up to 50 cash accounts. [37][39]
- EveryDollar: you type transactions on the free version; Premium imports them. [44]
- Goodbudget: manual on the free plan; automatic sync is Premium and US banks only. [49][50]
- Simplifi: connects to over 14,000 institutions and categorizes automatically. [58]
- Expensify: receipts by photo, email or text, plus linked cards.[1][2]
How each one sorts spending
Automatic categories are right most of the time and wrong some of it. A tracker earns its keep in what you can do about the wrong ones. These are the controls the apps' pages describe.
- Rules: PocketGuard has transaction rules that match merchant names, keywords, amounts, categories or accounts. [41] Rocket Money lists transaction rules on Premium. [30]
- Your own categories: Copilot lets you set categories with colors and emojis. [17][20] EveryDollar's free version has unlimited categories and line items. [44][46]
- Fixing in conversation: Copilot's Money Assistant can change a category or match a refund to its purchase, on iPhone only. [17][20]
- Splitting one purchase: EveryDollar's free version splits a transaction across categories, and Rocket Money's Premium includes transaction splits. [44][46][30]
- Charges that belong to a person: Wonderful counts each charge for the person or pair it belongs to. [5]
If you are choosing category names, the budget categories guide lists the usual ones, and a monthly budget template gives you a sheet to check an app's totals against.
Free ways to track expenses
Four of the apps here can be used without paying, each with a trade.
- EveryDollar: free with no time limit, and you type every transaction. Premium is $79.99 billed yearly or $17.99 billed monthly.[44][45]
- Goodbudget: free with 10 regular envelopes, 10 annual or goal envelopes, 1 account and 2 devices, no bank sync. Premium is $10 a month or $80 a year.[49][50][54]
- Rocket Money: a free plan with account linking, subscription tracking and spending breakdowns, on mobile only.[30]
- Expensify: free as an individual, per its FAQ.[1]
The rest have a trial or a money-back window instead: YNAB 34 days, Copilot one month, PocketGuard 7 days, Monarch and Wonderful a week. More in the free budgeting apps roundup.
Tracking expenses as two people
A second person changes the question. Do you both add to one list, and does each of you see everything? The profiles say this:
- Wonderful: A partner joins with their own login at no extra cost. One subscription covers the household.[3]
- Monarch Money: A partner joins at no extra cost under the same subscription and gets their own login. The page says, "Partners will each have their own login, but can view each other's data."[10][11]
- Copilot Money: Households are marked "Coming soon" and partner invites "coming this fall" on the home and pricing pages. Once live, the pages say up to 3 people share one subscription at no extra cost with full access.[17][18]
- YNAB (You Need A Budget): YNAB Together shares one subscription with up to six people, "for the price of a single subscription." It is meant for partners and other close groups.[22][23][28]
- Quicken Simplifi: Spaces sharing: you can share your data with one additional member. They need their own Quicken ID but not their own subscription, and must accept the invite on the web app.[58][60]
- EveryDollar: A Household feature lets a couple manage one budget together, even when each partner signs in with a separate email. The page does not say whether it is free or Premium only.[44][45]
PocketGuard and Rocket Money's pages describe less: PocketGuard's pages we read have no partner or shared login, and Rocket Money lists account sharing with a partner as a Premium feature. For what a partner sees, see couples budgeting apps and privacy and the couples roundup.
How to choose
Pick how spending should arrive first. Price comes second, because the paid trackers cost within a few dollars of each other for a year.
Choose Wonderful if you:
- Share bills with a partner and want each charge to show whose it is
- Want who-owes-whom kept for you
- Are fine with a web app for now
Choose Monarch Money if you:
- Want every account, investments too, in one list
- Are both fine seeing everything
- Want iPhone, Android and web
Choose Copilot Money if you:
- Use Apple devices
- Want your own categories and an assistant to fix mistakes
- Can live without partner sharing for now
Choose PocketGuard if you:
- Want rules for merchants it gets wrong
- Would pay once instead of monthly
- Track alone
Choose EveryDollar if you:
- Will type spending in
- Want a free tracker with no time limit
Choose Rocket Money if you:
- Want to see subscriptions and bills first
- Want a free plan that links accounts
Where Wonderful fits, and where it doesn't
We make Wonderful, so weigh this part accordingly. It suits two people who each connect their own bank and want every charge sorted, with shared costs split and a running total of who owes whom. It also works for one person. It isn't the right pick if you want a free tracker (it has no free plan after the first week), a mobile app from an app store (it runs in the browser), receipt scanning (its pages don't describe it) or investment advice (it gives none). Its price is $14.99 a month or $99 a year for the household.
Tracking without an app
You can track by hand. List your categories down a page, write each purchase under one, and total them at month end. It costs nothing and asks for a few minutes a day. The free monthly budget template gives you the sheet.
Questions people ask
What is the best expense tracker app?
It depends on how you want spending to arrive. If you want it pulled from your bank, pick an app with bank sync: Wonderful, Monarch, Copilot, YNAB, Rocket Money, PocketGuard or Simplifi. If you want to type it in for free, EveryDollar and Goodbudget have free plans. If you want to photograph receipts, Expensify describes that most fully.
What are the best apps for tracking expenses?
Wonderful, Monarch, Copilot, YNAB, Rocket Money, PocketGuard, EveryDollar, Goodbudget, Simplifi and Expensify are covered here. They split three ways: bank sync, typing each one in, and receipt scanning. Most of the bank-sync apps also sort each charge into a category for you.
What is the best app for tracking spending?
For tracking spending day to day, bank sync matters most because it saves typing. Monarch connects through 13,000+ institutions, Copilot through 16,000+ US institutions and PocketGuard through more than 20,000. Wonderful connects banks through Plaid and sorts every charge.
Is there a free expense tracker app?
Yes, with limits. EveryDollar's free version has no time limit but you type every transaction. Goodbudget's free plan has 10 regular envelopes, 10 goal envelopes and 1 account, with no bank sync. Rocket Money has a free plan that tracks subscriptions and bills with two custom category budgets. Expensify's home page says it is free as an individual.
What is the best free app to track expenses?
If you will type spending in, EveryDollar's free version has a monthly budget, unlimited categories, split transactions and bill due dates. If you want your accounts linked without paying, Rocket Money's free plan links accounts, though not in real time. Wonderful has no free plan after its free week.
Which expense tracker apps scan receipts?
Of the apps here, Expensify describes it most fully: snap a photo, forward a receipt to receipts@expensify.com, or text a photo to 47777 (US numbers only). PocketGuard lists receipt attachments. The other apps' pages we read don't describe receipt scanning.
Do I need bank sync to track expenses?
No. Typing each purchase in works and costs nothing, and some people like how it makes them notice what they spend. The cost is time, and missed entries. Bank sync removes the typing but can drop a connection, so check for missing charges.
What is the difference between an expense tracker and a budgeting app?
A tracker records what you spent and sorts it. A budgeting app also sets a limit for each category and measures you against it. Most of the apps here do both; Expensify is mainly a tracker and receipt tool.
Can two people track expenses in the same app?
Yes in several. Monarch, YNAB and Wonderful include a partner under one subscription, and Simplifi lets you share a space with one additional member. Copilot lists partner invites as coming soon. See the couples roundup for what each partner sees.
Can I track expenses without an app?
Yes. A monthly sheet with a line for each category and a total at the end works if you are willing to type. The free monthly budget template is one, and the budget categories guide helps you name the lines.
Sources
64 sources · read October 27, 2026
Every number on this page comes from expensify.com, help.expensify.com, wonderful.money and 17 more. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1Expensify home pageexpensify.com
- 2Create an expense (Expensify help)help.expensify.com
- 3Wonderful terms of servicewonderful.money
- 4Wonderful privacy policywonderful.money
- 5Wonderfulwonderful.money
- 6Monarch pricingmonarch.com
- 7Monarch on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 8Monarch on Google Playplay.google.com
- 9Monarch home pagemonarch.com
- 10Monarch for couplesmonarch.com
- 11Monarch collaborationmonarch.com
- 12Monarch budgetingmonarch.com
- 13Monarch planningmonarch.com
- 14Apple public review feed for Monarchitunes.apple.com
- 15Monarch help: Monarch for Couples and Householdshelp.monarch.com
- 16Trustpilot, www.monarchmoney.comtrustpilot.com
- 17Copilot Money homecopilot.money
- 18Copilot Money pricingcopilot.money
- 19Copilot Money FAQcopilot.money
- 20Copilot on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 21Apple public review feed for Copilotitunes.apple.com
- 22YNAB pricingynab.com
- 23YNAB featuresynab.com
- 24The YNAB methodynab.com
- 25YNAB on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 26YNAB on Google Playplay.google.com
- 27Apple public review feed for YNABitunes.apple.com
- 28YNAB: Using YNAB as Partnerssupport.ynab.com
- 29Trustpilot, ynab.comtrustpilot.com
- 30Rocket Money: How much does Rocket Money costrocketmoney.com
- 31Rocket Money help center: How much does Rocket Money costhelp.rocketmoney.com
- 32Rocket Money FAQframer.rocketmoney.com
- 33Rocket Money on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 34Rocket Money on Google Playplay.google.com
- 35Apple public review feed for Rocket Moneyitunes.apple.com
- 36Trustpilot, rocketmoney.comtrustpilot.com
- 37PocketGuard home pagepocketguard.com
- 38PocketGuard pricingpocketguard.com
- 39PocketGuard help: Plus overviewpocketguard.com
- 40PocketGuard help: all featurespocketguard.com
- 41App Store listing, PocketGuardapps.apple.com
- 42App Store reviews, PocketGuardapps.apple.com
- 43Trustpilot, pocketguard.comtrustpilot.com
- 44EveryDollar plans (Ramsey Solutions)ramseysolutions.com
- 45EveryDollar budget page (Ramsey Solutions)ramseysolutions.com
- 46EveryDollar on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 47EveryDollar on Google Playplay.google.com
- 48Apple public review feed for EveryDollaritunes.apple.com
- 49Goodbudget pricing (signup page)goodbudget.com
- 50Goodbudget help: Subscribe to Goodbudgetgoodbudget.com
- 51Goodbudget refunds and cancellationsgoodbudget.com
- 52Goodbudget home pagegoodbudget.com
- 53Goodbudget help indexgoodbudget.com
- 54App Store listing, Goodbudgetapps.apple.com
- 55App Store reviews, Goodbudgetapps.apple.com
- 56Goodbudget envelope budgeting pagegoodbudget.com
- 57Goodbudget changeloggoodbudget.com
- 58Quicken Simplifi product pagequicken.com
- 59Quicken blog: personal finance software with the best customer supportquicken.com
- 60Simplifi help: How to use Spaces sharingsupport.simplifi.quicken.com
- 61Simplifi help: How to cancel and get a refundsupport.simplifi.quicken.com
- 62Simplifi help: Subscription questionssupport.simplifi.quicken.com
- 63App Store listing, Quicken: Budget & Track Moneyapps.apple.com
- 64App Store reviews, Quicken: Budget & Track Moneyapps.apple.com
App names are trademarks of their owners; Wonderful isn't connected with them. Wonderful gives general information. It isn't a financial or tax advisor.