The short version
For free, Empower is the pick for net worth and investments, Credit Karma for credit scores, and Honeydue for spending and bills shared by two people. Goodbudget and EveryDollar are free budgets you type into. Nearly every free app is paid for by offers, an advisory arm or an upsell. Wonderful, which we make, is not free: a free week, then $99 a year for both of you.
- 1
Wonderful: Not free: a free week, then $99 a year for two
- 2
Empower Personal Dashboard: Free net worth and investments, paid for by its advisory arm
- 3
NerdWallet: Free net worth and credit monitoring, paid for by partner offers
- 4
Credit Karma: Free credit scores, paid for by card and loan offers
- 5
Honeydue: Free shared spending and bills for two, paid for by tips
- 6
Goodbudget: Free envelopes you type into, with bank sync on Premium
- 7
EveryDollar: A free zero-based budget you type into
- 8
Spendee: A free wallet and budget, with bank sync on Premium
- 9
Wallet by BudgetBakers: Free manual tracking, with bank sync on Premium
- 10
Rocket Money: A free subscription list, with the rest on paid plans
- 11
PocketGuard: Not free: a 7-day trial, then a paid plan
At a glance
| App | Good at | What is free | How it is paid for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonderful | Planning each paycheck; net worth for each of you and both | A free week only | Subscription: $14.99 a month or $99 a year for the household |
| Empower Personal Dashboard | Net worth, investments, retirement planning | All of it | Advisory fees from people who hire it to manage money |
| NerdWallet | Net worth, credit monitoring, a cash account | All of it | Partners pay for ads and offers |
| Credit Karma | Credit scores and reports | All of it | Lenders and banks pay when you sign up for an offer |
| Honeydue | Cash flow and bills for two people | All of it | Optional tips of $1 to $10 a month |
| Goodbudget | Envelope budgeting | 20 envelopes, 1 account, manual entry | Premium: $10 a month or $80 a year |
| EveryDollar | Zero-based budgeting | The budget, manual entry | Premium: $79.99 a year or $17.99 a month |
| Spendee | A simple wallet and budget | 1 cash wallet, 1 budget | Plus $14.99 a year, Premium $35.99 a year |
| Wallet by BudgetBakers | Budgets, planned payments, stocks | Manual tracking | Premium and a lifetime plan |
| Rocket Money | Finding subscriptions | Mobile only; budgets are Premium | Premium, and 35% to 60% of what bill negotiation saves |
| PocketGuard | What is safe to spend | A 7-day trial only | Subscription: $74.99 a year, $12.99 a month or $149.99 once |
How we compared
Free personal finance apps are not one kind of thing. One shows your net worth. Another shows your credit score. A third is an envelope budget you fill in by hand. So we sorted them by the job each does for free and looked at five things:
- What is really free. Everything, a plan with limits, or a trial. We keep those apart.
- What the free part covers. Net worth, investments, credit, cash flow, budgets, subscriptions. Most cover two of these.
- How the company is paid. Offers, ads, an advisory business, an upgrade or tips. This is the catch with free, and each company says it somewhere on its own site.
- Whether the bank connects for free. If it does not, you type in every transaction.
- Where it runs. iPhone, Android and the web.
Every fact comes from the app's own pricing, help and disclosure pages and its App Store and Google Play listings, with the reviews quoted word for word. Each is numbered to its source at the end. We haven't used these apps ourselves, and where a page didn't say, we say it didn't. This page is about the whole money picture. For free budgets alone, see best free budgeting apps; for the all-in-one picks, free or paid, see best personal finance apps.
1. Not free: a free week, then $99 a year for two
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
We make Wonderful, and it is not free. There is a free week, plus more days for finishing parts of setup. A card is added to start it and nothing is charged until it ends. After that it is $99 a year or $14.99 a month for the household, and there is no free plan.
It is first because this page puts Wonderful first where it fits, and the honest place to start is the price. It covers more than a free tracker: every paycheck gets a plan for bills, spending and saving before it lands, and net worth is shown for each of you and for both, from the balances your banks send. It gives no investment advice. If free is a hard rule, skip to the next section.
Ideal for: People who want one app for the month's plan, spending and net worth, and will pay $99 a year after a free week.
What it does
- Every paycheck gets a plan for bills, spending and saving before it lands.[6]
- Banks connect through Plaid and every charge is sorted into a category.[5][6]
- Mine, yours and ours: each charge counts for the person or the pair it belongs to.[6]
- 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.[6]
- Texts you by iMessage when a bill is charged twice, a price goes up or a refund lands, and you can text it questions.[6]
- Savings goals show the month you'll reach them.[6]
- Net worth for each of you and for both, from the balances your banks send, with its line over time.[6]
- Life events like getting married come step by step, with the deadlines.[6]
Good
2. Free net worth and investments, paid for by its advisory arm
Empower Personal Dashboard
Free· iPhone, Android, Web· App Store 4.8 (421,639)[11]
What it is
A free dashboard and app that links your bank, card, loan and investment accounts to show net worth, spending and retirement scenarios, paid for by Empower's advisory services.
Why it's on this list
Empower's tools page says "the dashboard experience and financial tools are completely free." It links bank, card, loan, investment and retirement accounts to show net worth, spending and retirement scenarios. It also has a Fee Analyzer for hidden investment fees, which most free apps lack.
The catch is how it pays for itself. Advisory services are provided for a fee that is "calculated based upon the amount of assets being managed." The free dashboard sits next to that offer. Reviewers in 2026 also report freezing and constant reconnecting of linked accounts.
Ideal for: People with investment or retirement accounts who want to see net worth and fees in one place and can say no to an advisor.
What it does
- Net worth: total holdings minus total debts, across accounts in one place, with the effect of paying down debt or saving more.[9]
- Retirement planner: compare retirement ages, see what goals such as college or travel need, and set up withdrawals.[10]
- Budgeting and cash flow: tracks daily spending and expenses; transactions are categorized automatically.[8]
- Portfolio analysis: performance, risk level and where your money is invested.[8]
- Fee Analyzer, to find hidden fees in investment accounts.[13]
How it makes money
From advisory fees on assets it manages for people who sign up for that service. The pages we read give two different minimums for the first tier, $100,000 on the home page and more than $250,000 on the tools page, so ask before you assume.[7][11][8][10]
What the free dashboard leaves out
- A category budget. The pages describe tracking daily spending, not a plan per category.[8]
- A partner view. Nothing we opened describes a spouse or a joint dashboard.[7][8][9][10]
Good
- The dashboard and its tools are free.[8]
- Covers retirement and investment accounts, not just bank and card spending.[8][10]
- 4.8 stars on the App Store from 421,639 ratings, for the app that also serves retirement-plan users.[11]
- Includes a Fee Analyzer and a retirement planner that tests different retirement ages.[10][13]
Not so good
- Advisory services are paid for with a fee based on assets under management; the free tools are offered next to them.[7][8]
- The pages describe budgeting only as tracking daily spending; no envelope, zero-based or per-category plan is described.[8]
- Nothing on the pages opened describes a spouse, partner or joint view.[7][8][9][10]
- Its own pages give two different advisory minimums: $100,000 and more than $250,000.[7][8][10]
Pricing
- Personal Dashboard[8]Free"Nothing! The dashboard experience and financial tools are completely free."
- The dashboard and its financial tools are free. The high-yield cash account is described as having "no account fees, no minimums".[8]
“Don’t think the interface is up to modern standard. It is clunky, heavy, difficult to use and find transactions.”Read it where it was said ↗
3. Free net worth and credit monitoring, paid for by partner offers
What it is
A free app from NerdWallet that tracks net worth and cash flow, sorts spending, and offers a cash account and automated investing.
Why it's on this list
NerdWallet's free app shows net worth and cash flow, sorts spending into needs, wants and savings on the App Store, and lists credit monitoring with alerts. It is the app to pick when you want a free credit check and a net worth line in one place on your phone. It is iPhone and Android only. Its own page describes no category budgets, and reviewers in 2026 report accounts unlinking and history lost.
Ideal for: People who want net worth, a free credit check and cash or investing options in one phone app, and can ignore the product pitches.
What it does
- A net worth tracker that shows your finances in one view.[14]
- On the App Store: automatically sorts spending into needs, wants and savings.[15]
- Credit monitoring with alerts and an explanation of what affects your score.[15]
- Links accounts to show spending and transactions.[15]
- Finds forgotten subscriptions and bank or savings options.[15]
How it makes money
NerdWallet's advertiser disclosure says: "Our partners compensate us for advertisements that appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and services - like free credit score access and monitoring."[1] In the app, its Cash Account has a boosted rate for new deposits and a standard 3.50% APY afterward. NerdWallet says it gets referral fees from the broker-dealer behind it.[15]
Good
Not so good
- nerdwallet.com/app describes the app as a way to track wealth and invest, and does not mention budgeting features for it.[14]
- No category budgets or limits are described on the pages opened.[14][15]
- The listing says privacy practices include tracking identifiers across other companies' apps and websites.[15]
- App Store reviewers in 2026 report lost data after accounts unlink, and a removed net worth graph.[16]
Pricing
- The App Store lists the app as Free with no in-app purchases shown.[15]
“...now that I can't see a net worth graph it's not as useful.”Read it where it was said ↗
4. Free credit scores, paid for by card and loan offers
What it is
A free app for credit scores and reports that also tracks spending and net worth from your linked accounts.
Why it's on this list
Credit Karma's job is credit: free scores, reports and monitoring, with spending, cash flow and net worth views added from linked accounts. It also files federal taxes for $0 through Credit Karma Tax, with state filing at $15. What it does not name is a budgeting tool. Reviewers in October 2026 complain about ads, notifications and card offers, and about categories that revert after the nightly sync.
Ideal for: Anyone who wants a free credit score, report and monitoring, and is fine seeing card and loan offers next to them.
What it does
- Free credit score, credit report and credit monitoring.[18]
- "Get insights into where your money goes by connecting your accounts."[18]
- Tracks monthly spending and automatically categorizes transactions.[19]
- Has Cash Flow and net worth views; the home page does not describe them.[18]
- Free federal tax filing through Credit Karma Tax; state filing is $15.[18]
How it makes money
Its own page says: "If we find a credit card or loan that could save you money, we may recommend it. Then, if you sign up for the products we recommend, we typically receive compensation from the lender or bank." It also says it "will never ask you to pay to see your credit scores and reports."[2] That means the app is built partly to show you offers.
Good
Not so good
- No budgeting tool is named on the home page; it lists only Cash Flow and a net worth view.[18]
- The home page does not say whether spending insights are free.[18]
- App Store reviewers in October 2026 complain about ads, notifications and credit card offers.[20]
- App Store reviewers in October 2026 say categories they set revert to others, some nightly.[20]
Pricing
- App[19]FreeListed as Free on the App Store.
“The ads and notifications are getting ridiculous.”Read it where it was said ↗
5. Free shared spending and bills for two, paid for by tips
What it is
A free phone app for couples that shows both people's linked accounts, bills and budgets, with a choice of how much each person shares.
Why it's on this list
Honeydue is the only app here where the whole app is free and built for two. Its help center says it is "100% free for everybody" with no feature behind a paywall. Each person links accounts and chooses what the other sees: balances and transactions, balances only, or nothing. It sets monthly limits per category and sends bill reminders.
It is a phone app with no web version listed. Many App Store reviewers say accounts stopped syncing.
Ideal for: Two people who want shared bills and spending limits on their phones at no cost, and a say in what the other sees.
What it does
- Shared view of linked bank account balances, loans and investments. The site says it connects "over 20,000 financial institutions across 5 countries."[23][27]
- Choose what your partner sees per account: balances and transactions, balances only, or nothing.[25]
- Monthly household spending limits for each category, with alerts as you and your partner get close.[27]
- Bill reminders that notify you or your partner when a payment is due.[23][27]
How it makes money
Tips. Honeydue's help center says it occasionally asks users to consider tipping "a few bucks each month," anywhere from $1 to $10, so it can keep building features.[24] For two people, our free budgeting apps for couples page goes further.
Good
Pricing
- Free[24]FreeHoneydue's help center says, "Honeydue is 100% free for everybody, and we don't block any features with a paywall."
- Monthly tip (optional)[24][27]Any amount from $1 to $10 a month through the App Store or Google Play. The help center says tips fund new features. The App Store lists $0.99 to $9.99.
- The whole app is free. The only paid thing is the optional tip, which can be changed or cancelled in the App Store or Google Play.[24]
“My husband and I have used this for years and genuinely love using it.”Read it where it was said ↗
6. Free envelopes you type into, with bank sync on Premium
Goodbudget
Free, or $10/mo or $80/yr· iPhone, Android, Web· App Store 4.6 (13,516)[36]
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's free plan is real and ad-free: 10 regular envelopes, 10 annual or goal envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and a year of history, with debt tracking. It is a budget, not a net worth tracker. Automatic bank sync is Premium and works for US banks only, so the free plan is manual entry.
Ideal for: People who like envelopes, can stay inside 20 envelopes and one account, and don't mind typing in what they spend.
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.[38]
- The free plan has 10 regular envelopes and 10 annual or goal envelopes; Premium removes the cap.[31][32]
- Syncs and shares a budget across iPhone, Android and the web, with data backed up to Goodbudget's website.[34][36]
How it makes money
Premium, at $10 a month or $80 a year. It lifts the limits to unlimited envelopes and accounts, 5 devices and 7 years of history, and adds bank sync. The company offers a full refund in the first 30 days.[31][32][33]
Good
Pricing
- Free[31][32]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[31][32]$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.
“You have to pay for a subscription to link / auto sync bank accounts. Otherwise you’re manually inputting every transaction.”Read it where it was said ↗
7. A free zero-based budget you type into
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 end date and holds the whole plan: a monthly budget, unlimited categories, sinking funds, split transactions and bill due dates. It does not import transactions from a bank. Net worth tracking is a Premium feature. It is a budget first and a personal finance app second.
Ideal for: People who want to plan every dollar before the month starts and will type in each transaction.
What it does
- Zero-based budgeting: plan every dollar before the month starts so income minus expenses equals zero.[41]
- Free: monthly budget, unlimited categories and line items, split transactions, due dates for bills, and savings goals for big purchases.[40][42]
- Sinking funds for future expenses, in the free version.[40][41]
- Premium imports transactions automatically from connected accounts. Ramsey says it uses Mastercard Connect and Plaid.[40]
How it makes money
Premium, which adds bank import, custom reports and net worth, is $79.99 a year or $17.99 a month after a 14-day trial for new users. The App Store also lists a Ramsey+ plan at $129.99 a year, which the plans page does not describe.[40][42]
Good
Not so good
- No bank import on the free version. You type every transaction.[40]
- Premium is $17.99 billed monthly, which is $215.88 over twelve months, against $79.99 billed yearly.[40]
- Rated 4.3 on Google Play, lower than the App Store's 4.7.[42][43]
- The plans page and the App Store show different Premium plans and prices.[40][42]
Pricing
- Free[40]FreeUsable as long as you want. Manual transaction entry, no bank import.
- Premium, monthly[40][42]$17.99 a monthBank import and the rest of Premium.
- Premium, yearly[40][42]$79.99 a yearShown by Ramsey as about $6.67 a month.
- Ramsey+, yearly[42]$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.[40]
- 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.[40][41]
“Seems like a great application. 7 day trial was great. My only concern is $80.00 bucks year. To me, should be free in helping folks get out of debt. Not just 7 days.”Read it where it was said ↗
8. A free wallet and budget, with bank sync on Premium
Spendee
Free, or $1.99/mo or $14.99/yr· iPhone, Android, Web· App Store 4.6 (6,268)[47]
What it is
A budgeting and expense app for iPhone, Android and the web with wallets, budgets and shared wallets, where bank sync is on the top paid plan.
Why it's on this list
Spendee's Basic plan is free for good: 1 cash wallet and 1 budget. That is a small free tier, and it has no bank sync or automatic categorization. The cheap step up is Plus at $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year, which adds unlimited wallets and budgets and shared wallets. Premium, at $5.99 a month or $35.99 a year, is where bank sync starts. Reviewers in late 2026 report freezing and crashes after the Spendee 6 redesign.
Ideal for: One person who wants a clean free expense tracker with one wallet and one budget, or a shared wallet for a few dollars a year.
What it does
- Wallets for cash, bank accounts or an occasion such as a holiday or a wedding, with budgets set per category or per wallet.[45][47]
- Bank sync on Premium: "Connect to more than 2500 financial providers worldwide." The United States is in the country list.[45][46]
- Automatic categorization of bank transactions, on Premium.[45]
- Shared wallets with other people, on Plus and Premium.[45]
How it makes money
Plus and Premium subscriptions, with a 7-day trial on every plan. One reviewer in July 2026 says upgrade pop-ups appear every time they add a spending, even with a yearly plan.[45][48]
Good
Not so good
- The free plan is 1 cash wallet and 1 budget, with no bank sync.[45]
- Bank sync and automatic categorization are Premium only, at $35.99 a year.[45]
- The pricing page says budgets are on iOS and Android, with the web "coming soon".[45]
- Dozens of the latest App Store reviews (August to October 2026) report freezing and crashes after the Spendee 6 redesign.[48]
Pricing
- Basic[45]FreeFree. 1 cash wallet and 1 budget. The plan card lists no bank sync and no automatic categorization.
- Plus[45]$1.99 a month · $14.99 a yearUnlimited wallets and budgets and shared wallets. The plan card lists no bank sync and no automatic categorization.
- Premium[45]$5.99 a month · $35.99 a yearEverything in Plus, with bank account sync and automatic categorization.
“I regret updating this so much. First the big UI change made the app basically unusable for me with its constant freezing and glitching...”Read it where it was said ↗
9. Free manual tracking, with bank sync on Premium
What it is
A personal finance manager for iPhone, Android and the web with budgets, planned payments, bank sync, stock tracking and group sharing, free for manual tracking and paid for automation.
Why it's on this list
Wallet by BudgetBakers is the broadest of the free-tier apps here. Its free tier is manual tracking. Premium adds bank sync with "over 15,000 financial institutions worldwide," stock and ETF tracking for a net worth view, and group sharing with a choice of which accounts are shared or private.
BudgetBakers' own pages show no US prices, and don't say whether bank sync covers US banks. The App Store lists Premium purchases from $5.99 to $49.99 without naming the billing period.
Ideal for: People who want budgets, planned payments and stock tracking in one app and are open to a paid plan for bank sync.
What it does
- Bank sync with "over 15,000 financial institutions worldwide" on Premium. The page does not say which countries.[49]
- Budgets: one-time or recurring, combining any categories, watched daily, plus predictive alerts against overspending.[50][51]
- Planned payments: scheduled payments and reminders for upcoming bills and subscriptions.[49][51]
- Cash flow and balance trend reports, with credit, debit, debt and cash in one overview.[49][50]
How it makes money
Premium subscriptions and a one-time Lifetime Premium plan. The company says its tools are "funded entirely by transparent user subscriptions, never by selling your data."[49] One reviewer in September 2026 says a lifetime purchase was revoked, and another in July says support for their phone ended, so read the terms before you pay once.[52]
Good
- A free tier for manual tracking, and a one-time Lifetime Premium option.[49][50]
- Budgets, planned payments, net worth and stock tracking in one app.[49][50]
- Sharing lets each person choose which accounts are shared or private.[49]
- 4.6 stars on the App Store (5,933) and on Google Play (388K reviews).[50][51]
Not so good
Pricing
- Premium (App Store purchases)[50]BudgetBakers' own pages give no US price. The US App Store lists in-app purchases of Premium at $5.99, $14.99, $29.99 and $29.99, Lifetime Premium at $29.99 and 3-Year Premium at $49.99, without saying which is monthly or yearly.
- "Wallet offers a completely free tier for users who prefer manual tracking alongside a Premium tier for advanced automation like bank syncing."[49]
“The app is great and I would buy lifetime over and over again but it’s missing stock portfolio auto syncing.”Read it where it was said ↗
10. A free subscription list, with the rest on paid plans
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 has a free plan on mobile: it links accounts (not in real time), lists subscriptions, shows spending breakdowns and a credit score. On Free you cancel subscriptions yourself. Budgets, net worth, goals, partner sharing and desktop access are Premium, though its FAQ still says Free allows two custom category budgets.
Ideal for: Someone who wants a free list of subscriptions and a credit score on a phone and will cancel things by hand.
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.[53]
- Negotiates cable, phone and insurance bills for a success fee of 35% to 60% of the first year's savings.[53][54][55]
- Tracks upcoming bills, net income and spending, with automatic categories.[53]
- Custom budgets: unlimited budgets and custom categories on Premium. The cost article and help center list budgets as Premium only; the FAQ still says Free has up to two.[53][54][55]
How it makes money
Two ways. Premium is a price you choose, typically $7 to $14 a month per its learn article, and Premium+ is a fixed $15 a month. Bill negotiation costs Free and Premium members 35% to 60% of the first year's savings, and nothing if nothing is saved.[53][54][56] Many October 2026 reviewers say they were charged more than they expected.
Good
- A free plan exists and covers subscription tracking, spending breakdowns and a credit score, with bill reminders per the help center.[53][54]
- Cancels subscriptions for you on Premium and negotiates bills.[53]
- Large installed base: 403K ratings on the App Store at 4.5 stars and 141K on Google Play at 4.5.[56][57]
- Premium is a sliding scale you pick yourself, with a 7-day trial.[53][54]
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.[53][54][56]
- Bill negotiation costs 35% to 60% of the first year's savings for Free and Premium members.[53][54]
- On Free you cancel subscriptions yourself. Hands-off cancelling is Premium.[53][55]
- Budgets are not in the free plan per the cost article and help center (the FAQ still says two custom category budgets), so budgeting needs Premium.[53][54][55]
Pricing
- Free[53]FreeMobile only. Links accounts, lists subscriptions, spending breakdowns and a credit score. The cost article and help center list budgets, the bill timeline and custom categories as Premium; the FAQ still says Free allows up to two custom category budgets.
- Premium[53][54][56]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+[53][54][56]$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.[53][54]
- A free plan exists. It links accounts (not in real time), lists your subscriptions but you cancel them yourself, shows spending breakdowns and a credit score, and is mobile only. The cost article lists budgets and the bill timeline as Premium.[53][54]
“I selected 7 dollars per month and it still charged me for 15”Read it where it was said ↗
11. Not free: a 7-day trial, then a paid plan
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 is here because people search for it as a free app, and it is not one. Its pricing page lists a 7-day trial on each plan and no free plan, so the app is paid after a week. It shows "Leftover," what you can spend after bills, goals and essentials, and it lists bank links to more than 20,000 institutions. Many 2025 and 2026 reviewers say they could not use it without starting a trial.
Ideal for: Someone who wants one number for what is safe to spend and is willing to pay after a 7-day trial.
What it does
- "Leftover": what you can still spend after bills, goals and essentials.[60][64]
- Budget with zero-based, envelope or category methods, with rollovers for unspent or overspent money.[60][62]
- Pace: predicts how much you will have left at month's end from your spending habits.[60][64]
How it makes money
Subscriptions: $74.99 a year, $12.99 a month, or $149.99 once.[61] Reviewers in 2025 and 2026 report being charged at the start of the trial, so set a reminder.[65]
Good
Not so good
- No free plan; the app requires the trial or a paid plan.[61]
- Monthly billing is $12.99, about double the yearly rate per month.[61]
- No partner or shared login is described on the pages opened.[60][61][62][63]
- 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.[65]
Pricing
“I’ve used this app for more than an year and when I decided to go for the free version , they decide to push customers for an upgrade so they don’t get the free version anymore...”Read it where it was said ↗
Which free app for which job
No free app covers everything. This is the split that holds up on the pages we read.
- Net worth: Empower for accounts with investments and retirement plans, and NerdWallet for a simpler line beside credit monitoring. Our net worth trackers page covers the paid ones.
- Investments: Empower's portfolio analysis, risk level and Fee Analyzer. Wallet tracks stocks and ETFs on Premium, and a 2026 reviewer says it does not auto-sync them.[8][13]
- Credit: Credit Karma for scores, reports and monitoring. NerdWallet lists credit monitoring too.
- Cash flow and bills for two: Honeydue, the one free app built for it.
- A budget that costs nothing: Goodbudget for envelopes, EveryDollar for a zero-based plan, Spendee for one wallet and one budget. All three are manual entry.
- Subscriptions: Rocket Money's free plan lists them and you cancel by hand. See apps that cancel subscriptions and free bill trackers.
Two free apps side by side is the usual answer: Empower or NerdWallet for the big picture, and Honeydue, Goodbudget or EveryDollar for the month. The cost is two logins and two sets of categories.
How free apps make money
An app that costs you nothing still has to pay its bills. The company says how, usually in a disclosure page few people open. These are the five ways we found on the pages above.
- Offers and ads. Credit Karma and NerdWallet are paid when you sign up for a partner's product or when their ads are shown. The app is partly a shop.
- An advisory business next door. Empower charges a fee on assets it manages. The dashboard is free, and you are free to ignore the advisor.
- An upsell from the free tier. Goodbudget, EveryDollar, Spendee, Wallet and Rocket Money keep bank sync, extra limits or budgets for a paid plan. The free plan is a sample.
- A fee on a service. Rocket Money takes 35% to 60% of the first year's savings on a negotiated bill.
- Tips. Honeydue asks for an optional $1 to $10 a month. It is the plainest model on the list, and it comes with sync complaints in the reviews.
None of this is a reason to avoid a free app. It is a reason to know what you are looking at: a credit card ad on a credit score page is how that page is paid for.
What free costs you
You rarely pay in dollars. You pay in three other ways, and it helps to know them before you link a bank.
- Your attention. Reviewers of Credit Karma and Spendee name ads, offers and upgrade pop-ups as the reason they left. A free app that interrupts you every time you enter a spending is not free of cost.
- Your history. Free plans cap how far back they keep data. Goodbudget's free plan keeps 1 year and Premium 7. A reviewer of NerdWallet in 2026 says account history was erased.[31][32][16]
- Your time. A free plan with no bank sync means you type in every transaction yourself. Honeydue, Empower, NerdWallet, Credit Karma and Rocket Money's free plan link a bank at no charge. The rest do not.
A bank link is also a decision about privacy. Our guide to what your partner can see in a finance app covers who sees what once two people are in one app.
Free without an app
Some of what these apps sell is free from the government. The FTC says the only site authorized to fill orders for free credit reports is AnnualCreditReport.com. You can get a free copy "once every 12 months." The same page says the bureaus let you check each report weekly for free.[3] The FTC page doesn't say the reports include a score. That is what Credit Karma and NerdWallet add.
For the month itself, a shared spreadsheet or a paper page costs nothing and needs no bank login. Our free monthly budget template lays one out.
How to choose
Start with the job, then with how the app is paid for. If you want a net worth line and don't mind a link to a bank, Empower is the free one. If you want a budget and will not link a bank, Goodbudget or EveryDollar. If there are two of you, Honeydue.
Choose Empower Personal Dashboard if you:
- Want net worth and investments in one place
- Can ignore a call from an advisor
- Are fine linking a bank and a retirement account
Choose NerdWallet if you:
- Want net worth beside a free credit check
- Are on iPhone or Android
- Can live without category budgets
Choose Credit Karma if you:
- Mainly want your credit score and report
- Don't mind card and loan offers
- Want free federal tax filing
Choose Honeydue if you:
- Are two people sharing bills
- Want to choose what your partner sees
- Are fine with a phone app and some sync problems
Choose Goodbudget if you:
- Like envelopes
- Can stay within 20 envelopes and 1 account
- Will enter transactions by hand
Choose EveryDollar if you:
- Want a zero-based plan
- Will type in transactions
- Might pay $79.99 a year later for bank import
Choose Spendee if you:
- Want one wallet and one budget for free
- May pay $14.99 a year for shared wallets
- Can live with the redesign complaints
Choose Wonderful if you:
- Want each paycheck planned before it lands
- Are willing to pay $99 a year for both of you
- Are fine with a web app for now
Where Wonderful fits, and where it doesn't
If free is a requirement, Wonderful is the wrong answer. It has a free week and no free plan, and Empower, Credit Karma, Honeydue or the free plans above will serve you better. If you are willing to pay $99 a year for the household, Wonderful plans each paycheck and sorts every charge from your banks. It finds recurring charges, lists what is due before your next paycheck, and shows net worth for each of you and both. It runs in the browser with no iPhone or Android app yet, and it gives no investment advice. See the full lists of best budgeting apps and best budget planner apps.
Questions people ask
What is the best free personal finance app?
It depends on the job. Empower is the free one for net worth and investments, Credit Karma for credit scores, Honeydue for spending and bills shared by two people, and Goodbudget or EveryDollar for a free budget you type into. No single free app does all of it well.
Are free personal finance apps really free?
Mostly yes, but each is paid for some other way. Credit Karma and NerdWallet earn from partner offers, Empower from advisory fees, Honeydue from optional tips, and Goodbudget, EveryDollar, Spendee and Wallet from a paid plan that removes the free limits. The cost is usually offers and upgrade prompts, not money.
How does Credit Karma make money if it is free?
Its own page says it recommends a credit card or loan that could save you money, and if you sign up, it typically receives compensation from the lender or bank. It also says it will never ask you to pay to see your credit scores and reports.
How does Empower make money if the dashboard is free?
Empower's tools page says the dashboard and financial tools are completely free. Its advisory services are paid, with a fee based on the assets managed. The free dashboard sits next to that offer, and the pages say people referred are not obligated to subscribe.
What is the best free app to track net worth?
Empower, for accounts that include investments and retirement plans. NerdWallet's free app also tracks net worth, with credit monitoring beside it. Both ask you to link accounts, and App Store reviewers in 2026 report freezing and lost data in both, so check your numbers against your statements.
Is there a free app that shows my credit score?
Yes. Credit Karma shows scores, reports and monitoring for free, and NerdWallet's app lists credit monitoring. The FTC says the free report you are owed by law comes from AnnualCreditReport.com, once every 12 months, and the bureaus also let you check each report weekly for free.
Is there a free app that does budgeting and net worth?
Not fully. Empower and NerdWallet do net worth but describe no category budgets. Goodbudget, EveryDollar and Spendee budget but their free plans skip bank sync and net worth. Wallet by BudgetBakers lists budgets and stock tracking, and its bank sync is Premium.
Can two people use a free personal finance app?
Honeydue is the free one made for two, and it lets each person choose what the other sees. Goodbudget's free plan shares one budget across 2 devices. Most others are built for one person. Our free budgeting apps for couples page goes through them.
Do free finance apps sell my data?
The pages we read do not say that any of them sells it, and they describe other income. Credit Karma says it earns from partner offers. NerdWallet's App Store listing lists tracking across other companies' apps and websites. BudgetBakers says its tools are funded by subscriptions, never by selling your data. Read each privacy policy before linking a bank.
What is a good free app if I only want to see where my money went?
Honeydue and Rocket Money's free plan link accounts and show spending, and Empower and NerdWallet show it beside net worth. If you want to avoid linking a bank, Goodbudget, EveryDollar and Spendee are free with manual entry.
Sources
66 sources · read November 2, 2026
Every number on this page comes from nerdwallet.com, creditkarma.com, consumer.ftc.gov and 16 more. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1NerdWallet advertiser disclosurenerdwallet.com
- 2Credit Karma: Is Credit Karma a scam?creditkarma.com
- 3FTC: Free credit reportsconsumer.ftc.gov
- 4Wonderful terms of servicewonderful.money
- 5Wonderful privacy policywonderful.money
- 6Wonderfulwonderful.money
- 7Empower home pageempower.com
- 8Empower tools pageempower.com
- 9Empower net worth toolempower.com
- 10Empower retirement plannerempower.com
- 11App Store listing, Empowerapps.apple.com
- 12App Store reviews, Empowerapps.apple.com
- 13Empower free tools pageempower.com
- 14NerdWallet app pagenerdwallet.com
- 15NerdWallet: Smart Money App on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 16App Store reviews feed for NerdWallet (most recent)itunes.apple.com
- 17Trustpilot, nerdwallet.comtrustpilot.com
- 18Credit Karma homecreditkarma.com
- 19Intuit Credit Karma on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 20App Store reviews feed for Intuit Credit Karma (most recent)itunes.apple.com
- 21Trustpilot, creditkarma.comtrustpilot.com
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- 23Honeydue: How it workshoneydue.com
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- 25Honeydue help: Will my partner see my accountssupport.honeydue.com
- 26Honeydue Joint Cashhoneydue.com
- 27Honeydue on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 28Honeydue on Google Playplay.google.com
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- 30Honeydue help: Account issues and inviting a partnersupport.honeydue.com
- 31Goodbudget pricing (signup page)goodbudget.com
- 32Goodbudget help: Subscribe to Goodbudgetgoodbudget.com
- 33Goodbudget refunds and cancellationsgoodbudget.com
- 34Goodbudget home pagegoodbudget.com
- 35Goodbudget help indexgoodbudget.com
- 36App Store listing, Goodbudgetapps.apple.com
- 37App Store reviews, Goodbudgetapps.apple.com
- 38Goodbudget envelope budgeting pagegoodbudget.com
- 39Goodbudget changeloggoodbudget.com
- 40EveryDollar plans (Ramsey Solutions)ramseysolutions.com
- 41EveryDollar budget page (Ramsey Solutions)ramseysolutions.com
- 42EveryDollar on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 43EveryDollar on Google Playplay.google.com
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- 45Spendee pricingspendee.com
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- 47Spendee on the App Storeapps.apple.com
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- 51Wallet on Google Playplay.google.com
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- 53Rocket Money: How much does Rocket Money costrocketmoney.com
- 54Rocket Money help center: How much does Rocket Money costhelp.rocketmoney.com
- 55Rocket Money FAQframer.rocketmoney.com
- 56Rocket Money on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 57Rocket Money on Google Playplay.google.com
- 58Apple public review feed for Rocket Moneyitunes.apple.com
- 59Trustpilot, rocketmoney.comtrustpilot.com
- 60PocketGuard home pagepocketguard.com
- 61PocketGuard pricingpocketguard.com
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- 63PocketGuard help: all featurespocketguard.com
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- 66Trustpilot, pocketguard.comtrustpilot.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.