A budget app can come in extremely handy in these situations as these apps help you to monitor all your monthly expenses like recurring bills, groceries, and even track your goal of saving that x amount of money. In this article, we take a look at the best budget apps for couples looking to work together on the same budget and stay in sync with the expenditures. Read: Amazing and Free Invoice App for Android
Best Budget Apps for Couples
1. Goodbudget
Goodbudget which was formerly known as EEBA, is a budgeting software utilizing the envelope budgeting system. For example, you can divide your money for the month as separate expenses like grocery, eating out, etc and draw money for a task only from its own stack or envelope. Now, putting this cash in actual envelopes could be tedious, which is where Goodbudget comes in. The free version of the app allows you to make up to 10 categories or envelopes and all your budgets are synced and shared across your partner’s device without any hassle. Considering it is available for Android, iOS as well as a web version, it is pretty much cross-platform. The transactions have to be added manually and can be split into multiple envelopes, but with the paid version, you can link multiple bank accounts and all your transactions are automatically added which is really cool. Pros: – Envelope Budgeting System – Connect Bank Accounts – Cross-platform – Graphs and Reports of your spendings Cons: – Slightly complex and clunky UI Price: Freemium. The plus model will cost you $6/month or $50/year. Thoughts: If you are familiar with the envelope budgeting technique, with Goodbudget you will feel right at home. Even if you are not, this is a great app to get started with and get full control over your money and how you spend it. Link: Sign up for Goodbudget here
2. EveryDollar
EveryDollar is a monthly expense tracker and manager by Dave Ramsey, the top personal money management app expert. Unlike the previous app, this one is based on a different model, the Zero Based Budgeting which is an approach to make a budget from scratch or zero and it is not based on any previous budgets. The app is very easy to get started with and within minutes, you should have your budget completed. It is also highly customizable and organizable letting you group all your expenses. Although with the free model you have to add all your transactions manually, there is an option of a plus version which lets you add your bank accounts and it adds all your bank transactions to the app automatically. A special feature of this app is that it offers a “Local Providers” tab where you can seek the help of experts or professionals in your city for insurance and tax services. EveryDollar is available for Android, iOS and as a web version making it pretty much available for all platforms.
Pros: – Zero Based Budgeting – Grouping of budgets – Connect bank accounts – Local Providers Cons: – No option for recurring bills Link: Try EveryDollar here Verdict: EveryDollar was made to be quick and easy without compromising on the features and it does exactly that. If you are looking for a simple app to just keep track and monitor your personal or household expenses, I recommend EveryDollar. Price: Freemium. The plus model is $8.25/month billed yearly at $99.
3. Home Budget
Home Budget is a highly flexible expense management software with which you can keep track of all your bills and expenses individually as well as share them with your family. Although the setup process is a little bit tedious with setting up each and every detail, it is well worth it as the app really delivers. Apart from the grouping of different expenses and ability to link your bank account, you can keep track of your recurring bills and Home Budget will let you know when you are overdue. On the home screen, there is a graph portraying your expense as a percent of your income as well as a host of other perspectives like a quick summary and a forecast model and you can export all your reports in CSV or PDF formats. The Family Sync feature lets a group of devices within a family work together in a single budget by exchanging expense and income information. The only downside to the app would have to be its pricing model where you have to buy the app on each platform to use it.
Pros: – Link bank accounts and import expenses – Recurring bills and transfers – Export in CSV/PDF – Various graphs and representations – Cross-platform Cons: – Tedious setup process – Have to buy on each platform Price: $4.99(iOS), $5.99(Android), $14.99(Windows), $19.99(macOS) Link: Get Home Budget here Verdict: Homebudget is one of the most complete budgeting apps on this list with features packed to its brim. If you are willing to look past the annoyance of buying it for every platform you use, it might just be the perfect budgeting app for someone who can utilize all its bells and whistles.
4. Honeydue
The next app on our list is Honeydue which is considered the best budget app for couples. You start out by opening an account and then inviting your partner, followed by planning the budget. The budgets are also quite flexible, as in you can choose how much of your expenses you want to share with your partner and have personal bills such as phone bills too. You can chat within the app and react to any transactions by using emojis or ask them about any suspicious purchases you see. The app also boasts of support for 10,000 plus banks although only in the US. The best thing? All of this comes free of any cost and the developers have been gracious enough to depend only on donations.
Pros: – Recurring bills and reminders – Flexible budget plans – Support for a huge number of banks and cards Cons: – No web/computer version – Little buggy Price: Free Verdict: As a free software, Honeydue manages to offer most of the things you might need in a budgeting app and is specially designed for couples, it also incorporates some touches like being able to chat within the app and comment on transactions. If you are a couple just starting out, Honeydue marks as a compelling option. Link: Get Honeydue here
5. You Need A Budget
You Need A Budget or YNAB as it is referred to, has been quite a hit gathering in a cult-like fan following. It takes a rather unique and interesting approach to manage your expenses and budgeting. Instead of relying on the traditional budgeting methods, you are expected to build your own budget based on your own income. YNAB asks you to just follow its four simple rules which include giving every dollar in your income a job, embrace the big expenses, roll with the punches if you overspend and learn how to live on your last month’s income. With these mantras, the app promises to turn your life around in terms of managing expenses and budgeting. It is available on both iOS and Android and as a web version which syncs seamlessly. Besides its debt payoff, goal tracking features, personal support it even provides online budgeting tutorials and videos to help you motivate you to reach your money goals.
Pros: – Cross-platform – Goal tracking – Personal support – Online tutorials Cons: – Costly Price: $6.99/month or $83.99/year with a 34-day free trial. Link: Try YNAB here Verdict: If you are very serious about your budget management and really looking forward to changing your life by cutting down costs, saving up a certain amount of money or paying off a debt, then only I’d suggest YNAB. Of course, there is a free trial for 34 days for you to check out before fully investing your money.
Best Budget Apps for Couples
So these were the best budgeting apps for couples looking forward to sharing a budget or reduce expenses and save up a little bit. We highly recommend toying around with the different budgeting methods and finding out which one best suits you. Almost all the apps are free to download or provide a free trial and each comes with a unique experience. Let us know in the comments below which one do you use or which one was your pick! Read: How do YouTube Channels Make Money? Answered by a YouTuber
