As we approach the New Year, you may be interested in creating a budget for yourself, or you may be looking for a new tool to help you manage your startup or small business budget. You may want to switch your current budgeting app for a better one, or maybe you’re someone who has traditionally relied on spreadsheets. While spreadsheets can be a simple way to manage and track a budget, it could be worth checking out budgeting apps to save time and effort. We’ve put together two lists of apps that we think are great budgeting tools for individuals and startups.
For individuals, a good budgeting app can help you save money by creating and sticking to a monthly budget. For startups and small businesses, a good budgeting app can help you understand your company’s financial situation and make informed decisions. Whichever direction you go, the best budgeting app for you will depend on your individual or business needs, so we’ve included a variety of apps to help you find the one that works best for you.
Good budget
Image Credits: Good budget
Good budget it’s a good app if you’re a beginner and just getting started with budgeting. It uses the envelope system, which is one of the original ways of managing money. Goodbudget helps you make sure you’re never caught with a surprise bill or unexpected expense. Each month, you set aside money for things you need, like groceries and gas. Once you’ve set aside money for essentials, you can choose how to use the rest based on what’s important to you.
The app is also a great option if you have a shared household, as it allows you to sync your budget with another person. Goodbudget offers both a free version and a paid version, which costs $8 per month. The free version includes everything you need to manage a budget, while the paid version gives you extra features like email support, unlimited folders, and the ability to use the service on five devices instead of just two. One potential downside is that you have to manually enter your transactions into the app, as the app is not linked to your bank account.
PocketGuard
Image Credits: PocketGuard
If your main goal is to track your spending, PocketGuard may be the best app for you. PocketGuard shows you how much disposable money you have after setting aside enough for your bills, goals and needs. The app shows you a pie chart so you can visualize which expenses are taking up the most money. You can set spending limits in the app to make sure you don’t spend beyond your means.
PocketGuard connects your banks, credit cards, loans, and investments in one place to help you keep track of your account balances, net worth, and more. There is a limited free version of the app and a paid version, which costs $8 per month and unlocks features like the ability to create your own expense categories, set a debt repayment plan, attach receipts, export transaction data, and more.
Honeydue
Image Credits: Honeydue
Honeydue is a good budget app if you want to plan and manage your finances with your partner. The app syncs with your and your partner’s bank accounts. Honeydue lets you manage your money together while tracking your expenses and communicating about bills. You can chat with your partner in the app and decide if one person will cover a bill or if the two of you will split it evenly.
The app also offers its own joint bank account. Honeydue is free to use, so it’s a good option for couples who don’t want to pay a monthly fee. One downside is that there isn’t a desktop version of the app, so if you’re someone who likes to manage your finances on a bigger screen, Honeydue might not be the best choice for you.
Authorize
Image Credits: Authorize
Authorize it’s a good app if you want a tool for both budgeting and investing. The app lets you keep track of all your accounts, including your bank and credit cards, IRAs, 401(k)s, mortgages and loans in one place. You can plan for retirement, track your investments and uncover hidden fees. Empower has a money tracking dashboard that lets you track your spending by category.
The service is free to use and designed to help you manage both your day-to-day finances and help you plan for the future. However, if your main goal is to budget your expenses, Empower might not be the best choice for you. You might be better off choosing a different app on this list because Empower’s budgeting tools aren’t as advanced as some of the others.
FreshBooks
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FreshBooks is a simple tool that can help startups and small businesses create a budget and stick to it. The service connects to your bank account or credit card to track your spending. FreshBooks has tools for invoicing, time tracking, bookkeeping, payments and more. It allows you to take photos of receipts, forward email receipts to your account and enter expenses from your bank account.
The service has tools for businesses at all stages, from freelancers to businesses with multiple employees. FreshBooks allows your team, clients, and contractors to collaborate and share files and updates in one place. It can also integrate with over 100 apps, including Dropbox, HubSpot, GSuite, Stripe and more. FreshBooks has four pricing tiers, with Business starting at $30 per month.
QuickBooks
Image Credits: QuickBooks
QuickBooks is a simple service that helps you get a complete overview of your business finances by tracking your business expenses, revenue, profitability, taxes and more. The service helps you not only budget, but also manage accounting tasks related to your startup or business. You can see profit at a glance, pay your team, manage your money, accept payments and track and manage your time.
The service features an easy-to-navigate dashboard that allows you to easily understand your business’s financial status. QuickBooks also offers tax preparation features and lets you consult with experts to help you prepare for tax time. QuickBooks has three pricing tiers starting at $30 per month.
Toshl
Image Credits: Toshl
If you want a budget tool that is reasonably priced and simple, yet effective, Toshl may be the app for you. Although marketed as a personal budgeting app, Toshl can be a good tool for new startups looking to understand and manage their finances for a fraction of the cost of budgeting apps marketed toward small businesses.
Toshl has a user-friendly intuitive experience that allows you to create a budget and track expenses. If you want to budget for something specific, you can set the budget to only track expenses with specific categories, tags, or financial accounts. Budgets can be set monthly, weekly, daily or for a custom period of your choice. The service has a free version and a paid version that costs $4.99 per month.
Dry
Image Credits: Dry
Dry is a good budgeting and financing tool for businesses and startups that are ready to grow. The service’s Budget Manager worksheet allows you to create an overall budget for each tracking category. There are also other tools that allow you to see short-term cash flows and business snapshots.
You can use Xero to send invoices and quotes, pay bills, track projects, manage expenses, accept payments and more. Xero is designed to help small businesses make decisions using trend analysis and simple reporting. In addition to financial features, Xero includes features that help with inventory and project management. The service offers three paid tiers, starting at $15 per month.
