Quick Look: Best Finance Apps
- Best for Mobile Users: Mint
- Best for Traditional Banking: Bank of America
- Best for User-Friendly Budgeting: Digit - Try Digit
- Best for Insurance Hub Services: Marble
- Best for Financial News: Marketwatch
- Best for : Revolut
- Best for Prepping for Future Investing: Acorns - Try Acorns
- Best for Tracking Spending: MoneyFy
- Best for Stock Trading:
thinkorswim from TD Ameritrade - Try thinkorswim - Best for New Investors: Playbook
You don’t have to be rich to benefit from tracking your finances, and now there are convenient finance apps that can help you save money. Finance apps can connect you to your bank, help you budget, track your investments and more. You can monitor your bank account with just a few taps and save money for a vacation or home insurance.
Best Finance Apps
We’ve researched and reviewed hundreds of finance apps to bring you our top picks in a number of categories, including banking, budgeting and investing.
We looked for apps that are easy to download, are free or low cost and offer the features you need to help you achieve your financial goals. Here are our picks for the best of the best.
Mint
Mint is a free app that’s been rated outstanding by a number of reviewers. Easy to use and highly automated, Mint features:
- Simple download and setup
- Excellent mobile support
- Simple budgeting tools
- Customizable alerts
Mint is great for bill reminders, too, so you can receive alerts when an upcoming bill is due. Mint stores all of your financial information, from investments and loans to your bank account balance and credit score.
It’s a one-stop-shop so you can see your entire financial situation at a glance. Mint color codes and categorizes your spending so you can quickly see where your money goes.
A few categories include auto and transport, shopping, utilities, bills
Bank of America
Mint even analyzes deals on credit cards, loans, bank accounts and investment opportunities, and based on your numbers, presents you with the best offers to consider.
Bank of America’s banking app has been recognized by J.D. Power for outstanding customer experience.
Its app is easy to download and includes mobile app alerts to make you aware of any unusual account activity, free credit score monitoring
Cashback deals offer up to 15% cash back at popular stores and restaurants.
Bank of America’s virtual financial assistant, Erica, is also available around the clock to answer your questions.
Digit
Digit is our pick for best budgeting app.
It’s a user-friendly, highly secure app that allows you to set and monitor any type of financial goal you can think of, from an emergency fund to a spring break vacation.
It’s easy to navigate and understand. The first 30 days are free, and $2.99 a month after that. A few Digit features include:
- Easy-to-read display tracking money saved for rent, clothing and a rainy day
- Icons for financial goals you set up for vacations and large purchases
- Automatic transfer from rainy day fund if your checking account becomes low
One Digit user boasted savings of over $20,000, so it’s worth checking out.
Marble
Managing your insurance policies can be difficult because you require quite a bit of coverage and it can get confusing. Marble creates a single account that houses all your insurance information, making it easier for you to track policies, payments, renewals and your coverage.
You can shop for new policies from the app, learn about insurance using the app and you can even earn points when using the app. The Marbles (rewards) that you earn in the app can be exchanged for gift cards from some of your favorite retailers. Plus, you can use those marbles to give to a list of charities supported by the app. You can even convert your marbles into cryptocurrency.
Linking all your accounts to the app is easy, your personal information is secure and you will even learn more about handling your insurance policies in one place. Plus, it’s all free to use at any time.
MarketWatch
MarketWatch, a free app from Dow Jones & Company, provides updates on all your favorite news categories such as retirement, investments, stocks, and personal finance.
MarketWatch features:
- Financial news from all over the world
- An interactive top stories bar you can customize to get the news you want
- Market data center so you can access stocks, commodities, currencies and rates, all updated in real-time
MarketWatch is great for keeping up to date on all the latest financial news wherever you go.
Revolut
Revolut is a unique money app that brings several financial services into one package. When you download the Revolut app, you gain access to a service that:
- Lets you pay and get paid any time around the world
- Transfer money between apps
- Invest in stocks and other assets
- Exchange currency
- Get a prepaid debit card in multiple countries
- Travel with less stress
- Budget and manage your finances
Using Revolut makes it much easier to manage your money instead of using several different apps and trying to bring them together.
Acorns
Acorns is an easy-to-download app that allows you to make both small and large investments with just a few taps.
Acorns will automatically round up your spare change to the nearest dollar and invest it for you. For example, if you buy a coffee for $3.50, Acorns will automatically invest $0.50 for you.
It’s perfect if you’re a new investor since it walks you through all the steps. Acorns
You can link your debit and credit cards, customize your portfolio and even get cash back if you make purchases with an Acorns-endorsed partner.
MoneyFy
MoneyFy offers a quick and easy app setup you can download on Google Play.
You can track expenses daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Users on Google Play described it as “simple and easy to use."
- Built-in calculator so you can accurately track your spending
- Multi-currency support
- Handy widgets
Tracking your spending on-the-go is easy with MoneyFy. It’s free to download, but if you want a more enhanced version it costs $2.99 a month.
thinkorswim
Our top pick for stock trading is
This user-friendly app allows you to trade options, stocks, forex and futures.
You can easily access your investments using a variety of colorful charts such as a bar or line chart, and all the info you receive is in real-time.
It takes just 15 minutes to set up a new account.
Once your account is set up, you enable automated clearing house (ACH) payments with your bank so you can fund your brokerage account. Thinkorswim features:
- High-security features
- Intuitive and fully customizable trading platform
- Scanning tool that automatically finds stocks right based on your needs
- Live broadcasts from the S&P 500 pit
- Chance analysis tool to inform you of the risks of potential or existing trades
If you’re a new thinkorswim trader and deposit $10,000, you’ll get free trades for 90 days. If you deposit $25,000 or more, you’ll receive cash bonuses up to $1,200. If you’re a new trader, thinkorswim features a practice trading account so you can get your feet wet without any risk.
TradeZero
When you use TradeZero, you have more options than you could ever imagine. You can download the app for free and use a free account, or you are welcome to upgrade to a Pro account for $59 per month. The platform works on both the mobile app and your desktop browser. You can trade for free, and any trades requiring a commission are very affordable.
TradeZero also brings you 24/7 customer support so that you can always get answers to your questions. With access to free limit orders, advanced charting technology and up to 6 times the leverage of other platforms, you can use TradeZero to build your portfolio, increase your net worth and save for the future. Plus, you can move from your desktop to your mobile device and back again effortlessly.
Playbook
When you register with Playbook, you gain access to a financial platform that connects to your accounts and helps you chart a course to financial success. You set your risk tolerance and goals using a simple questionnaire, and you can adjust your investment strategy as much as you need.
This app makes it easier for you to pull your investment account into a planner’s workshop so that you can begin to make changes, Perhaps you’ve never saved or invested before and you need help? Maybe you are just starting to review your investments and need to change your strategy? Irrespective of your situation, Playbook helps you set goals and achieve them.
Playbook doesn’t charge you a percentage of your AUM to manage your financial goals—charging a flat fee instead. For $19 per month, Playbook takes care of the planning so that you can get back to your daily routine. And, you can reach out via phone or email if you have questions about your account.
What Can Finance Apps Help You Do?
According to a study by the American Bankers Association, four out of 10 Americans manage their bank accounts online. Because mobile banking has increased in popularity, banks have adapted by providing more online services and apps.
Finance apps can help you do a number of tasks that’ll save you money and make your life easier. Here are just a few things you can do.
Manage Your Bank Account
Most banks offer a wide range of mobile banking services. By downloading your bank’s app, you won’t have to log onto a website or go into a physical bank branch. You can:
- Check your account balances
- Transfer money between accounts
- Pay for goods and services online
You can also set up security alerts triggered by large purchases and customize your login security questions as well as add multiple layers of login requirements to ensure your money is protected.
Budget Your Money
Budget apps can help you come up with a plan to save money, pay your bills on time and track purchases for items such as groceries, rent and clothing. You can:
- Set up alerts so you won’t miss a bill payment
- Receive tips on how you can stretch your dollars
- Share the app with a spouse or significant other to track shared expenses
If you’re not the best budgeter, a budget app makes it easy for you to see where your money is going and how you can save more each month.
Plan for Retirement
A retirement app can help you calculate how much money you’ll receive depending on the date you want to retire. The app allows you to enter info such as your age and rate of pay and will show you several scenarios based on possible retirement dates. They also allow you to:
- Calculate annual interest earned on retirement funds
- Read success stories and strategies from other app users
- Chart your desired retirement goals
It’s never too early to start planning for retirement, and an app will make it that much easier to determine when you’ll be able to retire.
Track Your Investments
Whether you have a little or a lot of money in an investment portfolio, there are apps that can help you effectively monitor your investments to maximize your money. These apps help you:
- Set up alerts if a stock trades above or below a threshold you determine
- Follow market movements in real-time
- Find a financial advisor in your area
You’ll be able to view your entire portfolio at a glance at any time. They serve as a one-stop shop for up-to-the-minute news that affects your investments.
Monitor Your Credit Score
Your credit score can impact many things you do in life, from applying for a home loan to purchasing car insurance. That’s why it’s important to know what your credit score is at all times. If you download a credit monitoring app, you can do a number of things, such as:
- View your free credit report
- Explore credit offers based on your credit score
- Discover ways to correct errors and boost your credit score
The app will also give you real-time notifications if you receive a negative mark on your credit score or if your score goes up.
Features of the Best Finance Apps
You might have multiple needs when it comes to finances, so it makes sense to try more than one app to cover your bases. A good place to start is by downloading a banking app which gives you access to your bank accounts 24/7. Here are a few standout features of the best finance apps we’ve reviewed.
Easy-to-Read Budget Goals
We like budget apps that feature colorful buttons for financial goals such as a vacation, saving for retirement or paying off student loans. You can easily see how your goal has progressed with just a glance.
Virtual Financial Assistant
Some banking apps include a digital virtual assistant that’s available to assist you 24/7. You can ask questions via text chat, talk-to-text and through an instant messenger.
Your virtual financial assistant can help you find the nearest ATM location or can even lock your debit card if it becomes lost.
Easy to Navigate
There shouldn’t be a huge learning curve once you download a finance app. It should be simple and straightforward. The easier it is to navigate, the more you’ll use it.
Complex apps can make your online banking and budgeting experience frustrating.
Apps Help You Save
Since your mobile phone is always with you, it makes sense to take your finances with you, too. Download a finance app so you can monitor every penny you own.
If you can monitor your bank account, trading accounts or get the best news with just a few taps — and save money to boot, why not go for it?
Want to learn more? Check out Benzinga's picks for the best online brokerages, best budgeting apps and best personal finance courses.
About Laura Hipshire
Expert-level knowledge of Medicare Advantage plans and regulatory guidelines