Best Budget App for Couples

Finances may not be the first topic of discussion on a date, but if the relationship evolves to permanent status, couples will want to discuss each other’s financial situations and long-term goals.

Joint budgeting encourages open communication and helps partners understand each other's financial habits and priorities. Technology is making this easier than ever via budgeting apps, which partners can use to set shared long-term goals, such as saving for a down payment on a house, planning for a vacation, or saving for retirement.

Updated: June 6, 2024 | Bents Dulcio |
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    The Need for a Specialized Budget App for Couples

    A specialized budget app for couples helps solve problems when partners have a different attitude towards money, spending habits, and financial priorities. These differences can lead to conflicts if not addressed through effective communication and compromise.

    For example, one partner may earn significantly more than the other, leading to disparities in financial contributions and decision-making power. Managing finances fairly and equitably in such situations requires careful planning and mutual respect.

    Couples often have shared expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, groceries, and healthcare costs. Coordinating these expenses and ensuring that both partners contribute proportionally can be challenging without clear communication and a solid budgeting strategy or budgeting app.

    Couples may bring individual debts into the relationship, such as student loans, credit card debt, or car loans. Developing a plan to pay off these debts together while still meeting other financial goals will also require coordination and prioritization. It also will help couples go through major life transitions together, such as getting married, buying a home, starting a family, or planning for retirement.

    These transitions often come with significant financial implications that need to be carefully managed and planned for.

    Key Features to Look for in a Budget App for Couples

    When choosing a budget app, couples should look for features that facilitate effective communication, collaboration, and goal tracking. Some key features to consider include:

    Shared Access: The app should allow both partners to access and update the budget in real-time, ensuring transparency and collaboration in managing finances.

    Customizable Budget Categories: Couples should be able to create customized budget categories that reflect their unique spending priorities and shared expenses.

    Synced Accounts: The app should support syncing of bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts to automatically track expenses and income for both partners.

    Goal Tracking: The app should include features for setting and tracking financial goals, allowing couples to monitor progress towards shared objectives and celebrate milestones together.

    Security and Privacy: Security is paramount when sharing financial information. Couples should choose a budget app that prioritizes data encryption and other security measures to protect their sensitive financial data.

    By selecting a budget app with these features, couples can effectively navigate the unique financial challenges they face together and work towards their shared financial goals.

    Budget Apps for Couples

    In today’s digital age, managing money has become more streamlined than ever. There are a lot of budgeting apps on the market. Fortunately, we’re here to help you select the best for managing your finances with your partner. Below we’ll break down the cost, ratings, key features, and potential drawbacks for the best budgeting apps in 2024.

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    EveryDollar

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    App store ratings: 4.7 (IOS) 3.4 (Google Play)
    Cost: Free; Premium $17.99/month

    Key Features: EveryDollar features a clean and intuitive interface, making it easy for couples to navigate and manage their budgets. The app promotes zero-based budgeting, where every dollar is assigned a specific purpose, helping users track their spending and prioritize financial goals. Couples can track their expenses in real-time by manually entering transactions or linking their bank accounts for automatic transaction imports. Every Dollar allows users to set financial goals and track their progress, whether it's paying off debt, saving for emergencies, or investing for the future.

    Potential drawbacks: While users can manually enter transactions in the free version, automatic bank syncing is only available in the paid version (EveryDollar Plus), which requires a subscription fee. This may deter some users, especially considering that similar budgeting apps offer automatic bank syncing at no extra cost. Also, EveryDollar focuses primarily on budgeting and expense tracking, lacking features for tracking investments or retirement accounts, which may be important for users with long-term financial goals.

    Honeydue Logo

    HoneyDue

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    App store ratings: 4.5 (IOS) 3.3 (Google Play)
    Cost: Free

    Key Features: Honeydue allows couples to manage their finances together in one place, providing visibility into joint accounts, expenses, and financial goals. Users can set up bill reminders and due date alerts to ensure timely payments for shared expenses like rent, utilities, and subscriptions, reducing the risk of missed payments and late fees. HoneyDue offers robust expense tracking features, allowing users to categorize transactions, set spending limits, and receive notifications for unusual spending activity. The app provides budgeting tools and visualizations to help couples set and track their spending targets, identify areas for saving, and work towards common financial goals together.

    Potential drawbacks: Honeydue may not support as many financial institutions or offer as seamless integration with banking and credit card accounts as some other personal finance apps, potentially requiring manual transaction entry for some accounts. While Honeydue is designed specifically for couples, its features may not be as relevant or useful for individuals or families who do not share finances with a partner.

    Pocket Guard Logo

    PocketGuard

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    App store ratings: 4.7 (IOS) 3.6 (Google Play)
    Cost: Free; Premium $7.99/month

    Key Features: PocketGuard automatically tracks couples’ expenses by categorizing transactions from linked bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts, providing insights into spending habits and trends. The app helps users create and manage budgets based on their income, expenses, and financial goals, offering customizable budget categories, spending limits, and visualizations to monitor progress and adjust spending as needed. PocketGuard notifies users of upcoming bills and due dates, helping them stay organized and avoid missed payments, late fees, and penalties. The app identifies and monitors users' subscription services, highlighting recurring expenses and offering insights into potential savings by canceling or optimizing subscriptions. It also analyzes users' cash flow and spending patterns to identify opportunities for saving money, suggesting ways to save on everyday expenses and build an emergency fund or savings goals automatically.

    Potential drawbacks: Like many financial apps, PocketGuard may encounter syncing issues or delays with bank connections, resulting in incomplete or delayed transaction data, which could affect the accuracy of budget tracking and expense management. PocketGuard relies on internet connectivity, which means users may face disruptions in access or functionality due to technical issues, software updates, or network outages.

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    Quicken Simplifi

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    App store ratings: 4.1 (IOS) 4.4 (Google Play)
    Cost: $2.99/month

    Key Features: Use a calendar and manage upcoming bills to stay ahead of recurring charges or withdrawals. The financial reports section includes detailed breakdowns of your spending, income, net income, savings, and a monthly summary. You can also track refunds to ensure the funds make it back to your account. Take a dive into the investment details page and peruse all investment holdings from connected accounts. You can also track specific savings goals and link these expenses to your budget for ease of management.

    Potential drawbacks: There’s no free version, so users will have to pay to access Quicken Simplifi’s features. The app also has minimal features for tracking and improving credit scores. Couples in need of a robust investment platform may be disappointed. Quicken Simplifi offers a portfolio overview but doesn’t allow for comprehensive investment management, which is a crucial part of long-term financial planning.

    splitwise-logo

    Splitwise

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    App store ratings: 3.4 (IOS) 2.4 (Google Play)
    Cost: free; Premium $3/month

    Key Features: While not a traditional budgeting app, Splitwise is ideal for couples who frequently split expenses with each other or with roommates. It allows users to track shared expenses, settle debts, and split bills easily. Couples can use Splitwise to track expenses from shared activities, such as dining out, traveling, or household purchases. They can split bills evenly or assign specific amounts to each partner, and the app will keep a running total of who owes what.

    Potential drawbacks: Not the best rating on Google Play, but IOS users appeared satisfied enough to rate it a 3.4/5. Unsatisfied customers said too many ads and the addition of rate limits have made the app’s free version less user friendly.

    zeta-logo

    Zeta

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    App store ratings: 4.5 (IOS) 3.8 (Google Play)
    Cost: free; Premium $9.99/month

    Key Features: Zeta is designed specifically for couples, allowing them to manage joint accounts, track shared expenses, and set financial goals together. Couples can communicate within the app, split expenses, and track their progress towards shared objectives. They can also use Zeta to set up joint budgets for shared expenses, such as rent, utilities, and groceries, and track their spending in real-time.

    Potential drawbacks: Users complained of a user interface some find challenging to navigate. Free version has basic features like Zeta’s envelope system and digital banking access, however, users will have to pay a premium to take advantage of its automation features for tracking payments and setting long-term financial goals.

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    Intuit Credit Karma

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    App store ratings: IOS (4.8) Google Play (4.2)
    Cost: Free

    Key Features: Intuit Credit Karma boasts a clean and intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate and access its various features. Whether you're a seasoned budgeter or just starting out, the app's simplicity ensures a smooth user experience. Intuit can create personalized budgets based on your spending habits and financial goals. By analyzing your transactions and income, the app provides insights into where your money is going and suggests ways to optimize your spending. As part of the Credit Karma suite, the app offers seamless integration with credit monitoring services, allowing couples to track their credit score and receive alerts for any significant changes. This holistic approach to financial management ensures that users have a complete picture of their financial health at all times.

    Potential Drawbacks: While the app offers seamless integration with Credit Karma's other services, such as credit monitoring, it may lack integration with third-party financial platforms, limiting its versatility for users who prefer to manage their finances across multiple platforms. Some users have reported experiencing occasional bugs and glitches, such as syncing issues or inaccurate transaction categorization. While these issues are relatively minor and are usually resolved quickly, they can be frustrating for users seeking a seamless experience.

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    GoodBudget

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    App store ratings: IOS (4.6) Google Play (4.1)
    Cost: Free; Premium $8/month

    Key Features: GoodBudget is a user-friendly budgeting app that simplifies the process of managing your finances while providing effective tools for tracking expenses and saving money. GoodBudget employs the envelope budgeting method, which allows users to allocate funds into different virtual envelopes for various spending categories, such as groceries, utilities, entertainment, etc. This system provides a visual representation of where your money is going and helps you stay on track with your budgeting goals. One of GoodBudget's strengths is its cross-platform accessibility. The app is available on both iOS and Android devices, as well as through a web interface, ensuring that couples can access their budgeting information from anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

    Potential Drawbacks: The free version is very limited and doesn’t connect to financial accounts. Also, there are no tools for monitoring your investment portfolio. This is a basic budgeting app that does one thing very well.

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    Stash

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    App store ratings: IOS (4.7) Google Play (3.7)
    Cost: $1-$9/month

    Key Features: Stash allows couples to invest in fractional shares of stocks and ETFs with as little as $5, making it accessible to investors of all income levels. This feature enables users to build diversified portfolios and invest in companies they believe in without needing to purchase whole shares. It offers personalized investment recommendations based on your financial goals, risk tolerance, and interests. Users can choose from a variety of themed investment portfolios (called "Stashfolios") curated by experts or build their own custom portfolio to suit their needs.

    Potential Drawbacks: Monthly Fees: Stash operates on a subscription model, with monthly fees ranging from $1 to $9 depending on the tier of service. While the fees are relatively low compared to traditional investment platforms, they may deter some users who prefer free alternatives.

    YNAB Logo

    YNAB

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    App store ratings: IOS (4.8) Google Play (4.7)
    Cost: $14.99/month

    Key Features: YNAB takes the often daunting task of budgeting and transforms it into a manageable, empowering process that helps users take control of their finances and build a more secure future. YNAB's philosophy revolves around giving every dollar a job. By assigning each dollar to a specific category (like groceries, rent, or savings), users gain clarity on where their money is going and can make more intentional spending decisions. YNAB seamlessly syncs across devices and updates in real-time, ensuring that your budget is always up to date no matter where you are. This feature is invaluable for couples or families managing finances together.

    Potential Drawbacks: For users new to the YNAB philosophy, there may be a learning curve as they familiarize themselves with the app's interface and budgeting methodology. However, the app provides extensive tutorials and support to help users get started. It’s also one of the most expensive budgeting apps on the market.

    Tips for Maximizing the Use of a Budget App

    Maximizing the use of a budgeting app involves more than just entering expenses and income. You and your partner will need to work together to plan, track, and achieve your financial milestones. Here are some tips on how to budget and get the most out of whichever app you choose:

    Set Clear Financial Goals: Before you start using the app, define your financial goals, whether it's saving for a vacation, paying off debt, or building an emergency fund. Your budget should align with these goals.

    Track All Expenses: Enter every expense, no matter how small. This gives you a comprehensive view of where your money is going and helps identify areas where you can cut back.

    Categorize Expenses Wisely: Use categories that make sense for your spending habits. Most apps allow you to create custom categories, so tailor them to fit your needs.

    Regularly Review and Adjust: Set aside time each week or month to review your budget. Check if you're staying on track with your spending and adjust as necessary. Life changes, and so should your budget.

    Automate Transactions: Many budgeting apps allow you to link your bank accounts and credit cards, automatically importing transactions. This saves time and ensures you don't miss any expenses.

    Stay Consistent: Make it a habit to use the app regularly. Consistency is key to successful budgeting.

    Educate Yourself: Take advantage of any educational resources offered by the app or external sources. Understanding personal finance concepts will help you make better financial decisions.

    Sync with Spouse/Partner: If you share finances with someone else, make sure both of you are on the same page. Sync the app with your partner's device to ensure transparency and joint decision-making.

    By implementing these tips, you can make the most of your budgeting app and take control of your finances effectively.

    Building a Stronger Future Together

    Budgeting takes time but it’s well worth it. Learn to view joint budgeting as a collaborative process that can strengthen your relationship. Below are some of the benefits budgeting apps offer couples.

    Transparency: Both partners can see and track expenses, ensuring transparency and open communication about finances. Couples can set and track shared financial goals, such as saving for a house or planning for retirement, helping them work together towards a common objective.

    Expense Tracking: The app allows couples to easily track their expenses in real-time, providing visibility into where their money is going and identifying areas where they can save. Budgeting apps offer tools like spending limits, categories, and alerts, helping couples stay within their budget and avoid overspending.

    Synced Accounts: Many apps allow couples to sync their accounts, ensuring that both partners have access to the same financial information and eliminating the need for manual updates.

    Financial Accountability: Couples can hold each other accountable for their spending habits and financial decisions, fostering responsible money management.

    Joint Decision Making: Budgeting apps facilitate joint decision-making on financial matters, allowing couples to discuss and prioritize their spending and savings goals together.

    While budget apps can help couples manage their finances and achieve financial goals, other programs may be necessary to help overcome debts. Debt management can help couples form a plan to tackle debt. Some couples may qualify for debt consolidation, which organizes debts into a single payment, or debt settlement, which can reduce the amount of debt you owe.

    Sources:

    1. N.A. (2024, January 25) Average Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States. Retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ASPUS
    2. N.A. (2023 August 17) Personal Finances for Couples: Managing Joint Finances. Retrieved from: https://dfpi.ca.gov/2023/08/15/personal-finance-for-couples/
    3. N.A. (ND) Making a Budget. Retrieved from: https://consumer.gov/managing-your-money/making-budget