Best Free Budget Apps in 2026: What Is Actually Free
"Free" means two different things in budgeting apps, and the difference matters more than any feature list. Some apps have a free plan that does not end. Others have a free trial, after which you pay or lose access. Several of the most recommended apps in this category are the second kind.
This page sorts the main options into those two groups, says what each free plan actually covers, and names where a paid app is the better choice. Prices and plan details were checked on 11 October 2026 on each provider's own pricing page; prices change, so confirm before you pay.
Free plan, or free trial?
| App | Permanent free plan | Price if you pay | Bank connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Money | Yes, limited | Premium: pay what you choose, typically $7–$14/mo | Yes |
| Credit Karma | Yes | Free | Yes |
| Spreadsheet | Yes | Free | No |
| FinTrackrr | Yes, limited | Plus $9.99/mo · Premium $19.99/mo | No — manual entry |
| YNAB | No — 34-day trial | $14.99/mo or $109/yr | Optional; file import too |
| Monarch | No — one-week trial | $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr | Yes |
| Copilot | No — trial | About $13/mo or $95/yr | Yes |
Sources: YNAB pricing, Monarch pricing, Rocket Money pricing. Copilot's figures come from third-party reviews rather than a page we could read directly, so treat them as indicative.
The free plans, and what each one leaves out
Rocket Money — the most complete free plan with bank import
Rocket Money's free plan links your accounts, shows your subscriptions, gives you up to three category budgets, and shows spending breakdowns and balance alerts. What it holds back for Premium is substantial: net worth tracking, savings goals, exports, manual transactions and subscription cancellation. Its bill-negotiation service charges a success fee of 35% to 60% of the first year's savings, which is worth knowing before you use it.
Choose it if you want transactions imported without paying, and three budget categories is enough.
Credit Karma — free, but not a budgeting app
Credit Karma is free and shows your accounts and credit score. It does not do monthly budgets by category, which is the feature most former Mint users were looking for when Mint closed in March 2024.
Choose it if you mainly want to watch your credit and see balances in one place.
A spreadsheet — free, unlimited, and all yours to maintain
No row limits, no plan, no upsell. The cost is your time: you build the formulas, and nothing reminds you a bill is due. Plenty of people run a budget this way for years.
Choose it if you like building your own system and will keep it up.
FinTrackrr — a free plan with no card and no bank connection
We make this one, so here are the limits rather than adjectives. The free plan does not expire and does not ask for a card. It covers:
- 100 expenses in total — not per month
- 5 subscriptions, with renewal dates
- 5 bills
- 2 budgets and 2 savings goals
- 2 assets, 2 investments and 2 loans, which feed a net worth figure
- Monthly reports
CSV and PDF export are on the paid plans, not the free one. Plus is $9.99 a month and removes the limits; Premium is $19.99.
The bigger trade-off is that nothing is imported. FinTrackrr does not connect to banks, so every figure is one you type in. That is slower than Rocket Money or Monarch, and it is the whole point for people who would rather not give an app access to their accounts. It also means it works the same wherever you live: set your currency, enter your figures, and amounts show in that currency. It does not convert between currencies, and it runs in a browser rather than as an app you install.
Choose it if you want budgets, bills, subscriptions and net worth in one place without a bank connection, and you do not mind entering the numbers.
The paid apps, and when they are worth it
YNAB ($14.99/mo or $109/yr, 34-day trial) teaches a method: every dollar gets a job before you spend it. People who stick with it often say it changed their habits. It also imports from a file if your bank is not supported, which is unusual in this group. Students can get a longer free period with proof of enrolment.
Monarch ($14.99/mo or $99.99/yr, one-week trial) is the closest thing to how Mint worked, and it handles shared household finances well.
Copilot (about $13/mo or $95/yr) is known for its design and runs on Apple devices and the web. There is no Android app, so it does not suit a mixed household.
How to choose in one minute
- You want imports and will not pay: Rocket Money's free plan.
- You want a method and will pay: YNAB.
- You want Mint's layout back: Monarch.
- You would rather not connect a bank: FinTrackrr, or a spreadsheet.
- You only care about your credit score: Credit Karma.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a genuinely free budget app?
Yes — Rocket Money, Credit Karma and FinTrackrr all have plans that do not expire, each limited in different ways, and a spreadsheet has no limits at all. YNAB, Monarch and Copilot are trials rather than free plans.
Do free budget apps sell your data?
It depends on the provider, and the answer is in its privacy policy rather than its marketing. Check what it says about sharing with partners, and what the business model is: an app that earns referral fees on credit cards and loans has a reason to recommend them. FinTrackrr does not sell your data, shows no ads, and has no bank connection to draw data from.
What happens when I hit a free plan's limit?
You keep what you have entered and are asked to upgrade to add more. Check the specific caps before you start, because they differ a lot: three budget categories is a different proposition from two budgets and a hundred expenses.
Where to go next
- Working out what your subscriptions cost in total? The subscription cost calculator needs no account.
- Replacing Mint specifically? See the Mint alternatives comparison.