What Is The Best Budgeting App Out There?
Table of contents
Galen
September 22, 2025
Short on Time?
Here Are The Top 3 Apps Compared Side-By-Side:
| App | Price | Ease of Use Rating | Best For | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Monarch |
7-day free trial $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr |
|
|
EXCLUSIVE: 7-Day FREE Trial, Plus 50% Off Your First Year |
|
YNAB |
34-day free trial $14.99/mo or $109/yr |
|
|
34-Day Free Trial |
|
Copilot Money |
30-day free trial $13/mo or $95/yr |
|
|
30-Day Free Trial |
Monarch vs. YNAB vs. Copilot: The 3 Best Budgeting Apps Compared (and Why Monarch is Our #1 Pick)
1. Monarch Money – Best Overall Personal Finance App
Monarch pitches itself as your “home base for money clarity,” with all accounts in one place, rich planning tools, and truly collaborative household budgeting under a single subscription.
For couples and families, you can invite household members (each with their own login) under that one subscription and share the same dashboard.
Key Features
Multiple family members
Each user can login with their own account to see family finances.
Easily see your networth
By connecting all of your accounts in one place
See all spending and transactions
All in one place and automatically categorized for you.
Current deal
7-Day free trial, then 50% off your first year (normally $99.99)
How it felt to use Monarch for the first month
Onboarding felt…kind. The interface is clean, the flows are obvious, and I could see everything (cash flow, budgets, goals, investments) without the whack-a-mole I’ve felt in other apps. Monarch gave me an immediate sense of context: not just “you spent $312 on restaurants,” but how that fits into the month I planned. The result was eye-opening—finally seeing my spending in a very clear, and very visual way was awesome.
I also loved that Monarch quietly mixes discipline with flexibility: there are two budgeting modes (including rollover/flex-style budgeting), goal tracking, and collaborative tools that work with my wife without us texting screenshots back and forth.
My wife and I both wanted to feel in-control of our finances. It was always hard to do that when she had some accounts to her name that I couldn’t see, and vice-versa. Now I can see her accounts and she can see mine all in our Monarch account. 100% Visibility for both of us, which is exactly what our family needed.
A nice little mini-win that made my first month a delight
We set a shared goal for a fall trip and assigned dollars to it. Watching the progress bar inch forward, alongside a forecast of upcoming bills, made me feel proactive instead of guilty. For the first time, I knew where every dollar was going each month—and that made me feel in control instead of anxious.
Common complaints among online reviews:
Some users reported bank-sync hiccups or support frustrations. “None of the data connections work for me anymore so I’m abandoning Monarch…” (one user’s experience—bank connectivity can be finicky across all budgeting apps). In my experience with all three showed me that Monarch was the least-bad in this respect.
2. YNAB (You Need A Budget)
YNAB is the classic “give every dollar a job” method—zero-based budgeting that helps you prioritize and adjust intentionally.
Key Features
Not just a budgeting app
Its a whole money management program.
"Give every dollar a job" method
You assign every dollar you have to one of your expense categories until you have "zero" left to budget.
Sync all accounts
Connecting your bank and credit cards allows you to see all spending and assign to categories.
Current deal
34-Day free trial - the longest free trial offer of any app we found!
What was YNAB like to use?
YNAB felt like going to budgeting boot camp—with a very stern coach. Assigning dollars before spending gave me a forced sense of intentionality. Checking categories before a purchase never did become a strong habit for me – but that is what YNAB preaches you should do. I found it difficult to remind myself of this each time I pulled out my credit card.
The tradeoffs
There’s a learning curve, and it’s real (YNAB acknowledges this themselves). Early on, I felt boxed in by the method: powerful, yes, but demanding. When life got hectic, the friction of category maintenance sometimes made me… avoid the app. Then I’d have to play catch-up with categorizing my spend when I did finally log back in. I didn’t find this pleasant and it led to me not loving their money management style. It just didn’t vibe with me.
Though in my research I found that if you got over this learning curve, most users really got into YNAB and become faithful, diligent followers to their method. I don’t doubt this works, but building the right habits was a challenge for me.
What our research found other users are saying:
We always conduct thorough research on all products we review, including reading online reviews and checking out what Reddit says about each company we are looking into.
The feedback we saw on YNAB really split into two main pieces of positive and negative feedback:
Positive: Once it clicks, it can be fast. As one user put it: “Now that my budget’s set up…the way I want, it’s really just maybe 30 minutes every two weeks.”
Negative: New folks can feel lost: “I’ve been using YNAB for a few days… super confused when it comes to assigning and matching [to my] bank account.”
Bottom line on YNAB
If you love structure and want the deepest behavior change via rules and routines, YNAB is transformative. For me, it sometimes felt like homework—but very effective homework.
3. Copilot Money
Copilot is a modern, Apple-native money app (Mac, iPhone, iPad) with AI-driven categorization, slick design, and an emphasis on tracking, trends, and net worth. Though it is a shame that they don’t work on Android or other non-Apple devices.
Key Features
Works great on Apple devices
Unfortunately not on Android or other non-Apple devices.
AI-Driven Categorization
Having AI automatically categorize transactions makes money management a breeze.
Connecting banks was easy
Bank and credit card connections were easy, but I had to re-sync them frequently, which was annoying.
What Copilot Money was like to use:
Immediate dopamine. Copilot’s design is gorgeous, the data loads fast, and the AI categorization reduces tedious cleanup. It felt like wearing a well-cut jacket—everything sits right, and you want to keep it on. Daily snapshots and recurring-expense views helped me see the shape of my money week to week.
The tradeoffs
For me, Copilot felt more like a superb tracker than a behavior-change system. I felt motivated by the visuals, but I still needed to supply my own budgeting philosophy. Also note: it’s Apple-only; there’s no Android app. And some users, myself included, report occasional bank re-verifications.
What our research found other users are saying:
After diving down a very, very deep Reddit hole and looking at other sources of reviews (like Copilot’s website and TrustPilot). We found two main themes among reviewers:
Positive: “So good and waaay better than mint! I was on mint for years, but I’m so happy I switched. Managing my finances is now fun thanks to Copilot. Amazing app and incredible support team that actually listen to their customers!”
Negative: “Yes, I have to re-verify credentials constantly for some of my bank accounts. It is really annoying.”
Bottom line on Copilot
If you’re an Apple-centric, design-sensitive user who wants effortless tracking and smart categorization, Copilot is delightful. I just wanted a bit more hand-holding around planning and tradeoffs.
Top Tips for Picking the Right Budgeting App for You
I’ve identified the key things to look for in a budgeting app:
- Decide if you want rules or reflection.
If you need a firm method to retrain your habits, try YNAB’s rule-set. If you want automation plus a gentle planning layer, Monarch may fit better. If you mostly want to see where your money goes with minimal friction, Copilot shines.
- Consider who’s in the budget.
Budgeting with a partner? Monarch’s one-subscription household model with separate logins is excellent. YNAB also supports sharing a subscription with up to six people.
- Check your ecosystem.
Live on iPhone/Mac and love native apps? Copilot is built for that. Need web + cross-platform flexibility? Monarch and YNAB cover you.
- Know your budget for…budgeting.
Prices as tested:
- Monarch is 50% off with our exclusive offer (click the link to lock this price in today) $49.99/year
- YNAB $14.99/month or $109/year
- Copilot $95/year or $13/month
Frequently Asked Questions
Which app is easiest to start with?
Monarch has the friendliest onboarding and helpful defaults, so it tends to feel easy right away. Copilot also feels breezy thanks to its AI categorization feature. YNAB is the most demanding at the start (they openly discuss the learning curve), but it can deliver the most mindset change for rule-lovers.
Which app is best for couples?
Monarch’s household model (one subscription, separate logins, shared dashboard) is built for this and worked beautifully for us. YNAB’s subscription sharing is also generous (up to six).
Do these apps actually help with paycheck-to-paycheck stress?
Yes—having a plan and clear visibility matters. YNAB is laser-focused on breaking that cycle; Monarch adds approachable planning and forecasting; Copilot provides clarity and alerts that reduce surprises. (And remember, you’re not alone in feeling that pressure.)
Is Copilot available on Android?
No—Copilot is Apple-only (Mac, iPhone, iPad).
So which one should I try first?
If you want the best overall balance—Monarch.
We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links.
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