Want to save money? In the past, you would’ve needed to rely on your own self-discipline, ingenuity, and organization to save up the pennies. Now, in the Digital Age, there is a wide range of money-saving apps that pretty much do everything for you. Some are relatively simple budgeting apps that offer tips on how to make your finances last longer. Others are full-blown mobile banking apps that combine a basic checking account with a variety of tools for saving money.
Either way, we look at the six best money-saving apps available right now for Android and iOS. Regardless of your particular budgeting needs, you’re bound to find something on this list that will help you save more money.
If you’re interested in money-transfer apps or moneymaking apps, we also have separate guides on those subjects.
Mint
Mint is one of the best money-saving apps around. It works by allowing you to see all of your finances through a single portal. It also lets you set your financial goals so that the app can provide you with more personalized money-saving advice and track the progress you make toward your aims.
As an app that brings all of your accounts and spending to a single place, Mint runs the risk of being cluttered and complicated. However, the opposite is actually the case: Mint’s user interface is clearly and logically laid out, with easily accessible sections and pages for different accounts and kinds of spending. It’s therefore simple to use Mint to gain a fuller picture of your finances, while the option to create a simple (yet effective) budget makes it easier to take control of them.
Helpfully, Mint shows users savings opportunities and budgeting advice that enables them to cut back on spending. It also lets you get free credit scores, bill reminders, and fraud alerts. Taken as a whole, its features and ease of use make it a very complete money-saving app.
Mint is currently free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
iOS Android
Chime
Chime isn’t simply a money-saving app, but also a mobile banking app that does more to help you save than apps from other digital banks. You can sign up for an account for free, and once you’re set up you’ll receive a Visa debit card, a checking account, and an optional savings account. So far, so normal, but what sets Chime apart from the crowd is that it introduces a range of features that will empower you to save more money.
Most notably, it includes an automatic savings feature, which automatically sends 10% of your salary to your savings account each month. It also includes an option to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar, so that you can send the difference to your savings. On top of this, you can even get a fee-free overdraft, as well as the ability to receive your salary two days early in some cases.
Again, Chime is very well designed as an app and easy to use. It’s free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
iOS Android
Digit
Digit is another excellent money-saving app that works by automating your savings. Once you download it to your phone and connect it to your bank accounts, it basically works as a kind of algorithmic financial assistant. It can analyze your transactions and learn how much you can afford to save each month, at which point it will transfer this amount to an FDIC-insured Digit savings account. While this process is automated, you also have the option to adjust how much it puts away every month.
On top of this automated savings process, Digit also provides users with overdraft protection by notifying them when their checking accounts are low. It also makes it easier to withdraw your saved money than standard savings accounts, and offers 1% interest on savings (as of writing).
Digit is definitely one of the best money-savings apps around. The only small downside is that, after a free 30-day trial period, you have to pay $5 for a subscription. It’s available from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
iOS Android
Acorns
Acorns may not be a typical money-savings app, but it’s still one of the best. It works by rounding up your purchases to the nearest dollar and adding the difference to an Acorns account, which is used to invest in an exchange-traded funds portfolio based on your income and budgeting goals.
Yes, investing in the stock market may be a little too risky for some, since you’re not guaranteed a positive return. That said, Acorns lets you choose between “conservative” and “aggressive” portfolios based on your appetite for risk. Again, you won’t be guaranteed to make money, but given that interest rates on normal savings accounts are currently low, it may be a better idea for some people to turn to the stock market.
Acorn is free to download, but charges for subscriptions at $1, $2, or $3 per month.
iOS Android
You Need a Budget
You need a budget, so why not download the You Need a Budget (YNAB) app? This is another great money-saving app that lets you track all of your accounts and transactions in a single place, enabling you to save money in the process. It lets users set their financial goals and also offers helpful estimations of when they’ll reach them, assuming that they follow the given budgeting advice. It also provides regular trend reports on your spending that help you track just how well you’re doing in saving money.
One welcome addition that YNAB brings is that it grants users the right to join free online budgeting workshops. This really rounds out the advice the app provides, giving users a greater knowledge of how to budget and save money.
YNAB is free to download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. However, it charges for a monthly subscription once the 30-day free trial is over, beginning from $11.99. Despite this expense, it claims that new users save $600 on average in the first two months.
iOS Android
Honey
Honey is a money-saving app for all the shoppers out there. It’s designed for anyone who wants to save money when shopping online but doesn’t have the time to root around for virtual coupons. Downloadable onto Android and iOS smartphones, it works as a browser extension that automatically searches for coupons whenever you’re about to go to an e-commerce checkout.
Honey automatically applies coupon codes for you at all applicable websites, and its makers say that it covers over 400 stores and millions of items. As such, it provides a great way of cutting down on your monthly shopping bill, while still enabling you to treat yourself every once in a while.
It also provides a number of additional features, such as notifications for when discounts are available on items you’ve saved to a wish list. It’s free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
iOS Android