On March 23, 2024, Intuit pulled the plug on Mint and redirected its users toward Credit Karma. Millions of people suddenly needed a new way to track their money. The personal finance software market was valued near $1 billion in 2023, a figure Mint's exit only intensified.
A budgeting app connects your checking, savings, credit cards, and brokerage accounts through a data aggregator: almost always Plaid, which reaches more than 12,000 financial institutions in the US and Canada. Once connected, the app classifies purchases, measures spending against a plan, and surfaces where cash is leaking. The strongest tools do this without manual entry. The worst ones make you feel punished every time you log in.
The five contenders below are ranked by methodology, cost, and platform reach. Pick yours based on what you really need: zero-based discipline, joint household management, or one clear number that says how much you can safely spend today.
YNAB: Zero-based discipline on a subscription
YNAB (You Need A Budget) runs on a zero-based framework. Every dollar of income gets an explicit assignment until the plan balances to zero. You cannot budget money you have not yet received. The software enforces operating only with cash on hand.
The service costs about $99 a year. A 34-day free trial is available; there is no permanent free tier. YNAB runs on iPhone, Android phones, and the web and syncs everywhere through a Plaid token-based connection. The app never sees your bank credentials.
This tool fits people willing to spend a few minutes each week adjusting category targets and matching charges. It is poor for passive observation. The zero-based method excels at extinguishing debt and building a cash cushion, but it withers without regular attention.
Monarch Money: Built by a former Mint product manager
Monarch Money was co-founded by Val Agostino, who previously shaped Mint's product. That DNA surfaces immediately. A single dashboard unifies spending plans, portfolio tracking, and net worth. Monarch accommodates zero-based and simpler category-driven approaches.
The annual plan costs approximately $100; monthly billing runs about $15. No perpetual free tier exists, though a 30-day trial is standard. The app operates on iPhone, Android, and the browser. Plaid drives the bank links, and Monarch also accepts manual account connections through alternate aggregators.
Monarch is built for couples. Two people get distinct login credentials inside one shared subscription and watch the same ledger and allocations update live. The investment module pulls holdings and displays asset allocation, something Mint only skimmed. For former Mint customers who want a familiar view with deeper portfolio tools, Monarch is the nearest direct successor.
Transaction rules can auto-rename payees and reassign categories, cutting down weekly maintenance. Monarch also surfaces recurring subscriptions you might have forgotten.
Copilot Money: Design-first and Apple-only
Copilot Money lives exclusively on iPhone and Mac. No Android phone, no Windows machine. The app prioritizes visual polish and uses machine learning to sort purchases. It improves accuracy as users correct miscategorized entries over time.
A subscription runs about $95 per year or $13 monthly, after a 30-day trial. Because the app is confined to Apple hardware, it syncs via iCloud rather than an external sync layer. Plaid still manages bank connections on the backend.
Copilot suits households fully inside Apple's ecosystem who want a calm, minimalist interface. It does not enforce zero-based budgeting out of the box, but custom categories and spending caps are available. Its machine categorization beats most rivals. The absence of any Android or web client disqualifies it for families with mixed devices.
Empower, PocketGuard, and Goodbudget: Specific tools for specific habits
Empower, originally Personal Capital, skews toward wealth tracking and retirement projections rather than daily expense discipline. Its free tier delivers a net worth dashboard and an investment fee analyzer. You pay only if you opt into managed advisory services. The toolkit runs on iPhone, Android, and the web.
PocketGuard boils budgeting down to one figure. It applies a simplified envelope logic, subtracts bills, savings targets, and goals from income, then presents the remainder as your safe-to-spend number. A free tier covers basics. PocketGuard Plus unlocks extras for about $8 a month or $35 a year.
Goodbudget digitizes the classic envelope system and deliberately never touches your bank. Users key in every expense and slot it into an envelope. The app works on iPhone and Android and syncs between them. A free version caps the number of envelopes; the paid tier, at roughly $8 monthly or $70 annually, lifts that limit. It remains the obvious choice for anyone unwilling to hand financial credentials to a third party.
Key facts about personal budget apps
- Market size: Near $1 billion in 2023
- Primary data aggregation API: Plaid, connecting to over 12,000 financial institutions in the US and Canada
- Mint shutdown date: March 23, 2024
- YNAB pricing: $99 per year, 34-day free trial
- Monarch Money pricing: $100 per year or $15 per month, 30-day free trial
- Copilot Money pricing: $95 per year or $13 per month, 30-day free trial
- PocketGuard Plus pricing: $8 per month or $35 per year
- Goodbudget paid tier pricing: $8 per month or $70 per year
App comparison: platform, methodology, and pricing
| App | Platforms | Budgeting methodology | Pricing | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB | iPhone, Android, Web | Zero-based | $99/year | 34-day trial only |
| Monarch Money | iPhone, Android, Web | Zero-based or category-based | $100/year or $15/month | 30-day trial only |
| Copilot Money | iPhone, Mac only | Category-based with AI categorization | $95/year or $13/month | 30-day trial only |
| Empower | iPhone, Android, Web | Category-based with investment tracking | Free for budgeting tools; advisory fees for managed accounts | Yes |
| PocketGuard | iPhone, Android, Web | Envelope system (simplified) | Free tier; Plus $8/month or $35/year | Yes |
| Goodbudget | iPhone, Android | Digital envelope system (manual entry) | Free tier; paid $8/month or $70/year | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Which app is the best replacement for Mint?
Monarch Money. A former Mint product manager co-founded it, delivering a comparable feature set: spending plans, net worth, and portfolio tracking. It supports shared accounts for couples and runs on iPhone, Android, and the web.
Can I use these apps without linking my bank account?
Goodbudget skips bank connections entirely; its users key in every charge. Every other major app depends on a Plaid link to pull entries automatically.
Do these apps work on Android phones?
YNAB, Monarch Money, Empower, and PocketGuard all support Android, iPhone, and the web. Copilot Money is confined to iPhone and Mac. Goodbudget serves iPhone and Android but has no web client.
How secure is my financial data?
All major apps route connections through Plaid, which tokenizes access so the budgeting tool never stores your bank login credentials. Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
Which app is best for couples?
Monarch Money gives two people separate logins on one shared subscription, with live syncing across budgets and ledgers. YNAB also accommodates joint planning through a shared login, but Monarch's dual-credential model is more polished for day-to-day shared money management.
