Top 7 Free Budgeting Apps in 2025: Find the One That Fits Your Style

• By Clinton Wanjala

• 251

• Last updated Sep 13, 2025

Budgeting is crucial, especially if your goal is growing wealth and becoming financially independent. Yet, starting and sticking to a budget can feel like a challenge to many people.

Question: Have you ever promised yourself you’d start budgeting, only to give up a week later?

You try creating a budget in your notebook, tracking expenses in Excel, but it ends up feeling like too much work. The truth is, the problem isn’t entirely you, sometimes it can be the tools that you use.

Many budgeting methods make the process feel complicated, boring and others make it very frustrating.

The good news is, there are apps designed to make budgeting life simple, effective, and even a little fun. The key is finding one that fits your style.

In this modern age, there are people who love structure, others prefer automation, and some just want a straightforward tracker that doesn’t nag.

Now, instead of ranking apps as if they’re in a competition, in this article we’ll explore eight free-forever budgeting apps, highlight what makes each budgeting app unique, and help you find the one that’s right for you.

1 If You Like Automation and Simplicity: PocketGuard

PocketGuard is a strong budgeting app for people who prefer automation. Its standout feature is called “In My Pocket,” which shows the exact amount of money you can safely spend after accounting for bills, savings, and recurring goals.

Many beginners struggle with knowing how much is left to spend without overshooting their budget, and this feature helps solve that problem.

Because PocketGuard connects to your bank accounts, it automatically tracks income and expenses, saving you from having to type in every transaction.

However, in countries where bank linking isn’t supported, users may need to enter information manually, which reduces some of the convenience.

Even so, the free version provides more than enough functionality for most beginner budgeters.

Also read: The 50/30/20 Budgeting Rule 

2 If you prefer hands-on, envelope-style budgeting: Goodbudget

Some people need to feel their spending to stay in control. If that’s you, Goodbudget will be your best friend. It’s based on the old-school “envelope method,” where you divide money into envelopes (groceries, transport, eating out) and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Goodbudget is the best free budgeting app for individuals who like to be directly or physically involved in managing their money.

You don’t want to just look at the numbers, contrarily, you want to know where each penny goes, then Goodbudget is the best fit for you. This particular app is based on the old-school envelop method.

What’s the Envelop Budgeting Method?

In the past, people used to divide their money into different physical envelopes, each envelop is assigned to a specific expense e.g rent, tuition fees, savings and entertainment.

For instance, when money in entertainment envelop is spent and balance is zero, there is no more entertainment in that month until the next one.

As you can see, this budgeting method helps you see exactly where your money is going and keeps you from overspending, because you can “feel” your budget instead of just looking at numbers on a screen.

Now, Goodbudget app has embraced this method of budgeting, you create envelops digitally on the app. You then manually assign money to each category, which might sound like extra work, but that’s the point. It forces you to pause and think about where your cash is really going.

For beginners who struggle with impulse spending, Goodbudget provides the kind of discipline you won’t get from an automated tracker. The free budgeting plan gives you enough envelopes to get started, and you can always upgrade later if you want more features.

3 If you want structure with zero-based budgeting: EveryDollar

If you are that person who often where your money went, then zero based budgeting might be the perfect budgeting app for you. So this is why, this budgeting app is one that lets you assign every dollar, euro, or shilling to a specific job which can be rent, savings, groceries e.t.c. Basically, there is no cent that is left unbudgeted.

A bummer is that the free version of this budgeting app does not allow syncing to your bank. However, it still walks you through the entire process of setting up a plan and gives to a way to manually track your spending. The app is simple, focused, and perfect for people who crave order.

If you’ve always liked the idea of planning every detail but didn’t know where to start, then EveryDollar might be the best free budgeting app for you.

4 If you’re budgeting as a couple:  Honeydue

Financial compatibility in modern relationships is one of the most important things but still one of the most complex ones. There have been many scenarios where couples have admitted that money is one of the biggest stress points in their relationships.

You see, in a relationship, one person can be a spender and their other, complete opposite, a saver. One person in the relationship can be tracking every receipt while other other partner swipes and forgets.

If you find yourself in this scenario, trying out Honeydue can save you lost of stress.

Honeydue is a budgeting app designed specifically for couples. Through this app, you can link accounts, track bills, and even chat inside the app about money with your partner instead of arguing at the dinner table.

Here is the best part, when you are using Honeydue, you get to choose what your partner can or can’t see. For couples starting out on their financial journey together, Honeydue is a no-cost way to build healthy money habits as a team.

5 If you want a bigger picture (budget + net worth): Empower (Personal Dashboard)

Most budgeting apps stop at expenses, but what if you also want to see the big picture; your entire financial life? Empower is one of the best app when it comes to this.

The app gives you a full dashboard where you can see your income, spending, savings, investments, and even your net worth.

For beginners in budgeting, Empower might sound advanced, but the beauty of it is that it’s still beginner-friendly. You don’t have to use every feature on day one. My advice is, you start simple and advance as you progress.

Can you believe that with all these advancement, this is a free budgeting app, forever, and the best part is, there are no hidden fees. In my assessment, empower is ideal for individuals who are curious not just about day-to-day budgeting, but about how your money adds up in the bigger picture.

6 If you want everything in one place (plus free credit tracking): SoFi Relay

Some people want it all: an app that pulls all your accounts together, tracks spending automatically, and even shows your credit score. If that sounds like you, SoFi Relay delivers.

The app is clean, modern, and designed to give you insights without overwhelming you. Beginners love it because you don’t have to mess with settings or manual entries, you only have to connect your accounts and SoFi Relay will do the rest.

In short, SoFi Relay is that budgeting app that will help you to get financially organized quickly, also, through it, you will be able to see your financial health in one dashboard.

7 If you like things minimal and distraction-free: Fudget

Fudget is an app with a minimal and distraction free interface, and yes, it’s a free budgeting app. I know, not everyone wants charts, syncing, or complicated categories. I

If you are interested in budgeting digitally, then Fudget gives you a digital notebook that you use to track your income and expenses.

I recommend this budgeting apps to students, freelancers or any person who is tired of traditional budgeting apps. Its simple.

My Final Thoughts: Choose the App That Matches You

There isn’t a “one size fits all” budgeting app. The best one depends on your mindset in relation to money.

• If you hate details? Try PocketGuard or SoFi Relay.
• If you Need discipline? Goodbudget or EveryDollar will keep you honest.
• If you are in a relationship and want to start budgeting with you partner? Try Honeydue
• If you are curious about your bigger financial picture? Empower gives you the bird’s-eye view.
• Want pure simplicity? Fudget is your no-frills friend.

The real win when it comes to using budgeting apps isn’t downloading it. You win by sticking with one long enough to build the necessary habit. Pick the one that feels least intimidating, use it for a month or two, then see if its able to positively impact your perspective on money.

The truth is, budgeting can be tricky but it doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right budgeting app in your pocket, 2025 could be the year you finally feel in control of your money.