The Best Budgeting Apps for Couples to Manage Money Together

[#item_title]Budgeting, evergreen, repubGet a joint bank account, they say. It’ll be fine, they say. So you do it. But then you discover your significant other doesn’t prioritize saving as much as you do. Your partner, on the other hand, can’t fathom why you consider a new outfit to be “a need” when you have a closet full
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

Get a joint bank account, they say.

It’ll be fine, they say.

So you do it.

But then you discover your significant other doesn’t prioritize saving as much as you do. Your partner, on the other hand, can’t fathom why you consider a new outfit to be “a need” when you have a closet full of clothes.

Before the tense money discussions become full-on arguments, you and your partner need to get on the same page about your shared finances… or better yet, the same app.

Breaking Down the Best Budgeting Apps for Couples

These budgeting apps will help couples tackle shared expenses, achieve joint money goals and build a strong financial future together.

If you and your partner are fans of Dave Ramsey’s favorite money management method, the zero-based budget, this app will be right up your alley.

But that doesn’t mean you’d have to abandon your 50/30/20 budget if that’s what you prefer. You can customize the budget template to fit what works for you.

This budgeting app is known for providing great user experience without a bunch of distracting ads. If you opt into the premium version Ramsey Plus, you get automatic syncing to your bank account — which the free version does not provide — and access to Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.

Learn more from our EveryDollar review.

Goodbudget is for couples who like the cash envelope system but are ready to stop carrying cash everywhere.

This app uses virtual envelopes for your various spending categories. If you’re using the free version, you get a total of 20 envelopes. The paid version allows you unlimited envelopes.

Another difference between the two versions: You can only use the app on two devices with the free version; whereas with the paid version, you can use up to five devices.

With Goodbudget, you’ll need to be comfortable manually updating your envelopes when you make purchases or uploading your transaction history from your bank. The app does not sync to bank accounts to track spending in real time.

Honeydue helps you and your partner stay on the same page by letting you track spending and saving together, collectively manage debt and save for the future.

Like its name implies, Honeydue has a feature that reminds you and your honey when bills are due. You can also chat with your partner directly in the app about all things financial.

Firstly is a budgeting app that’s ideal for couples who are carrying the financial responsibilities of raising children plus assisting their aging parents. The app is created as a one-stop shop for managing family finances.

In addition to tracking spending and wealth building, Firstly helps to encourage money convos by letting users send in-app communication to their partner or another family member. You can also set family savings goals, like putting aside money for a big vacation or to purchase a larger house. You set your savings rules and authorize Firstly to pull a certain percentage or a set amount from your checking accounts each month.

Firstly was previously known as Honeyfi until Strategic Financial Solutions acquired the app in March 2021 and rebranded it.

Mint has been around for over a decade and is known as a tried-and-true money management system. You and your other half can get on budget together by syncing your bank accounts and creating as many spending categories as you’d like.

Mint sends you reminders about upcoming bills so you and your partner stay on top of paying everything on time. It’ll also alert you when you’re low on funds. You can use Mint to meet savings goals and for insight on where you’re overspending.

One downside of this app, however, is that it can feel a bit cluttered with ads and offers — a common criticism of free apps.

Learn more from our Mint review.

If you and your significant other are fans of the cash envelope budget, Mvelopes will help you stick to that system — but without needing to carry around wads of cash.You link your bank account and create virtual envelopes based on how much you want to spend in different categories.

If you and your partner need to stick to a strict grocery budget or curb what you spend on entertainment, you can easily tell how much you have left to spend for the month in each budget category.

With the Mvelopes app, there are three different plans you can sign up for. The cheapest, Mvelopes Basic, allows you to set up your envelope budget, monitor account balances, get interactive reports and access live chat support.

Mvelopes Premier adds perks like debt reduction tools and access to the Mvelopes Learning Center. The premium Mvelopes Plus includes a personalized financial plan and quarterly sessions with a money coach.

Learn more from our Mvelopes review.

Personal Capital is for the couple that’s serious about their future together — particularly their financial future.

In addition to keeping tabs on your day-to-day spending, the app links to your 401(k)s and IRAs so you can see how you’re tracking toward retirement. It even offers a free retirement planner tool.

Personal Capital also factors in financial information like your mortgage and other loans to give you a complete picture of your net worth.

Learn more from our Personal Capital review.

PocketGuard syncs your bank accounts, credit cards, loans and investments so you and your partner get an overall view of your shared finances. It automatically builds your budget based on your income, recurring bills and financial goals you’ve set.

The premium version — PocketGuard Plus — includes additional features like customized spending categories and ways to track cash purchases.

You Need a Budget, or YNAB, is for couples who want to stay on top of every dollar they make and make sure that money is going to good use.

This app is set up around the zero-based budgeting method and is designed to help you and your significant other save money and get out of debt. YNAB identifies areas of overspending and gives you suggestions on how to adjust. It also makes recommendations for your budget based on your goals.

You can access this budgeting tool from almost any device — including your Apple watch or Amazon Echo. With YNAB, you’ll never have an excuse not to pull up your budget.

Learn more from our YNAB review.

Zeta is a budgeting app designed specifically for couples. It’s set up so you can manage shared and individual accounts together, but you’re in control of what information you want your partner to see.

You can sync your bank accounts or choose to manually update your budget. If you want to leave a note for your significant other about a questionable transaction, you can do that within the app. Zeta also has a split transactions feature so you can get your other half to pay you back for household bills.

When it comes to planning a vacation or saving for a house, Zeta has a section for money goals so you can stay on track.

What to Consider When Selecting a Couples’ Budgeting App

We’ve given you a bunch of options to choose from. Now it’s time to nail down what will work best for you and your significant other.

Think about how you’ll be using your budgeting app. Do you want something that syncs to your bank account to capture spending in real time? Or do you and your partner have a regular household budget meeting where you’ll manually record transactions in the app over a couple drinks?

Are you OK with ads or do you prefer a platform that limits those distractions?

Cost is another factor. Free is a great price, but some people feel more motivated to actually use what they’ve downloaded when they’re forking over money for it.

If you do go with a budgeting app that charges a monthly fee, test it out with a free trial first. If it isn’t something you’d give a 5-star rating, cancel the trial and try something else.

And if you’re Team Apple and your honey is Team Android, don’t sweat. All the options above are compatible with both operating systems.

Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Additional reporting from former staff writer Jen Smith was included in this article. 

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.