Keeping a budget can be tough, and sometimes that means that a bill or two might be forgotten once in awhile. It used to be that people would have to physically keep a list of their monthly expenses in their wallets as a reminder of what bills had to be paid and how much discretionary income a person had. Then, with the invention of Microsoft Office, users were able to keep virtual spreadsheets of their monthly budget, making it easier to keep track of their income. Now, people have budget apps — apps on their smartphone that help keep their budget tracked and in line. When you consider all the advancements of technology, a budget app is for many, one of the best VoIP applications.
So without further ado, here are the best budget apps for Android users:
1. You Need a Budget (YNAB)
You Need a Budget is already a great tool for personal finance that is used on personal computers, but it now has a companion app for Android and iOS that brings its functionality right to your pocket. Users can sync their budget information between their desktop and mobile devices, which allows users to add their purchases when they’re away from their desk. The YNAB app allows users to set a budget, add their banking information and keep track of their monthly bills with ease. Unfortunately, it requires the use of the desktop application to be effective (which costs $60).
Cost: App is free (but requires a $60 desktop software purchase)
Check out YNAB here
2. Spendee
Spendee’s app design is second to none, and provides a great visual presentation of your finances. Your expenses are graphed each day, so you can see how you’re spending money. Expenses are logged into different categories (like Food & Drink, Car, Family & Personal, Entertainment, etc), and creates a sort of live feed for what your money is doing. In fact, you can think of the Feed page as Facebook page, but for your money. This app is very useful for keeping track of what you’re spending your hard-earned money on, so you’ll be able to feel super guilty when you make that second daily trip to Starbucks in the evening.
Related: If you’ve got an iPhone then check out 8 of best budget apps for iPhone to help you stick to your budget.
Cost: Free (or $1.99 for iOS)
Check out Spendee here
3. Expense Manager
If you want a barebones, simplistic but gritty without any of the frills budget app for Android, the best budget app for you is Expense Manager. Expense Manager strips away visual presentation and replaces it with functionality. Users are able to import and export account activities in CSV format, and can choose to have their finances automatically backed up on Dropbox, Google Drive and/or SD card. Users are also able to customize expense categories, payment methods, date format, and more. You can even set daily and/or weekly budgets to further micromanage your finances. Also, you can take pictures of all of your receipts which are then uploaded and saved for later access (which comes in handy especially during tax season when you can’t find that receipt for the laptop you purchased). As far as functionality is concerned, Expense Manager is the best budgeting app available, even if it is super ugly.
Cost: Free
Check out Expense Manager here
4. Mint
Mint is not only the best free budget app, but it’s THEc best budget app available for Android users. In fact, it’s the one I keep going back to using myself. Intuit’s Mint Personal Finance app helps you track your income and expenses, sure, but it is the perfect mix of functionality and visual interface. With Mint, users can sync their bank accounts and credit cards, as well as loan accounts to give users a secure look at their financial state as a whole (as opposed to just focusing on the month-to-month). Mint also gives you notices if you’re spending too much (which you can adjust), and alerts you when you have an upcoming bill (and it’ll also email you updates).
Cost: Free
Check out Mint here
5. Concur
If you need to keep track of your business travel expenses, create travel plans, submit or approve expense reports, than Concur is the app for you. Concur is a business expense management tool, that is great for the business person that needs to travel a lot on their company’s dime. In fact, users can even plan trips (using the integrated TripIt feature) to keep track of how much your trip will cost. Keeping track of business travel expenses has never been so easy.
Cost: Free
Check out Concur here
6. Wally+
It not only has an awesome name (which reminds me of Wall-E the movie EVERY time I read it), but Wally is highly functional as well. It is the simplest of budgeting apps for Android, but doesn’t sacrifice quality in its design. It simply tracks your income & expenses, and gives uses a project savings each month. You don’t have to worry about the details or tedious upkeep with Wally, which is its greatest appeal for those that just want a simple budgeting tool.
Cost: Free
