The UK’s best budgeting apps of 2026

Budgeting is never going to be fun, but at least budgeting apps can make it easier to manage your money or put some aside to save for something big. Certain apps can suggest ways to cut down your expenses, or identify subscriptions you might not be using. And many of these apps are free.

Here’s our pick of the budgeting apps crop.

Current & e-money accounts with budgeting features

• Best all-in-one finance app: Revolut
• Best for budgeting tools: Monzo
• Good for couples: Starling

Finder Score	Account fees	Interest (AER)
Best for budgeting tools
Finder score 9.3Excellent Monzo Current Account Cashback	Finder score 9.3Excellent	£0	0%	Go to siteMore info Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Monzo is known for its budgeting features, and it’s no surprise, as there are plenty to choose from. There are spending categories, notifications, bill splitting with non-Monzo customers, and you even get alerted if your direct debits are going to be different next month. However, what we particularly like is Monzo’s savings pots, where you can ringfence money for certain bills and pay them directly from that pot. Finally, on its paid plans, you can view your other external accounts and see your credit score. Pros & cons Pros Easy to set up Good for budgeting and categorising spending Automatic saving feature Fee-free spending abroad Slick app with face login Overdrafts and loans available Cons Free ATM withdrawals outside the EEA limited to £200, £1 fee for depositing cash at PayPoints, Maximum cash deposit of £1,000 every 6 months No rewards program
Good for couples
Finder score 9.8Excellent Starling Current Account	Finder score 9.8Excellent	£0	0%	Go to siteSee dealMore info Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Starling’s budgeting features make it a good fit for couples. Both of you can have full visibility of your finances, including auto-categorisation and spending analytics. It also has something called Spending Intelligence, which uses AI to deep dive into your spending habits - a good jumping off point for joint conversations about finances. The main features couples will benefit from, though, are Starling’s savings spaces and virtual cards, which can help you manage and pay household bills, and its salary sort feature, which automatically sorts your salary into the assigned spaces at the start of the month. Pros & cons Pros Split any bill with a tap 24/7 customer support Bill manager & instant alerts Spaces to help manage your money No charge from Starling for card use abroad Cons No branch network No interest on your current account balance Limited product range compared to other banks

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Dedicated budgeting apps

• Best budgeting app: Emma
• Best for savings: Plum
• Best for budgeting with friends & family: Hyperjar

Finder Score	Cost	Cancel subscriptions	Spending categorisation
Best budgeting app
Finder score 9.8Excellent Emma	Finder score 9.8Excellent	Free (paid-for plans available)			Go to site View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Emma offers both free and paid versions, but all of them include useful features that help you stay on top of your finances. The free version allows you to connect 2 banks, categorise transactions, see where you're overspending and flag any subscriptions you may need to cancel. However, it's the paid versions that have more use if you want a full view of your finances, as here you can integrate your pension, investment and cryptocurrency holdings - if your provider is compatible with Emma. Pros & cons Pros Grouping all your accounts in one easy app will make budgeting easier Stylish app with a number of budgeting features Monthly savings prompt could help you save an affordable amount each month Can integrate with all the big banks and a couple of the rising digital banks like Monzo and Starling Track your cryptocurrency balances alongside your more conventional bank accounts Cons No week-by-week or month-by-month comparison feature. Makes it harder to track changes to spending habits Like most budgeting app, it’s read only – so you can’t move money between accounts or make payments yet
Best for savings
Finder score 8Great Plum Finder Award	Finder score 8Great	Free			View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Plum has a nice range of savings accounts, taking you from easy access to ISAs to notice accounts. Plum uses AI automation to support deposits to its range of “Auto Savers”, which are 8 different savings challenges designed to encourage your savings habit. These include the 1p savings challenge and the naughty rule. However, some of these challenges are only available on Plum’s paid-for plans. If you want to look beyond just savings, Plum also has a stocks & shares ISA, a general investment account and a SIPP. Pros & cons Pros Integrates with all the major UK banks including digital banks like Starling and Monzo Automated savings deposits determined by “savings moods” Alerts if you’re overpaying on household bills Interest Pockets for all subscribers Opportunities to consolidate existing pension schemes Cons If you choose to invest with Plum, your capital is at risk Access to money isn’t instantaneous, it can take 24 hours Customer funds are not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (apart from money in Interest Pockets, which is held on trust at the Investec banking group)
Best for budgeting with friends & family
Finder score 7.3Great HyperJar	Finder score 7.3Great	Free			Go to site View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Hyperjar is a free budgeting app designed to make it easier to plan, share and spend your money. With it, you can open different “Jars” to allocate and organise your money for different purposes. For example, you can separate your Jars into kids’ clubs, groceries and bills. The reason why Hyperjar is our top pick for budgeting with friends and family is that you can share Jars between 2 and 100 people, making it easier to split bills on nights out. Hyperjar’s prepaid card also allows you to spend directly from your Wallet or any Jar. Pros & cons Pros Free to use You can allocate spending money, bills and savings into separate Jars Fee-free spending abroad “H Money” programme lets you lock in cash to spend at certain retailers which earns an Annual Growth Rate until you spend it Create shared Jars to split bills or joint holidays with family or friends Kids’ app and card also available Cons It’s not a bank account so you’ll need to transfer money into it You’ll need to stay organised to manage your different Jars Before using your card you’ll need to link it to your Wallet or a specific Jar

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Why should I use a budgeting app?

You don’t have to. You could whip up a financial modelling spreadsheet instead to track your incomings and outgoings each month using an array of formulae…! You could even update your spreadsheet every day and keep hold of receipts and track your expenses.

Or if you’re a bit lazier, you could download a budgeting app today and it could take care of all of that for you.

The real benefit of these apps over manual budgeting and traditional banks is simplicity and ease of use. And most of them are free.

But it’s worth remembering that lots of digital banking apps are free, too (such as Revolut, Monzo, Starling, and Monese). So if you have a current account with one of these, you can also visualise your spending on-the-go and in real time.

If they’re free, how do budgeting apps make money?

Some of these apps are drawing in customers with free services, and will then offer add-ons or a premium version, or other services that will generate revenue. A couple of ways the free apps generate money right now are: selling anonymised spending insights to market research companies or offering potentially better deals, and then making a commission if you sign up to any of them.

What about free banking apps?

The challenger banking brands that started offering a basic account have started to diversify into other banking products (such as savings accounts, loans and kids’ cards). These products provide revenue sources. They’ve also launched premium versions, which generate revenue through a monthly fee. Some offer budgeting features too.

What about regular savings accounts?

If you’re looking for interest on your savings, then a regular current or savings account from a challenger bank (and indeed from many traditional banks) might not be for you. Interest rates have been low for years, and that doesn’t look likely to change.

While a few do offer interest (see below), most don’t.

The way budgeting and banking apps help you is by acting as pocket accountants, automatically categorising transactions so you can budget better.

In terms of helping you save up, apps like Revolut use algorithms to work out how much you can afford to squirrel away. If you choose, they’ll also automatically transfer the money to a savings pot.

Which of these apps can I earn interest from?

Longer-term savers may be looking to earn interest from accounts with a better rate. However, there are some options for saving and investing from among the challenger apps.

Tandem offers a fixed savings account. Check out our Tandem review to find out more.

Starling offers (a very small amount of) interest, so it’s worth considering.

So does Monzo, but you need to be able to put aside at least £1,000 to open a Savings Pot.

Moneybox is an easy and simple investment app which works by rounding up your transaction to the nearest pound and investing the spare change in a share portfolio.

Nutmeg or Plum also offer investment options (your capital will be at risk).

How to choose the best budgeting app

Here is a list of factors to consider when deciding which budgeting app is the best for your needs.

• The cost. Some budgeting apps are free, but the more complex apps will charge a one-off fee or a paid subscription.
• Do you want to connect with your bank accounts? Is it important for you to see your balance(s) in real time? Only some budgeting apps allow this.
• Desktop or mobile? Do you want to be able to use your budgeting app on desktop, mobile or both?
• Do you want to monitor your investments? Some apps offer investment monitoring services, but others don’t.
• Do you want to automate your savings? Some apps, like Chip and Plum, will automatically move funds into a savings account for you. Is this a desire of yours?
• Do you want help reaching a savings goal? Some apps are designed to help you save more money. Others simply work as an accounting tool.

Bottom line

Most Brits would like to be more organised with their money and budgeting apps provide the perfect tool to make this a reality. These apps are either free or very affordable and can help you make smarter financial decisions. We also have a separate guide on tips for how to stop spending too much money.

Frequently asked questions about budgeting apps

• Do budgeting apps really work?

  Budgeting apps help to clarify where you’re spending money and where you can stand to spend less, in order to save more. However, it’s you that needs the financial discipline to actually budget more responsibly.

• How much does a budgeting app cost?

  Some budgeting apps are free to use. Others charge a one-off fee, while some require a paid subscription.

• What is the difference between a budgeting app and accounting software?

  The main of focus budgeting apps is to help you better understand where you’re spending your money, so you can make more intelligent budgeting decisions.

  Accounting software is primarily aimed at those who need a detailed log of the income and outgoings, perhaps for tax purposes.

• Are budgeting apps safe to use?

  The thought of connecting budgeting apps to your bank account might cause you concerns about privacy. This is largely unnecessary, though.

  All of the apps we mentioned in this guide use Open Banking regulations when connecting to bank accounts. On top of that, they each use an acceptable standard of online security measures.

Written by

Kate Steere

Editor

Kate Steere is an editor and money expert at Finder, specialising in banking, savings and fintech. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run. See full bio

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