Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Tracking your spending is often the first step to getting your finances in order. That can easily be done thanks to expense tracker apps, which help you manage your money on the go. While they overlap with budgeting apps, expense tracker apps put more of an emphasis on your spending by categorizing your expenses and helping you get a good idea of your purchasing behavior.
We reviewed more than a dozen expense tracker apps and narrowed down our list to the top ones. (See our methodology for more information on how we chose the best expense tracker apps.)
Best app for planners
Quicken Simplifi
Cost
$5.99 per month. No free trial, but users can request full refund within first 30 days.
Standout features
Users can run customizable reports based on their spending, income and savings. Personalized spending plan adjusts in real-time.
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can modify.
Links to accounts
Yes, bank, credit card and investment accounts and loans
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Financial data from bank servers transmitted using 256-bit encryption
Terms apply.
Pros
- Syncs with bank, credit card and investment accounts
- Customizable reports based on income, spending and savings
- Robust investments dashboard
- Refund tracker
- Credit monitoring
Cons
- No free tier
- No bill pay feature
- Quicken data can't be imported
Who's this for? Quicken Simplifi provides users with a personalized spending plan based on their income and costs and adjusts it as they spend in real time, allowing them to always see where their expenses stand. Its simple user interface also makes it easy for users to add planned spending like vacations.
Best app for serious budgeters
You Need a Budget (YNAB)
Cost
34-day free trial then $109 per year ($9.08 per month) or $14.99 per month (college students who provide proof of enrollment get 12 months free)
Standout features
Instead of using traditional budgeting buckets, users allocate every dollar they earn to something (known as the "zero-based budgeting system" where no dollar is unaccounted for). Every dollar is assigned a "job," whether it's to go toward bills, savings, investments, etc.
Categorizes your expenses
No
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Encrypted data, accredited data centers, third-party audits and more
Terms apply.
Pros
- Offers a 34-day free trial, and college students get 12 months free
- Designed to help you get out of debt
- YNAB website claims average user saves $600 in their first two months and $6,000 in their first year
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- Users can set goals, customize spending categories
- Offers educational resources, such as budgeting advice and free, live workshops
- Personal customer support
- Security features include encrypted data, accredited data centers, third-party audits and more
Cons
- Costs $109 per year or $14.99 per month
- Customer reviews note that it takes longer to set up than other apps
Who's this for? WithYNAB, users use its zero-based budgeting system where every dollar is essentially assigned a "job." Whether it be to cover groceries, pay rent or go toward your credit card bill, users allocate every dollar they earn to something so no dollar goes unaccounted for. This process allows you to really see how each dollar gets spent.
Best app for beginners
Goodbudget
Cost
Free for 20 total envelopes; $10/month (or $80/year) for unlimited envelopes
Standout features
Allows couples to use the envelope system digitally for budgeting, and allows couples to track their debt
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users must manually input transactions since the app does not sync to your bank account
Links to accounts
No, users must manually input purchases and transactions
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android) and as a version for laptops
Security features
Information is using bank-grade 256-bit SSL
Terms apply.
Pros
- Free version of the app
- Helps couples manage their money together, track spending and track debt
- Ability to share budget with your partner
- Digital envelopes help couples save for big goals that matter to them
- Money management courses and resources available
Cons
- Can't connect bank accounts so users must manually enter transactions
Who's this for? When you're just starting to get your finances in check,Goodbudget is a solid go-to. Users will begin tracking their expenses by using the app's digitalized version of the envelope budgeting method — a method where you divide up your cash into different spending categories with each category having its own envelope. This allows you to see your different expense types, how much each type takes up of your income and hopefully help you save money.
Best app for over-spenders
PocketGuard
Cost
Upgrade to a Pocketguard Plus monthly subscription, for $12.99 per month, or a yearly subscription for $74.99 per year, which broken down equals $6.25 per month giving members an over all 50% savings.
Standout features
Taking into account your estimated income, upcoming expenses and savings goals, "In My Pocket" feature uses an algorithm to show how much you have available for everyday spending
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can modify
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Major bank-level encryption, PIN codes and biometrics like Touch ID and Face ID
Terms apply.
Pros
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- "In My Pocket" feature uses an algorithm to show how much you have available for everyday spending
- Users can create savings goals
- Has bill payment tracker and bill negotiation feature (negotiated bills cost a fee)
Cons
- Basic version costs $74.99/year and premium version costs $155.88/year
- Some user reviews report that transactions are categorized incorrectly on occasion
Who's this for? Part of the reason to track your expenses is to make sure you don't overspend. With PocketGuard, you'll get alerted whenever one of your spending categories is almost over its limit, giving you a better idea of how much you can afford to take on.
Best app for small business owners
QuickBooks® Online
Cost
Costs may vary depending on the plan selected - click "Learn More" for details
Standout features
Tracks your business expenses as they happen, as well as your income. Users can use app to do invoicing, accept payments, manage their cash flow, maximize tax deductions, track travel miles, run reports, send estimates, manage bills and 1099 contractors, plus pay employees
Categorizes your expenses
Yes
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards, plus third-party apps like PayPal and Square
Availability
Accessible from any web browser and also offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Verisign scanning, password-protected login, firewall protected servers and the same encryption technology (128 bit SSL) used by the world's top banks. QuickBooks also offers multiple permission levels that you can set for additional users' access
Terms apply.
Pros
- Offers a 30-day free trial
- Syncs to your bank accounts, credit cards and third-party apps like PayPal and Square
- Offers real-time dashboards so you can stay updated on all financial transactions related to your business
- The most basic "Simple Start" plan tracks income, sales and expenses, organizes receipts, creates invoices, helps you prepare your taxes, categorizes your business and personal trips, offers a QuickBooks Cash account, runs reports like P&Ls and balance sheets and includes 1 user
- "Essentials" plan, in addition to the above, helps you pay your bills, clock employee time and billable hours and includes up to 3 users
- "Plus" plan, in addition to the above, lets you oversees projects, track inventory and includes up to 5 users
- "Advanced" plan, in addition to the above, provides business analytics and insights, speeds up transactions, gives users access to VIP service QuickBooks Priority Circle that includes a dedicated account team and free online QuickBooks training, includes up to 25 usersQuickBooks offers a fourth "Self-Employed" plan for freelancers
- Security features include Verisign scanning, encryption technology (128 bit SSL) used by the world's top banks and customized access for other users
Cons
- Costs range from $17.50 per month to $117.50 per month, depending on the plan
- Some user reviews complain of glitches in app and a not so user-friendly interface
Who's this for? QuickBooks Online is ideal for small- to medium-sized business owners because it allows them to connect to their bank accounts, credit cards and other third-party apps like PayPal and Square.
Best app for employees' business expenses
Expensify
Cost
Free for up to 25 SmartScans of receipts per month. For unlimited SmartScans, pricing is as follows: six-week free trial then for employees, individual pricing is $5 per month. For companies, group pricing starts at $9 per user, per month
Standout features
Individuals can track receipts and submit expenses to their employer. Users scan their receipts and the app will automatically read the receipt then translate it into a logged expense. Also offers mileage and GPS tracking and automatic credit card importing
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can customize
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and personal/company credit cards
Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Two-factor authentication so users input a generated code when logging in; banking data is protected by world-class security standards and compliant with Privacy Shield and GDPR requirements
Terms apply.
Pros
- Free to use for up to 25 SmartScans per month
- Offers a six-week free trial for unlimited SmartScans
- Designed to help you get your expenses done quickly while on the go and in real time
- Expensify website claims expense reports with Expensify take 83% less time
- One-click receipt scanning and SmartScan automatically transcribes receipt details with the date, merchant and amount
- Receipts are automatically coded and categorized once user takes photo and assigns to a report or emails their receipts to receipts@expensify.com
- Users can split their expenses by using the ExpensePoint feature to split the cost
- Allows users to track their mileage by manual entry, odometer readings or by using the GPS
- Web dashboard shows spending by different categories and uses time references
- Automatically generates and submits expense reports for automatic next-day reimbursement
- Users can share or print documents/expense reports from the app for review
- Syncs to your bank accounts and credit cards
- Lets users send and receive money via Venmo
- Connects to apps like Uber, Lyft and HotelTonight for automatic receipt import and transcription
- Security features include two-factor authentication, world-class security standards and Privacy Shield / GDPR compliance
- With a group plan, employers can integrate with their accounting software, including QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite and others
- Two plans offered for individuals: "Track" is $5 per month, with unlimited SmartScans, automatic mileage tracking and categorizing expenses; "Submit" is $4.99 per month and, in addition to the above, automatically submits reports for reimbursement, submits receipts
- Two plans offered for groups: "Collect" is $5 per user, per month and, in addition to the above, automates receipt collection and reimbursement, auto-syncs to accounting software and offers free Expensify card with auto-reconciliation; "Control" is $9 per user, per month and, in addition to the above, manages approval workflows
Cons
- Costs $4.99 per month for individuals and starts at $5 per user, per month for groups
- Some user reviews report that the interface isn't intuitive
Who's this for? Expensify is a solid choice for employees who are often filling out expense reports — a painfully time-consuming task. Its SmartScan technology allows users to just snap photos of their receipts and it generates an expense report for them. Once an expense report is approved by a company admin, users can get paid as soon as the next day.
More on our top expense tracker apps
Quicken Simplifi
Cost
$5.99 per month; no free trial, but users can request a full refund within the first 30 days if not satisfied
Links to accounts
Yes, bank, credit cards, investments and loans
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can modify
YNAB
Cost
34-day free trial then $109 per year or $14.99 per month (college students who provide proof of enrollment get 12 months free)
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Categorizes your expenses
No
Goodbudget
Cost
Free for 20 total envelopes; $10 per month (or $80 per year) for unlimited envelopes
Links to accounts
No, users must manually input purchases and transactions
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users must manually input transactions since the app does not sync to your bank account
PocketGuard
Cost
The app offers a free version, but users can upgrade to a Pocketguard Plus monthly subscription, for $12.99 per month, or a yearly subscription for $74.99 per year, which broken down equals $6.25 per month giving members an overall 50% savings.
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can modify
QuickBooks Online
Cost
30-day free trial then plan options include: Simple Start for $17.50 per month, Plus for $49.50 per month and Advanced for $117.50 per month
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards, plus third-party apps like PayPal and Square
Categorizes your expenses
Yes
Expensify
Cost
Free for up to 25 SmartScans of receipts per month. For unlimited SmartScans, pricing is as follows: six-week free trial; then, for employees, individual pricing starts at $5 per month; for companies, group pricing starts at $9 per user, per month
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and personal/company credit cards
Categorizes your expenses
Yes, but users can customize
Compare offers to find the right savings account
What's the difference between a budget app and an expense tracker app
Expense tracker and budgeting apps often overlap, but they have key differences. Budgeting apps usually help you track both your income (the money coming in) and your expenses (where the money goes). Strictly speaking, expense tracker apps focus on categorizing your expenses to help you understand your purchasing behavior. But in practice, many expense tracker apps offer budgeting features and vice-versa.
How do expense trackers work?
Expense trackers vary based on the app or system you're using, but their main purpose is to help you track and categorize your expenses from different accounts. They offer an overview of where your money is going, whereas budgeting apps are designed to help you manage your spending.
How do you create a budget?
Making a budget can be done in as few as five steps:
- Calculate your net income: First, find out how much money you make each month. Your net income is the amount of money you earn after taxes and can be found on the pay stub you receive through your employer.
- List your monthly expenses: Next, look at your monthly costs. Common monthly expenses include rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, loan payments, insurance costs, transportation, child care, groceries, dining, household goods, travel, streaming subscriptions and memberships. Also included in this category are your savings contributions, such as in a 401(k) or high-yield savings account.
- Label the monthly expenses as fixed or variable: Go through your list of monthly expenses and label each as a fixed or variable cost. Fixed expenses are the same each month, such as rent, insurance or loan payments. Variable expenses change from month to month such as dining, travel and clothing.
- Determine the average monthly costs for each expense: List how much you spend on each expense per month and add them all up. It's easiest to do this step while looking at your bank account and credit card statements from the past month.
- Make adjustments depending on what your budget reveals: Compare your net income to your monthly expenses to see where you stand. If your expenses exceed your income, this means you should focus on finding items in your budget that you can cut back on (or eliminate altogether). On the other hand, if your income is higher than your expenses, make sure you put those excess funds to good use. They'll earn more interest in a high-yield savings account than your checking account. But you might also want to consider increasing your contribution to your 401(k), making bigger payments on your debt or investing for a future expense.
How to make the most of the money you do spend
Now that you have the right tools to track your everyday spending, your next step is to ensure you're maximizing every dollar that gets counted. Get rewarded for your day-to-day spending by using a credit card that rewards everyday purchases.
With the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, for example, cardholders earn bonus cash back for many common spending categories:
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
- 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
- 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
- 3% cash back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more
- 1% cash back on other purchases
Terms apply.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a low-fee card with generous cash-back rewards and useful ongoing benefits, such as a monthly Disney Bundle credit. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments with a fixed fee. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
- Low Intro APR: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 20.24% - 29.24%.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $84 Disney Bundle Credit: With your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred® Card, spend $9.99 or more each month on an auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription, to receive a monthly statement credit of $7. Valid only at Disney Plus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
If you'd rather earn travel rewards, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (See rates and fees). As you spend on the card, you'll earn:
- 5X points per dollar spent on Lyft rides (Benefit valid through September 30, 2027)
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 3X points on select streaming services
- 2X points on all other travel purchases
- 1X point on all other purchases
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Business owners can maximize their everyday expenses with a credit card, too. One of our top-rated small business credit cards is the Capital One Spark Cash Plus* for its straightforward offering of unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase. The card also offers business benefits, including free employee cards that earn unlimited 2% cash back on their purchases, account management tools (such as the ability to view recurring transactions and download purchase records to Quicken®, QuickBooks and Excel®), extended warranty and protection, travel benefits and more.
The Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus is especially rewarding for businesses with a lot of credit card spending. It offers an additional bonus the first year and an ongoing annual fee refund, but both benefits have six-figure spending requirements.
By making the most of your spending, you can also invest your savings to maximize the earning potential of each dollar and start building wealth.
FAQs
What is the best way to track your expenses?
There's no perfect expense tracking plan that fits everyone. Each person has their own method — unless, of course, you have no method at all.
While some people may find looking at their monthly credit or debit card statements enough to keep their spending in check, others need something more hands-on. You can opt to track your transactions daily in a spreadsheet or to use technology like an expense tracker app. If you're not sure which is the best program for you, try out a few different methods to see what sticks.
What does an expense tracker app do?
Expense tracker apps connect to your bank account and/or credit cards to track and categorize your expenses, giving you a good idea of your purchasing behavior. This can help identify spending areas where you could make cuts.
Should I use an expense tracker app?
Keeping track of your expenses is important in managing your overall finances. While you don't need an app to help you record your purchases, it can certainly come in handy.
Some expense tracker apps automatically sync to your bank accounts and credit cards, which can save you time instead of having to manually gather all your different credit card statements and such. Other apps help you categorize your spending so you can better understand your purchasing habits. Plus, some of the best expense tracker apps offer educational tools like blogs and courses to help you learn more about budgeting and your money.
Are expense tracker apps worth the cost?
Expense tracker apps are often either free, offer a free version, have a free trial or offer a refund for users to test out. This way, you can decide for yourself if the app is right for you. If you're a serious budgeter or are tracking expenses for a small business, it generally will be worth splurging on a paid app.
Bottom line
Tracking your spending is smart for just about anyone since it shows possible areas you can cut back on, and a mobile app makes it easier to do. Consider the expense tracker apps listed here as a good place to get started and see which one works best for managing your money on the go.
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every expense tracker app review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best expense tracker apps.
Our methodology
To determine which expense tracker apps offer the best user experience, CNBC Select analyzed over a dozen apps offered by the top companies in this market and looked at their pricing, features, user reviews and ratings.
We narrowed down our ranking by only considering apps that specialize in tracking expenses and have at least a free trial or refund to test the app out. We looked for apps that are easy to use and accessible on multiple devices, as well as considering apps' syncing with bank accounts, their security features, user customization and educational tools offered. We favored those with a considerable number of user reviews and high ratings.
The apps we selected for this ranking are either free, offer a free version, have a free trial or offer a full refund within the first month. All of the apps in our round-up have a sizable number of user reviews and high ratings. Each app on this list has at least 3,500 reviews in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android) combined, as well as a rating of over 4 stars (out of 5) on either platform.
Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.
Read more
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
*Information about the Capital One Spark Cash Plus has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
