8 of the Budgeting Software Apps for Mac. Like its more expensive personal finance software Mac brethren, it can also connect to major banks to upload transactions and account information.
- Download free personal finance software to monitor all your bank accounts, spending budgets and checkbook register. Keep track of your money with this easy to use software for PC & Mac.
- Free personal finance software can be surprisingly robust, helping you track spending, create and manage budgets, and run reports. Whether your computer runs on Windows or macOS (or even Linux) or you do all your budgeting on your phone, you'll find a no-cost selection below for tracking your finances and planning for the future.
- Personal Capital. If you’re looking for the best budgeting software for Mac, you probably already have a few ideas about what you want, whether it’s.
- It’s a fully-featured accounting software supported by Windows, Mac, and Linux. Manager Accounting software is a free solution that allows users to work seamlessly even when they are offline. While you are working offline on desktop and laptop, it ensures uninterrupted access to the financial data and programs.
Budgeting is a discipline that’s not often met with excitement. Many assume that budgeting is something reserved for companies or, say, freelance workers. However, personal budget software is just as important as corporate one — it’s a fundamental understanding of where money is coming and going.
You may consider it to be boring, tiring, time-consuming, or difficult, but managing your finances well can help you achieve goals and stave off the stress of a rainy day. Thankfully, there are tools and apps on Mac which can help you get on top of budgeting, no matter how experienced you are.
Why Should I Use Budget Tracking Software?
If you haven’t done a budget before, you should start now. You never know when you might need a particular sum of money to solve an issue, meet a goal, or take advantage of a sudden opportunity.
Budget programs help you reduce the stress and uncertainty that comes with not knowing where you stand financially. If you don’t have a home budget software, you might be tracking towards a situation where you run out of money, without even knowing it. If you do have a budget, then you’ll have a documented plan of action to improve your situation.
Importantly, you don’t need any qualifications to do a budget, nor do you need to be good with numbers. Take advantage of the best budget software for Mac to help you take control of your finances without the hassle. Budgeting tools come in many shapes and sizes, so selecting the right one for you depends on personal preference and previous experience with managing money.
Handy tips for budgeting tools
If you’re ready to start your budget, it’s best to consider a strategic approach to ensure maximum utility. Too often, budgets sit collecting dust after being created, and sometimes the act of creating a budget could feel like enough to satisfy financial concerns — it’s not. Here are some tips for making the most out of your budget.
First of all, definitely use an app to help you manage a budget. App developers invest a lot of time and money into figuring out how their software can make your life easier and better, so rather than trying to understand all the nuances for yourself, let a dedicated app do it for you. There’s even some free budget software around, so you have very few excuses not to try!
If you run a business (or freelance on a side), a little bit of work each week means end of year taxes are a breeze. It’s not about doing a marathon of work in a few days, but making a habit to consistently do a little bit here and there. Try aiming for 10 minutes every few days. The best tax preparation software will also have reminders and notifications to help you achieve this goal.
It might sound contradictory, but budgeting isn’t always about getting the numbers 100% accurate. When it comes to tax preparation software — sure. But budgeting is mostly about understanding where your money is being spent and then using that information to make more informed decisions going forward. Therefore, make sure you categorize your transactions so that it’s easier to spot those minutiae differences and trends. The best finance apps should do this for you automatically.
In summary, you want to ensure you take advantage of the online budgeting tools available to you, aim to update your records frequently, and focus on categorization over accuracy.
Features of good personal budget software
The best personal budget software for Mac is easier to pin down when you know exactly what you’re looking for. Not all apps are the same — they vary by function and pricing. Generally speaking, there are a few key features you want to see in your budget software for Mac:
It should be simple and easy to add new records or transactions
Importing bank and credit card statements should be possible
Automatically synchronizing statements will take the edge off your manual inputting
Useful dashboards or visuals will help you understand your situation at a glance
You should be able to categorize your transactions into groups
Out of those five key points, the ability to import is often the most essential. Importing saves you the hassle of adding each transaction into the money management software line-by-line, which adds up to a lot of time. It’s hard enough already to schedule frequent updates to your budget, so if you can remove the largest friction point of manual entry, then you’re in a good place.
The best budget software for Mac comparison
When it comes to programs to help budget money, there are countless options. It’s easy to get lost diving deep into each budget software review, but here are some of the best available, ranging from beautifully basic to powerfully advanced.
You’ve probably heard of Quicken, given that the name has been around since the early 80s. Even then, it was known as one of the best tax software companies around. That says something about the strong product, which carries all of the basic functions you’ll need to manage your budget well.
Right away though, you might notice that the interface has become somewhat dated in comparison to the newer contenders out there. But one of Quicken’s praised features is the ability to download bank statements and have the records automatically categorized, which can drastically reduce the time it takes to input your information, so you can spend more time making sense of it. Sadly, the Mac version is somewhat limited when it comes to advanced features, unless you splash out for the Home and Business edition.
MoneyDance is very similar to Quicken in terms of its basic features, including the ability to create a budget with notifications for bills and invoices. It also allows you to make your own charts and graphs to monitor spending habits over time, which can be seen on the homepage for a quick glance of your activity. Out-of-the-box integrations with online banking services also make it easy to send payments.
Unlike Quicken, Moneydance has some more advanced features including an investment monitor, which tracks your investments and their fluctuations — a useful addition, although best for the intermediate to advanced user. The app also has a developer API system in place to allow extended functions, mostly good for power users. Importantly, security is not an issue, as Moneydance utilizes end-to-end encryption for your data to give you that extra peace of mind.
You Need A Budget, also known as YNAB, is budget tracking software that runs on both Windows and Mac via web — saving automatically to the cloud, which is a bonus for multi-platform users. It also features native apps for iOS and Android, so you can literally tackle your budget from anywhere.
Free Personal Budget Software Mac Free
The app itself follows a simple design language, which is perfect for beginners, but if you find yourself needing help you can sign up for a personal instructor. YNAB doesn’t let you slack at all, and if you start to stray from your budget, the app will raise a red flag through it’s built-in Accountability Partner.
Although YNAB doesn’t support the ability to download and automatically categorize records from bank statements, it could be argued that entering them manually helps the user pay more attention to where their spending is going. Still, it’s a more time-consuming process that might be problematic for users processing hundreds or more records each month.
MoneyWiz stays true to its name — a comprehensive budget software and investment tracker that’s packed full with over 400 useful features. View your financial situation quickly by browsing accounts, groups, or searching for individual records. Speaking of records, you can enter them manually or have them automatically sync with leading banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and financial services for an accurate real-time understanding of your accounts.
With all of this data in hand, MoneyWiz can prepare and export over 50 reports to help you gain deeper insights into your finances. Your data could be accessed from its cloud-based app or straight from the native software for Mac. All in all, MoneyWiz is extremely powerful: accessible for beginners and interesting for the most advanced users.
Receipts is yet another money management software for Mac, and is specifically well-known for its clever handling of invoicing. Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, Receipts automatically reads and translates important information about your bills, such as amount, date, currency, and more (even if the text is in another language).
Besides, Receipts can issue payments for invoices directly using third-party providers, such as iFinance and BankX. The OCR technology alone makes it a strong contender against other more simple online budgeting tools. Not least, Mac users will be glad to see how this application was designed to look and feel like a macOS product. Using a familiar user interface could make life a little easier after all.
Between the five options above, you have a strong starting point for your budgeting tools depending on your experience. Remember that importing is one of the key features to look for in budget programs. Still, in order to find the best fit you might need to try a couple of different options.
Thankfully, both MoneyWiz and Receipts have a free 7-day trial that you can take advantage of by heading over to Setapp, an app subscription service for Mac that gives you access to over 200 macOS apps, including all the necessary budget tools. Getting MoneyWiz and Receipts at once? You won’t be disappointed.
Keeping tabs on your finances is not always easy. From saving money to making sure your income lasts you till the next paycheck, money management can be a very helpful exercise – and knowing how to do it well is a great skill.
This is where free budget software can help you get your personal finances in order without having to spend your hard-earned cash on budgeting tools.
Budget software can come with different features and functionality. This is why it’s important to understand the strengths of each one. Knowing this will help you make the best decision for your financial health.
Best Free Budget Software
Here are the top 11 free budget software tools you can download today:
1. Personal Capital
Personal Capital is one of the best personal finance software options out there right now. If you are looking to track your spending as well as your investments, retirement plans, and net worth, then Personal Capital might very well be the app you are looking for. It shines when it comes to tracking the performance of investments, showing you the value of your portfolio over time to help you plan better for the future.
You can also connect card accounts, including credit, checking, and savings, as well as any mortgages and loans you might have, IRAs, and 401(k)s. On top of that, you have tools that help you analyze your cash flow, spending, and budgeting so you can make sure you stay on track.
If you’re looking for a financial planner in your pocket, Personal Capital also has a widely popular free Personal Capital Android and Apple mobile app.
- Accessible through a web browser or smartphone app
- Tracks budgets and investments
- Helps you save money smarter
Learn More:
2. YNAB
YNAB is an acronym for You Need A Budget, and it’s great for first-time budgeters as it’s free for one year if you’re a student. YNAB uses a budgeting system called zero-based, where every dollar must have a plan for it. It works with pretty much any device that has an internet connection, including Apple Watch, if you happen to have one.
You can link your bank accounts to YNAB, set financial goals, and grow your savings. You can also use it for expense tracking. The YNAB app can be customized and has access to many resources to help you make your budgeting a success.
- Students get an entire year of free access to YNAB
- Links bank accounts
- Provides access to resources to help you budget better
Best Budgeting Software Free
3. Mint.com
Mint is a free budget planner created by Intuit (the makers of Quickbooks and TurboTax). It can be used as a web application, which you can access through a web browser on your PC or Mac, or as a mobile app on iOS and Android devices. In fact, Mint is one of the top-rated budgeting apps out there. You can set your budget, including financial goals and reminders to help you stay on track. You can also keep tabs on your investment portfolio to track its performance.
Mint can also track credit cards and bank accounts, as well as your credit score. The app is quite secure with encryption and multi-factor authentication, helping you stay safe online. And – you can set alerts to notify you if you’ve overspent on a particular monthly spending category, which is super handy.
- Access Mint from a web browser or the iOS / Android app
- Track budget, bills, and credit score
- Multiple security mechanisms help you stay safe
Learn More:
4. GNUCash
GNUCash is a feature-rich free budgeting software. You can track your bank accounts, stocks, and if you have a small business, you can also track expenses. Data representation is quite rich with graphs, reports, and even a checkbook register to give you a clear picture of your financial situation.
You can also import your bank account information so you can keep an eye on your account balance.
- Compatible with most computers
- Track multiple currencies
- Use graphs and reports for better data visualization
5. Buddi
Just like GNUCash, Buddi is an open-source budget software. It runs on computers with Windows, Linux, or Mac operating systems, and data can be encrypted with a password for maximum security.
Buddi has all of the features you would expect in a budget software including budgeting, reports, and account tracking. You can also boost the functionality of the software by installing free plugins. Transactions need to be entered manually, which means you will need to be committed to making the effort of staying on track.
- Open-source license
- Install plugins to boost the functionality of Buddi
- Transactions need to be logged manually.
6. Google Sheets
Google Sheets is something most of us are very familiar with – but not many of us will have thought of it as a good budget software. If you’re not quite sure how to set up a budgeting sheet, you can make use of a free template. Google Sheets can be accessed from virtually anywhere, which makes it a great choice.
It will require a lot of manual input, but there is 3rd part software available to help you pull transactions into Google Sheets automatically. The functionality will depend on your setup or the template you download, but it can be quite a powerful tool when set up correctly.
- Freely available with your Gmail account
- Templates can help you make budgeting on Google Sheets easier
- 3rd party software to import transactions data
7. Truebill
Truebill is more than budgeting software. It can also help you save on your bills. You can do this by connecting your bill or uploading a picture. Truebill’s negotiators will then get to work to try and reduce that cost for you. They will keep 40% of any savings they manage to get for you.
Aside from saving on bills, you can also use Truebill to track your spending, set up goals, and make budgets. It also has reporting features to help you stay on track.
- Can help you save money on your bills
- Track spending and set up financial goals
- Use report functionality to stay on track
Learn More:
8. Goodbudget
Goodbudget utilizes the envelope budgeting system. This means that you will need to allocate your monthly income into specific categories on which the budget is set. You can give multiple devices access to the account – a great feature if you are setting up a budget for the entire family.
Goodbudget does not sync to your bank account, so you will need to enter data manually. The free version has some limitations, but you can always upgrade to the full version if the free one is too restrictive.
- Uses the envelope budgeting system
- Great for family budgets
- Paid upgrade required to unlock more functionality
9. Microsoft Money Plus Sunset Deluxe
Microsoft Money Plus Sunset Deluxe is a free budgeting software from Microsoft. It replaces the earlier versions of Microsoft Money and can be downloaded directly from Microsoft’s website.
It offers basic budgeting functionality but lacks connectivity features, meaning you can’t pay bills or synchronize data through the app itself. It is generally very easy to use and receives good reviews. It is only compatible with Windows-based PCs. If you like the sound of this app, you may also want to look up Quicken and AceMoney Lite.
- Compatible with Windows PCs
- Easy to use
- No synchronization functionality
10. PocketGuard
Pocketguard takes a slightly different approach to budgeting. It takes away many of the complexity and tells you how much money you have to spend for the day, week, or month. It does this after accounting for any expenses you might have.
You can get a clearer picture by tracking spending by categories such as groceries or entertainment to help you understand where you are spending the most, and where you need to cut down.
- Tells you how much money you can spend
- Tracks by category
- Available on the iOS App Store and Android Google Play
11. Everydollar
Everydollar uses a zero-sum budgeting system to help you allocate income to categories. If you have never done a budget before, Everydollar also offers a standard budget template to get you going in the right direction. There is also a debt snowball function to help you get out of debt quickly.
The free version is missing some functionality, such as the automatic download of banking information and transactions, so you will need to input these manually.
- Uses the zero-sum budgeting system
- Includes a standard template to get you started on the right foot
- Debt snowball function to help you get out of debt quicker
FAQs
Now let me answer your most frequently asked questions when it comes to free budgeting software.
What is budget software?
Budget software comes in all shapes and sizes. At the most basic level, it is there to help you understand where your income is coming from and where it is going. It also helps you set up a budget so that you will know what you can spend money on and what needs to wait.
Some budget software includes other tools, such as wealth management. This can help you keep track of your investments and understand performance levels over time. By having such information at hand, you will be able to plan better for the future.
Is there a free version of YNAB?
The first time you sign-up for YNAB, you get 34 days completely free access. Students can also get 1-year free access to YNAB. Once the trial or student access expires, there are monthly and yearly plans with a no-risk money-back guarantee.
What is the best free personal finance app?
The best free personal finance app is going to be the one that has the features you need to accomplish your financial goals. We like Personal Capital due to its wide set of features that can help you manage your budget as your wealth grows, once your budgeting bears its fruits.
What is the best budget website?
Best Personal Finance Software Mac
Personal Capital not only offers the best free personal finance app, but the website also includes a number of financial tools to help you make the most of your budget. There is also a learning center that can help you broaden your understanding of budgeting and wealth management for a more successful financial future.
Is the Mint budget app free?
Yes, the Mint budget app is free to sign up for and use. You can access Mint through a web browser (just head to mint.com) or by downloading the app. The app is available for both Apple devices as well as Google Android devices.
Using Free Budget Software For Better Money Management
Budgeting is always a good idea. It can help you create better spending habits, meet your savings goals, and build a more stable financial future.
And now, many software options make budgeting easy. They’re all excellent – but if I had to pick the best budgeting software, I’d have to pick Personal Capital.
Not only can you access it from any device, but it also includes tools and learning opportunities that will help you plan and budget better than ever before. On top of that, it offers one of the best free investment accounts and retirement planning performance trackers available.
Free Personal Finance Software For Mac Uk
I have used Quicken from day 1. I use 2007 because after that everything changed and was useless to me. It’s unable to load the file now. I have 3 business and 10 bank accounts in 2 different banks, credit cards. I need a program that I can track my spending, create custom reports, have classes and things like that. Don’t what to budget, track investments, be on line any of that just track bank accounts, credit cards, have categories and what I have always been able to do with my quicken. I’m desperate.