What is your biggest financial goal? Maybe you’re looking to save up for an important purchase, pay off past debts, or just want to be more honest about your spending habits. Almost always, the budget is an important place to start. And you have many options to start the process. You can try keeping an Excel spreadsheet with a log of monthly purchases. Or maybe take a more physical route, replenish your money into categorized envelopes.

However, if you’re looking for a way to track spending more smoothly and your smartphonesa budgeting app worth trying. Keep in mind that often when a financial app is offered for free, it is more aggressively monetized by the company that provides it. So, it might be worth getting a subscription to a paid tool for a couple of months to test the user experience, and cancel if it doesn’t suit.

Are you looking for a new way to approach your money mind or just trying to be more careful with coins, these five apps focus on practical advice, help with budgeting, and may help reduce your overall financial stress.

January 2025: This article has been updated to reflect current details about budgeting apps.

Budgeting in your head is hard, especially when there’s no one to show you the ropes. YNAB (You Need a Budget) makes financial planning manageable. You can sync all your accounts, track your monthly spending, stay on top of your bills, and set aside savings for emergency situations—all in one hub. The company offers online workshops that can give you the skills you need to get out of bad debt and increase your savings. After a free 34-day trial, YNAB costs $109 per year—but you can factor that into your budget.

The breezy user experience provided by Copilot makes the financial app visible. Once it’s connected to your bank account, transactions are automatically organized into emoji-labeled groups. The app can suggest new amounts for budget categories based on past spending and keep track of recurring payments. Acorns, Robinhood, and other apps connect with Copilot to help you keep track of any investment. For those overwhelmed by the thought of financial tracking, Copilot is an accessible entry point into the world of money management. Unfortunately, the app is only available for iOS users. After a one-month free trial, an annual subscription costs $95.

The world of investments and returns can be overwhelming to a newcomer. Skip appointments with stockbrokers and consider downloading Acorns instead. It simplifies the investment process by rounding up each purchase you make to the nearest dollar and automatically investing the change in a diversified portfolio. The basic service costs $3 per month, and you can cash out your investments at any time.

If you’re not ready to fully plunge into the risky world of investing, timely (formerly known as Digit) provides another way to build your savings. It’s an automated process, like Acorns, but instead of focusing primarily on investments, it’s aimed at saving money you already have. Every day Oportun withdraws money from your account to be deposited into a savings account. The app monitors your spending habits and your income, so it only withdraws what it thinks you don’t need. Long-term and retirement investments are also available through Oportun. You can try it for free for 30 days, after which you have to pay $5 per month.

This is not a budgeting app, but a free one Credit Karma app, owned by Intuit, can help you understand your credit score and how it changes over time. Your credit score is very important: Lenders, landlords, and insurers may want to check it. The number varies and mainly tracks whether you are making credit card or loan payments on time as well as how much of your allocated credit is being used. The Credit Karma app collects reports from TransUnion and Equifax and then explains the factors affecting your score. While the app is great for score tracking, it’s probably best to ignore in-app advertisers that push loans based on your data.