Best budgeting apps: 6 apps to take control of your finances

Keeping track of finances can be a tricky thing to do, especially if you have more than one account or any kind of credit or store card. Money comes in, money goes out and there is the classic saying, the more you earn the more you spend.

It doesn't matter if you are always in the red, or if you are someone who doesn't even know what being in the red is, it is always good to know exactly what you're spending. These seven apps make it easy to do that.

OnTrees

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OnTrees is available to download for iOS

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OnTrees is the budgeting app from MoneySuperMarket and it makes keeping track of your money nice and simple. OnTrees works with major UK banks in order for you to track exactly what is coming in and going out of your current account, savings accounts and credit cards, in one place with one login.

This app sorts your transactions into colourful categories so you can see where you are spending and what you could save on. It also delivers detailed information about your spending habits with charts and icons.

Mint

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Mint is available to download for Android and iOS

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Mint comes from Intuit and like OnTrees, it allows you to pull all your accounts and cards into one place by linking everything to the app. You'll be able to track your spending, create a budget, setup bill reminders and get tips for reducing fees and saving yourself a few pounds.

The app will automatically categorise banking and credit card transactions like OnTrees, and there is a Trends feature that allows you to track credit cards, cash, spending, income and net worth over time, along with the ability to setup financial goals.

Wally

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Wally is available to download for Android and iOS

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Wally allows you to balance your income and expenses by understanding where your money goes. It offers the ability to set both financial goals and budgets, as well as save receipts and export the data you enter into an Excel document.

If you have location services on, Wally will automatically identify and categorise where you are so you just need to enter the amount you spent, while smart notifications remind you of important things like an upcoming payment or an achieved goal. The more you use Wally, the smarter it becomes by adapting to your preferences and offering personalised insights into your finances.

You Need a Budget

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You Need a Budget is available to download for Android and iOS

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You Need a Budget, also known as YNAB, is the companion app of the YNAB for Desktop. The app allows you to enter transactions on the go, as well as check your category balances before making a purchase so you'll know if you can actually justify what you're about to buy.

You'll be able to view previous transactions for all your accounts and for iOS devices, YNAB will cloud sync across all your compatible devices. You will need to install the desktop version for this app to work so that's worth remembering as while others on this list have desktop platforms, the apps can work independently whereas YNAB won't.

Goodbudget

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Goodbudget is available to download for Android and iOS

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Goodbudget was formally called the Easy Envelope Budget Aid and it is based on the envelope budgeting method, just with virtual envelopes as opposed to physical. You can check your envelope balances as well as your bank balances and there is also expense tracking available. 

Everything can be synced across multiple devices including iPhones, other smartphones and the web and you can also share a budget with a spouse, family member or friend. On the web, you'll also be able to download transactions to Excel, while the app delivers reports to help you modify your budget and see your income versus your spending.

Mvelopes

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Mvelopes is available to download for Android and iOS

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Like Goodbudget, Mvelopes is also based on the envelope budgeting method as you may have gathered from its name. It automatically downloads transactions from accounts you have linked to it and it will categorise your spending, along with plan a budget and track how much money you have remaining for the month.

There is easy access to your budget on the go, as well as the ability to adjust it and this app will capture receipts from your phone and attach them to transactions, as well as offer real time budget updates when you make a purchase. Mvelopes also assigns transactions to expense envelopes and splits transactions into different categories.