Best personal finance software 2024: the top money management apps of the year

On top of being a great budgeting tool, Empower tracks your investments too. The icing on the cake? It does both for free.

The service's free budgeting tool allows you to track income, spending, and saving over time. It then breaks down your spending habits into categories, allowing you to view transactions by date, merchant, or vendor so you can analyze each purchase.

In addition to the budgeting feature, you can view your bills and credit card statements and project your spending based on minimum payments and due dates. And the best part is that all of the features are available for free within Empower's already free software.

YNAB helps new budgeters set up and carry through with a complete — and more in-depth — budget plan.

YNAB color-codes your purchases and goals so that you can see when you are on track or are overspending (or underfunding a goal). It helps you define your financial goals and categories and assign each dollar a job. YNAB offers recommendations to help you reach the goals you set.

This money management software helps you manage your money and your bills by helping you look at them without all the negative self-talk. It teaches you how to plan for your bills and have the money for them when those due dates come up. The app is easy to use, and its system is all about building a healthy relationship with money.

Facet Wealth is a flat-fee service for those wanting to get the expertise of a financial planner. All of their financial planners are certified and are fiduciaries, which means they have a legal obligation to put your best interests above their own.

Facet offers numerous services and we like that you can get all of your retirement, tax, insurance, and even life planning done in one place. Plus they can manage your investment accounts for you.

Created by Experian, one of the three major U.S. credit bureaus, Experian Boost provides users with a free and easy way to potentially increase their credit score. It's been proven to help 62% of users improve their credit scores fast.

Having a low credit score can negatively affect your life. Not only can a poor score prevent you from getting decent interest rates on a new credit card or loan, but it can sometimes even hurt your chances of employment.

Experian Boost works by factoring your utility and phone billing history into your credit score. It uses only positive information – so don't worry if you've been late on a cable bill here and there. Plus, Experian Boost is free to use.

Note: Results may vary with Experian Boost. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.

Quicken is the most comprehensive personal finance application available in the market. It's the granddaddy of personal finance software. But over the years, it's made some big changes, including offering a web-only version called Quicken Simplifi.

Once upon a time, you had to go to the software store to buy an edition of Quicken. Now the software operates on a subscription model, so you just need to sign up and download it online. You'll link and sync all of your accounts to your Quicken account.

Not only will Quicken display your full array of monthly bills (as long as the biller is one of the 11,000-plus companies in Quicken's system), but it will send you alerts via the app and email, so you don't miss your due payment dates. Quicken can also be used as a bill pay app.

Bill Pay is offered for free to subscribers who choose to join Premier or higher levels. The Starter and Deluxe levels come with bill tracking. If you would like to add bill payment you can either upgrade or sign up.

If you're a control freak like me, you don't like much uncertainty when it comes to your future finances. That's where PocketSmith can help.

This is a personal accounting software option that can not only help you track your current finances, but also predict what they'll be in the future. It does this through its budget calendar, which is as easy to navigate as Google Calendar.

One feature that sets PocketSmith apart from the rest is the ability to create a budget at any time, for any amount of time. You have complete flexibility with your budget creation; there's no need to wait for the beginning of the month. They also have a “Plan Ahead” feature that walks you through budgeting, financial forecasting, and creating what-if scenarios.