A lot of families want financial freedom in their lives, and the best way to achieve that goal of financial freedom is to create a plan for your money. By setting a plan and sticking to it, with the help of the best family budget apps you can pay your bills on time, you can become debt-free, you can invest for your future, and simply just enjoy the everyday.
This list has changed a lot recently, with old favorites like Mint going away and new budget apps popping up on the scene. To make the process even easier for you, we’ll be highlighting features, pointing out areas for improvement, and sharing the costs associated with each of these best budget apps for families on our list today.
We’re going to start with number 5 and work our way down to our number 1 budget app for families.
4. Copilot
Copilot is one of the best family budget apps, you can benefit a lot from this app. It was also awarded in 2023.
Best Features:
- Seamlessly syncs your financial data.
- Helps create an optimized budget without adjusting your spending total.
- Slick dashboard for comparing current spending against the monthly budget.
- Review transactions and bills.
Things we love about Copilot:
- Intuitive and sleek interface.
- Responsive development team.
- Simple to recategorize transactions.
Areas for Improvement:
- Currently lacks the ability to create and track goals (coming soon).
Cost:
- Monthly option: $13/month.
- Annual fee: Just under $8/month.
3. Tiller
Tiller is an automated personal finance service that tracks all of your financial transactions, including income, expenses, and account balances, through a spreadsheet. In 2015, Peter Polson, a true spreadsheet wizard, created Tiller and brought it to life. Since then, the five-star reviews have been pouring in for this spreadsheet-focused budgeting solution.
Best Features:
- Compatible with Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel.
- Variety of budget templates and multiple dashboards.
- Automated data importation.
- Customizable transaction categories.
- Zero-sum budgeting and customized reports.
- No ads.
Areas for Improvement:
- Not a downloadable app; essentially desktop-only unless using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel apps on your phone.
Cost:
- Paid subscription: $79/year ($6.58/month) after a 30-day free trial.
2. YNAB (You Need a Budget)
YNAB is a best family budget apps created by a former CPA named Jesse Meacham. Based on Jesse’s four-rule method of budgeting, YNAB makes our list of the best budget apps for families because it helps out people who appreciate being proactive with their finances.
Best Features:
- Ad-free.
- Real-time syncing across multiple devices.
- Spending and saving goals with targets.
- Custom spending and net worth reports.
- YNAB Together for building a budget with those you share finances.
Areas for Improvement:
- Higher price compared to competitors.
- Takes time to learn, which may deter some users.
Cost:
- Free 34-day trial.
- $14.99/month or $99/year.
1. Monarch Money
This is an amazing tool for all users. Whether you’re single or a couple, you’ll find this platform equally powerful. It is a paid tool, but adding other members of your household at no additional cost is a big plus.
Best Features:
- Customizable dashboard.
- Add household members with separate login criteria and read-only data access.
- Bank-level security.
- Focus on future goals and progress.
- Ad-free experience.
Areas for Improvement:
- Could benefit from credit score tracking.
- Higher-priced like YNAB.
Cost:
- Free 7-day trial.
- Monthly: $14.99.
- Annual fee: $99 ($8.33/month).