4 best budgeting apps for couples to help manage their money

Budgeting can be tedious and daunting, especially when there are so many different accounts to keep track of, like for savings, investments and retirement. So when you and your partner have to manage your money together as a couple, dealing with double the number of accounts can make budgeting feel extra stressful.

That’s why there are so many budgeting apps designed to do the grunt work for you — and some of them actually work perfectly for couples.

To determine which budgeting apps are the best for couples Select reviewed and compared a variety of options, looking at their pricing, features and user reviews. (see our methodology for more information on how we choose the best budgeting apps.)

Who’s this for? The Honeydue budgeting app makes it easy for you and your partner to get a comprehensive view of your finances together without having to log into a bunch of different accounts every single time. In other words, loans, investments, checking accounts and savings accounts can all be shared with your partner, but the app allows both of you to choose which accounts you want to actually connect.

The app also allows you to track spending and coordinate bill payments so you’re both on the same page. And with bill payment reminders and monthly spending limits that users set up in each category, the app helps couples make sure they aren’t overspending. If you or your partner are reaching a certain spending limit, you both will be alerted. Partners can also split expenses with each other directly in the app.

And, Honeydue is also offering its own joint bank account. The account has free ATM access, a debit card for both partners and no monthly fees or minimums.  

Who’s this for? The Goodbudget app allows users to track their household’s spending using the “envelope method.” The envelope method means that each month, users allocate a certain amount of their income into categories (or digital “envelopes”) labeled for things like groceries, rent, date nights, travel and debt payoff.

This makes it easy to prioritize your spending and plan ahead. Users are only supposed to spend the amount allocated to each envelope, and if they go beyond their budget the envelope will show red to indicate that they overspent.

The envelope method is generally recommended for people who are new to budgeting, so if you and your partner need a way to ease into categorizing your spending, the app might be able to improve your confidence in that area.

Unlike most budgeting and expense tracker apps, Goodbudget does not link to users’ bank accounts and credit cards. Instead, you manually input your transactions into each digital envelope. This actually forces couples to take a hands-on approach to managing their money since they’ll have to actually check to see how much they’re spending in order to upload purchases to the app. However, some people may find manually inputting their transactions to be tedious.

The Goodbudget app has a free version which lets you create 20 envelopes, use the app on up to two devices, track one year’s worth of transaction history and track debt. Some couples may find that 20 envelopes aren’t enough for them, in which case they may consider upgrading to the premium version of Goodbudget for $70 a year or $8 a month; the premium version allows the use of unlimited envelopes, access to the account on up to five devices, access to seven years’ worth of transaction history and debt tracking.

Who’s this for? While the Mint app isn’t actually targeted toward couples, the fact that it allows you to connect several different accounts can make it easier for couples to categorize their spending automatically. Mint syncs to your bank accounts, credit cards and retirement accounts to track your income, purchases and savings. And it’ll automatically categorize all transactions so you and your partner don’t have to manually enter purchases and deposits, but you’ll also have the option to revise and add categories as needed. You can also create your own savings goals as a couple and track your investments in the app.

The app will even send alerts if you’re being charged an ATM fee, going over budget or if there’s been a large or suspicious transaction on any of the connected accounts.

The app also has a monthly bill payment tracker allows you see all your bills at one glance, and you can get reminders on upcoming due dates and alerts if your funds are low. These features make Mint a solid pick for couples but unlike Honeydue, Mint doesn’t offer the option to create a joint checking account for you and your partner.

Who’s this for? You Need A Budget (YNAB) is best for couples who want to find a way to give every single dollar a job to reach their goals a little faster. YNAB automatically syncs to your bank accounts, credit cards and investment accounts once you link them to the app.

Unlike other budgeting apps which usually categorize your spending for you, YNAB users themselves choose where every dollar gets allocated according to their priorities and what is important to them. Couples who have a joint checking account can sync the account to YNAB to allocate their money to different spending categories.

For these reasons, the app is favorable for anyone trying to get out of debt. According to YNAB’s website, the average customer saves $600 in their first two months and more than $6,000 in their first year of using the app.

YNAB also offers educational resources, such as a budgeting blog, and superior personal customer support. Another big perk is YNAB’s 100+ free, live, online workshops offered every week by expert teachers.

To determine which budgeting apps offer the best user experience, Select analyzed over a dozen apps offered by the top companies in this market and looked at their pricing, features, user reviews and ratings.

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