The top 17 free personal finance software options for 2025
Money is everywhere – and not always in a good way. It’s split across bank accounts, credit cards, subscriptions, and one-off purchases you forgot about five minutes after swiping. Most people don't track it consistently, which means overspending sneaks in, goals stall, and tax season becomes a scramble.
Enter the best free personal finance software, which pulls it all into one place with bank sync, smart categorization, and automated alerts that actually help you see where your money goes.
In this guide, we’ll break down the best free budget app options, money apps, and personal finance management tools available in 2025, answer the most common questions, and show you how to pick the right one for your unique situation.
Key takeaways
- Free apps make budgeting and tracking accessible for anyone
- Fewer than one-third reviewed a budget in the past month
- Consistent use leads to better spending awareness and progress on goals
- Start simple: connect accounts, set categories, review weekly
- Expensify also works for gig workers and freelancers (free 30-day trial)
Quick look: The best free personal finance software apps in 2025
Here's a fast scan of what's available, organized by who they're best for and what they do well. These budget apps and personal finance apps cover everything from basic budget tracking to advanced accounting.
| App | Best for | Key features | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expensify | Freelancers mixing personal + business | Receipt scanning, mileage, expense tracking, budgets, expense splitting | 30-day free trial |
| Goodbudget | Envelope-style budgeting | Shared budgets, goal tracking, manual entry | Free plan |
| PocketGuard | Overspenders who need limits | "Spendable" amount, bank sync, alerts | Free plan |
| Wave | Freelancers needing invoicing | Free accounting, invoicing, expense tracking | Free |
| GnuCash | Desktop power users | Open-source, double-entry accounting | Free |
| HomeBank | Simple desktop tracking | Open-source, reports, custom categories | Free |
| Firefly III | Privacy-focused self-hosters | Self-hosted tracker, rules, advanced reports | Free |
| NerdWallet app | Credit monitoring + basics | Credit score, simple tracking, product insights | Free |
| Rocket Money | Subscription hunters | Tracks and cancels subscriptions | Free tier |
| Honeydue | Couples managing together | Shared budgets, bill tracking, chat | Free |
| Splitwise | Roommates and travel groups | Bill splitting, IOUs, group expenses | Free |
| Spendee | Visual budget lovers | Charts, shared wallets, custom categories | Free plan |
| Wally | Manual trackers | Multi-currency, offline-friendly | Free basics |
| Money Manager | Mobile-first users | Offline mode, popular tracker | Free |
| Empower Personal Dashboard | Net-worth tracking | Investment overview, retirement planning | Free |
| Excel/Google Sheets | Customizers | Full control, templates available | Free |
| YNAB | Goal-driven budgeters | Proactive envelope method | 34-day free trial only |
Top free personal finance software: detailed breakdown
Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty of the best free personal finance apps out there so you can weigh the pros and cons while choosing your perfect fit.
1. Expensify – Best for freelancers and contractors managing personal and business expenses
Who it's for: Solopreneurs, digital nomads, independent contractors, and anyone juggling client work with personal spending. Also ideal for splitting expenses with roommates or friends.
What makes it special: Expensify bridges the gap between personal finance and business expense management. The receipt scanning feature uses SmartScan to automatically pull data from receipts in realtime, track mileage for tax deductions, and handle reimbursements when clients need documentation.
What sets Expensify apart is its chat-based interface. Split expenses like bills with roommates, divide trip costs with friends, or manage group dinners, all without switching apps. The built-in chat keeps money conversations in context, so you're not jumping between a tracker and a messaging app to settle up.
Concierge, Expensify's AI-powered expense assistant, answers questions directly in chat and helps categorize expenses automatically. Can't remember if that coffee shop receipt was a client meeting or personal? Ask Concierge. It also learns your spending patterns over time, making suggestions smarter the more you use it.
And a standout feature: text receipts to 47777, and Expensify uploads and categorizes the expense automatically. No need to open the app, take photos, or manually enter anything. Just forward the receipt via text, and it's done.
How it works: The Expensify mobile app syncs with bank accounts and the Expensify VisaⓇ Commercial Card to capture transactions automatically. SmartScan pulls merchant names, dates, and amounts from receipt photos, categorizes expenses, and flags duplicates. Policy rules can auto-approve certain spending or require review for larger purchases.
The tradeoff: Expensify offers a 30-day free trial but isn't a permanently free tool. After the trial, it shifts to a paid plan, which makes sense for anyone serious aboutself-employed expense tracking or growing a small business. The trial gives enough time to test whether the automation, chat-based splitting, AI-powered Concierge, and text-to-expense features save enough hours to justify the cost.
2. Goodbudget – Best for envelope budgeting
Who it's for: People who like the tangible feel of cash envelopes but want digital convenience. Great for families or couples who share budgets. It's a popular choice among best free budget app lists.
What makes it special: Goodbudget digitizes the classic envelope method – allocate money to specific categories (groceries, gas, fun money) and watch each "envelope" fill or drain throughout the month. Syncs across devices so partners can see realtime updates. This budget tracker makes manual budgeting visual and accessible.
How it works: Manually enter income and allocate amounts to envelopes. Log spending in each category, and the app shows how much remains. Set goals for debt payoff or savings and track progress over time.
The tradeoff: No automatic bank sync on the free plan, which means more manual work. Limited to 20 envelopes and one account on the free tier.
3. PocketGuard – Best for overspenders who need "safe-to-spend" insights
Who it's for: Anyone who struggles with impulse purchases and wants a clear daily spending limit. A strong contender for best free budget app for spending control.
What makes it special: PocketGuard calculates a "spendable" amount after accounting for bills, goals, and necessities. The number updates in realtime as transactions post, making it easy to know what's actually available without doing mental math. It's one of the money apps that focuses specifically on preventing overspending.
How it works: Connect bank accounts and credit cards. PocketGuard syncs transactions, identifies recurring bills, and subtracts them from income. The remaining amount is your safe-to-spend figure. Alerts warn when spending exceeds limits.
The tradeoff: The free plan has limited customization. Advanced features like custom categories and debt payoff plans require the paid version.
4. Wave – Best free accounting software for freelancers and side-hustlers
Who it's for: Freelancers, consultants, and small business owners who need invoicing and expense tracking without paying for QuickBooks. This free accounting software covers most solo business needs.
What makes it special: Wave is genuinely free for core accounting features. Create professional invoices, track expenses, scan receipts, and generate financial reports all at no cost. Paid add-ons exist for payroll and payment processing, but the base product covers most solo needs. It's one of the most robust free accounting software options available.
How it works: Log business income and expenses, categorize transactions, and generate profit-and-loss statements. Wave's bank sync imports transactions automatically, and the mobile app makes receipt capture fast.
The tradeoff: Wave is built for business, not personal budgeting. If you need envelope-style household budgeting or debt payoff trackers, other apps fit better.
5. GnuCash – Best open-source accounting detail
Who it's for: Accountants, finance enthusiasts, and anyone who wants full control over their data with no subscription fees.
What makes it special: GnuCash uses double-entry bookkeeping, which gives professional-grade accuracy. It's open-source, runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and never locks you into a subscription. Data stays on your device.
How it works: Create accounts for assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. Log transactions manually or import from bank statements. GnuCash generates balance sheets, income statements, and tax reports.
The tradeoff: Steeper learning curve. It's designed for people comfortable with accounting concepts, not casual budgeters.
6. HomeBank – Best open-source desktop simplicity
Who it's for: Desktop users who want straightforward tracking without cloud sync.
What makes it special: HomeBank is lightweight, open-source, and runs entirely on your computer. No subscriptions, no cloud storage, no privacy concerns. Supports multiple currencies and accounts.
How it works: Import bank statements or enter transactions manually. Categorize spending, view reports, and analyze trends. Everything saves locally.
The tradeoff: No mobile app or automatic sync. Better for people who prefer desktop workflows and don't need realtime updates on their phone.
7. Firefly III – Best for privacy-minded, self-hosted power users
Who it's for: Tech-savvy users who want full control over their financial data and don't mind setting up their own server.
What makes it special: Firefly III is self-hosted, meaning your data lives on your own server or cloud instance. No third-party company ever touches your transactions. Advanced features include rules, recurring transactions, and detailed reporting.
How it works: Install Firefly III on your own server or use a hosting service. Import bank statements, set up rules to auto-categorize transactions, and build custom reports. Supports multiple currencies and budgets.
The tradeoff: Requires technical setup. Not a plug-and-play app, but worth it for users who prioritize privacy and customization.
8. NerdWallet app – Best for credit monitoring plus simple budget view
Who it's for: People focused on credit scores who also want basic spending visibility.
What makes it special: NerdWallet's app offers free credit score monitoring alongside a simple budget tracker. It pulls transactions from connected accounts and shows spending by category, but the real draw is the credit insights and personalized product recommendations.
How it works: Connect bank accounts and credit cards. NerdWallet syncs transactions and provides spending summaries. The app also monitors your credit score and sends alerts when it changes.
The tradeoff: Budget features are basic compared to dedicated apps. Best as a secondary tool for credit tracking.
9. Rocket Money – Best for canceling hidden subscriptions
Who it's for: Anyone paying for subscriptions they forgot about or don't use anymore.
What makes it special: Rocket Money identifies recurring charges, estimates annual costs, and helps cancel unwanted subscriptions directly from the app. The free tier includes basic tracking and subscription identification.
How it works: Connect bank accounts. Rocket Money scans for recurring charges and flags subscriptions. Request cancellations through the app, and Rocket Money handles the process.
The tradeoff: Premium features like bill negotiation and savings goals require a paid plan.
10. Honeydue – Best for couples
Who it's for: Couples managing shared expenses and budgets together.
What makes it special: Honeydue lets partners link accounts, set shared budgets, and track bills together. Built-in chat makes it easy to discuss spending without awkward money conversations.
How it works: Both partners connect their accounts. Honeydue syncs transactions and categorizes spending. Set budgets for joint categories, split bills, and send reminders for upcoming payments.
The tradeoff: Best for couples, not individuals. Features overlap with other apps if you're managing solo.
11. Splitwise – Best for shared expenses and roommates
Who it's for: Roommates, travel groups, and anyone splitting bills regularly.
What makes it special: Splitwise tracks IOUs and simplifies group expenses. Log who paid for what, and the app calculates who owes whom. Supports uneven splits and multiple currencies.
How it works: Create a group, add members, and log shared expenses. Splitwise tallies balances and suggests the simplest settlement plan. Integrates with payment apps for easy transfers.
The tradeoff: Not a full budget app. Great for splitting costs, but doesn't track personal spending or goals.
12. Spendee – Best for visual budgets
Who it's for: Visual learners who prefer charts and color-coded categories over spreadsheets.
What makes it special: Spendee emphasizes design. Budgets display as colorful progress bars, and spending trends appear in intuitive graphs. Shared wallets let partners or roommates track joint expenses.
How it works: Connect bank accounts or enter transactions manually. Assign categories, set budgets, and watch visual progress bars update. Shared wallets sync across users for joint tracking.
The tradeoff: The free plan limits shared wallets and custom categories. Premium features cost extra.
13. Wally – Best for manual tracking and multi-currency support
Who it's for: International travelers, expats, and people who prefer manual entry over automatic sync.
What makes it special: Wally supports multiple currencies and works offline. Perfect for tracking expenses across countries or for anyone skeptical of linking bank accounts.
How it works: Manually log income and expenses. Assign categories, add notes, and attach photos of receipts. Wally calculates totals and generates spending reports.
The tradeoff: No automatic sync. Everything requires manual entry, which works for some but feels tedious for others.
14. Money Manager – Best mobile-first with offline mode
Who it's for: Mobile users who want a robust tracker that works without internet.
What makes it special: Money Manager runs entirely on your phone, even without a data connection. Popular globally, it supports multiple accounts, budgets, and bill reminders.
How it works: Log transactions manually or import bank statements. Categorize spending, set budgets, and track balances. Reports show spending trends over time.
The tradeoff: Primarily mobile-focused. Desktop users might prefer other options.
15. Empower Personal Dashboard – Best free net-worth and investment tracking
Who it's for: Investors and retirement savers who want a holistic view of assets.
What makes it special: Empower (formerly Personal Capital) offers free investment tracking, net-worth dashboards, and retirement planning tools. Syncs with brokerage accounts, 401(k)s, and bank accounts to show a complete financial picture.
How it works: Connect investment and bank accounts. Empower aggregates balances, tracks asset allocation, and projects retirement savings. The dashboard updates automatically.
The tradeoff: Empower pushes its paid wealth management services. Ignore the sales pitches if you just want the free tools.
16. Excel and Google Sheets templates – Best for full customization
Who it's for: Spreadsheet lovers who want total control over their budget structure.
What makes it special: Spreadsheets are endlessly customizable. Thousands of free templates exist for budgeting, debt payoff, and goal tracking. No subscriptions, no privacy concerns, and no limits.
How it works: Download a template or build your own. Log income and expenses manually, use formulas to calculate totals, and create charts to visualize trends.
The tradeoff: No automation. Everything requires manual updates, which works for some but feels tedious compared to apps with bank sync.
📊 Learn how to make your own expense tracker in Excel
17. YNAB (You Need A Budget) – Best for goal-driven budgeters (paid with free trial)
Who it's for: People who want a proactive budgeting method and are willing to pay for it after the trial. Great for anyone who thinks ahead about expenses rather than reacting to overspending.
What makes it special: YNAB uses the envelope method with a forward-thinking philosophy: give every dollar a job before you spend it. Instead of tracking what you already spent, YNAB focuses on planning what you'll spend next.
The app emphasizes four rules: give every dollar a job, embrace your true expenses, roll with the punches, and age your money.
The community is strong: YNAB offers free workshops, tutorials, and active user forums that help people stick with the method. Many users report it changed how they think about money entirely.
How it works: Connect bank accounts for automatic transaction imports, or enter expenses manually. Assign every dollar of income to specific categories before spending. When money comes in, decide what it's for – rent, groceries, savings, debt – and allocate accordingly. YNAB updates category balances in realtime as you spend.
The tradeoff: YNAB offers a 34-day free trial but requires a paid subscription after that. It's not a permanently free option like most apps on this list. The paid model supports ongoing development and the extensive educational resources, but it's a recurring cost. Worth considering if the budgeting philosophy resonates and you're committed to the system long-term.
Features to look for in free budgeting apps and personal finance software
When evaluating budget apps and free personal finance software, these features separate the best budget apps from basic trackers.
Bank and card integrations
Automatic sync eliminates the need to log every transaction manually. Look for apps that support your specific bank and update in realtime.
Smart categorization and AI suggestions
Good apps auto-categorize most transactions and learn from corrections. This speeds up the weekly review process and reduces errors.
Goal tracking and automations
Set savings targets, debt payoff plans, or spending limits. Alerts for low balances, upcoming bills, or unusual charges help catch issues early.
Reporting and visualizations
Charts and graphs make trends obvious. Spot where overspending happens, see progress toward goals, and identify categories to cut.
Cloud vs. desktop vs. self-hosted
Cloud apps sync across devices but store data on third-party servers. Desktop apps keep data local but don't sync. Self-hosted tools offer maximum privacy but require setup.
Benefits of using free personal finance software apps
The best free budgeting apps and personal finance apps transform how people manage money. Here's why they're worth using.
Build awareness of spending habits
Most people underestimate how much they spend on small purchases. Budget trackers and personal finance apps show every coffee, subscription, and impulse buy in one place, revealing patterns that spreadsheets and guesswork miss.
Reduce overspending and manage debt
Alerts for budget limits, low balances, and unusual charges act as guardrails. Apps that calculate "safe-to-spend" amounts make it harder to accidentally overdraft or miss payments.
Reach savings goals faster
Automate transfers to savings accounts, track progress visually, and set milestones. Apps with goal features turn abstract targets into concrete numbers that update every time income or spending changes.
Save time
Automation eliminates hours of spreadsheet wrangling. Bank sync, smart categorization, and automatic reports mean less time tracking and more time actually using the insights.
Only about one in three Americans reviewed a budget in the past 30 days, according to CPA Practice Advisor. Simple tools and reminders make consistency easier, which turns occasional budget checks into habits that actually stick.
How to use free personal finance software to reach your money goals
Free online personal finance software and free budgeting apps make goal-setting practical. Here are the steps to use them effectively.
Connect all accounts: Link bank accounts, credit cards, and loans to your personal finance app so balances and transactions update automatically. This gives a complete picture without manual entry.
Choose categories you'll actually maintain: Start with broad buckets like groceries, dining, and transportation. Add specifics later if needed, but avoid over-complicating the structure upfront. Most budget apps come with default categories that work for most people.
Set two to three concrete goals: Pick specific targets like building a $1,500 emergency fund, paying $200 per month toward debt, or saving $300 monthly for travel. Clear numbers make progress measurable.
Schedule weekly ten-minute reviews: Pick a consistent time – Sunday morning, Wednesday at lunch, whenever – and recategorize transactions, check budget progress, and adjust spending for the rest of the week.
Use alerts and automations: Set up bill reminders, low-balance warnings, and subscription flags to catch issues before they become problems. Notifications for anything that matters keep you on track.
Pair a tracker with a habit: Review your budget while drinking Sunday coffee, during lunch breaks, or right before bed. Anchoring the task to an existing routine increases the chance it actually happens.
Finance-app adoption is mainstream. In fact, 83% of Americans use at least one financial app, according to S&P Global. The tools exist, and most people already have them installed.
The difference is using them consistently enough to notice patterns and make adjustments. The best personal finance apps and budget trackers work when you actually use them weekly.
Spotlight: Expensify for independent contractors, freelancers, and consultants
Most free personal finance apps handle either personal budgeting or business accounting but rarely both. Freelancers and contractors end up juggling two systems, which means double the data entry, separate receipt piles, and confusion when tax season arrives.
Expensify takes a different approach by combining personal and business expense tracking in one platform, designed specifically for people who work for themselves.
Works for personal and business in one place
Expensify handles both sides without needing separate apps. Track client expenses for invoicing, log personal spending for budgets, and keep everything in one system. Custom financial reporting makes quarterly taxes less painful.
SmartScan receipts and realtime sync
SmartScan pulls data from photos of receipts automatically, categorizes transactions, and syncs with the Expensify Card. Everything updates in realtime, which means less scrambling at tax time.
Mileage, per-diems, and reimbursements
Expensify tracks mileage using GPS, calculates IRS-compliant deductions, and handles reimbursements. When projects ramp up, the system scales without needing a new platform.
Budgets and policy rules help manage variable income
Freelancers deal with inconsistent paychecks. Built-in budgets set spending limits, and policy rules auto-flag purchases that exceed thresholds. Helpful when income fluctuates month to month.
Free 30-day trial
Expensify isn't permanently free, but the trial gives you a full month to test SmartScan, mileage tracking, and expense management with real expenses. After the trial, paid plans start – worth it for anyone billing clients or managing a side business.
Choosing the right personal finance app
Start with your primary job to be done. Are you trying to curb overspending, track debt, or manage freelance income?
Pick one personal finance app that solves the biggest pain point. Review weekly for the first month to see if it fits your workflow.
Add a second app only if it fills a real gap – like pairing a budget tracker with Splitwise for splitting travel expenses with friends or using Rocket Money to hunt down forgotten subscriptions.
If you straddle personal and client work, Expensify's free 30-day trial lets you test a single workflow that scales with your gigs. After the trial, decide whether the time saved on receipt scanning and mileage tracking justifies the cost.
FAQs about free personal finance software
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The best free personal finance software depends on what you're trying to solve. Goodbudget works well for envelope budgeting, PocketGuard helps overspenders see safe-to-spend amounts, and Wave offers free accounting for freelancers.
Open-source options like GnuCash and HomeBank suit desktop users who prioritize privacy. For the best free budget app with simple tracking, PocketGuard or Goodbudget are solid choices. Expensify offers a 30-day free trial for anyone mixing personal and business expenses.
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Wave is the strongest free accounting software for personal use, especially for freelancers and side-hustlers. It includes invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reports at no cost.
GnuCash is another solid choice for people comfortable with double-entry bookkeeping and who want open-source software with no subscription. Both rank among the best personal finance software options for free that are available.
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Mint shut down in March 2024 and transitioned users to Credit Karma. Credit Karma offers free budget tracking and credit monitoring, but it's not the same product.
If you were a Mint user, you'll need to find an alternative like Goodbudget, PocketGuard, or one of the other free apps listed here.
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Yes, Firefly III is completely free and open-source. It's self-hosted, which means you install it on your own server or cloud instance. No subscriptions, no hidden fees, and no third-party company storing your data.
The tradeoff is setup complexity. It's not plug-and-play like cloud-based apps.
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No, YNAB (You Need A Budget) is not free. It offers a 34-day free trial, but after that, it requires a paid subscription. YNAB's proactive, goal-driven budgeting philosophy works well for some people, but it's not a permanent free option.
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Yes, the NerdWallet app is free. It offers credit score monitoring and basic spending tracking at no cost. The app is primarily focused on credit insights and product recommendations, so the budget features are more basic than dedicated finance apps.
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Rocket Money has a free tier that identifies subscriptions and tracks basic spending. Premium features like bill negotiation, custom budgets, and savings goals require a paid subscription.
The free version is useful for finding and canceling forgotten subscriptions, but advanced features cost extra.
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Start by connecting all bank accounts, credit cards, and loans to a personal finance app or budget tracker. Choose one that syncs transactions automatically and categorizes spending.
Set two to three concrete goals, schedule weekly ten-minute reviews, and use alerts for bills and low balances. Pair the habit with something you already do, like Sunday coffee or lunch breaks, so it sticks. Free budgeting software for personal finance makes this process simple. The best budget apps handle most of the work automatically.
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Yes, Wave is genuinely free for core accounting features. It includes invoicing, expense tracking, receipt scanning, and financial reports at no cost.
Wave charges fees for payment processing and payroll, but those are optional add-ons. The base product is free with no hidden limits.
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Most free personal finance apps include basic AI features like smart categorization and spending insights. Wave, Expensify's SmartScan (during the trial), and some features in PocketGuard use AI to reduce manual work.
True AI-powered accounting assistants typically require paid plans, but automation features in free apps handle most common tasks.
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The 50/30/20 rule is a simple budgeting guideline: allocate 50% of after-tax income to needs (rent, groceries, utilities), 30% to wants (dining out, hobbies, entertainment), and 20% to savings and debt repayment.
It's a starting framework, not a strict requirement. Adjust percentages based on income, goals, and cost of living.
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PocketGuard has a free plan that includes basic budget tracking, bank sync, and the "safe-to-spend" feature. Advanced features like custom categories, debt payoff plans, and detailed reports require PocketGuard Plus, which is a paid subscription.
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Yes, Excel and Google Sheets can track personal finances effectively. Thousands of free templates exist for budgeting, debt payoff, and goal tracking.
Spreadsheets offer full customization but require manual updates – no automatic bank sync or realtime alerts. They work best for people comfortable with spreadsheets who prefer hands-on control.
