Personal finance software refers to software that is used to manage personal income and expenses, make budgeting decisions, and save up for future expenses. Personal finance software has seen major growth throughout the past decade and new startups are taking the market by storm. This growth has gone hand in hand with technological advances and the democratization of finance, which allows millions of people access to affordable, or even free, budgeting solutions to help manage their finances more effectively. 

Some personal finance software is simplistic and offers only a handful of features, such as a dashboard and income/expense categorization, while others offer a full suite of financial services and provide recommendations with complex financial analysis and forecasting solutions. 

To choose the best option for your needs, it is important to consider your financial objectives and approach to savings and investments, in order to determine the number of tools you may need to plan out an effective budget and manage your finances well. 

Overview

Mint is a popular free personal finance platform owned and operated by Intuit. Mint offers financial management tools and account integration to clients and offers personalized services, such as:

• Bill payment and due date management
• Integration of third-party investment accounts
• Paycheck management and a database of prospective employers and their average pay
• Automated budgeting and cash management
• Dashboard with credit score analysis and personal net worth calculator
• Loan management and deadline alerts
• Subscription integration and management

"I decided there's got to be a better way, an easier way, a faster way, to manage your finances than spend an hour every Sunday afternoon doing it. I wanted a tool where people can get in and out in five minutes a week or less, and that takes like 10 minutes to set up instead of an hour to set up, and that was the genesis of Mint" — Aaron Patzer

These are only a handful of services offered by Mint for free, which makes it a great option for a wide audience of users. The Mint platform has a user-friendly interface and is easy to navigate. For clients who want an ad-free experience, Mint offers a $0.99/month tier, as well as $4.99/month for additional features, such as spending habit management, spending snapshots, data exporting, data visualization, etc. Mint is also integrated with TurboTax, which enables tax planning from Mint, as well as automated investment tracking in real-time to keep an eye on your investments directly from Mint. 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Free-to-use, low pricing for paid subscription tiers
• Automated investment tracking
• Tax reporting
• Subscription management
• Data exporting

Cons:

• No interaction with investments
• Targeted advertisements

The Bottom Line

Overall, Mint is one of the most accessible and reliable personal finance platforms on the market, with affordable pricing and plenty of useful features. The tax reporting feature is especially convenient and is not offered by some of Mint’s competitor services.

• Interface - 4.8/5
• Fees - 5/5
• Features - 4.6/5
• Mobile App - 4.2/5

This gives Mint an average score of 4.7/5 and positions it as one of the best personal finance platforms available on the market today. 

Overview

Quicken is another personal finance platform offered by Intuit, which targets users with more personalized features, such as bill payments, goal setting, budgeting, debt tracking, and investment coaching. Clients can also use Quicken to integrate and track the values of their immovable assets to get a clear picture of their personal net worth. Quicken also offers personal and business expense management and all data can be exported into excel to additionally modify and use the data aggregated by Quicken. 

Quicken is a paid service and subscriptions are divided into four tiers:

• Quicken Starter: $41.88 per year
• Quicken Deluxe: $44.88 for the first year, $59.88 there afterward
• Quicken Premier: $71.88 for the first year, $83.88 there afterward
• Quicken Home & Business: $107.88 for the first year, $119.88 there afterward

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• User-friendly design
• Real-estate appraisal features
• Bill payments from the platform
• Account syncing
• Splitting receipts across spending categories

Cons:

• Fewer business features
• The Home & Business tier is only available on Windows
• No portal for invoice payments

The Bottom Line

Quicken is the primary personal finance software offered by Intuit. The platform offers plenty of features and the ability to categorize spending and evaluate personal net worth. The platform is straightforward and easy to use, with a user-friendly interface and useful features. Quicken shines in its depth of features and the ability to make payments via the platform. 

• Interface - 4.4
• Fees - 4.3
• Features - 4.6
• Mobile app - 4.2

This gives Quicken an average score of 4.4 and makes for a well-balanced and feature-rich experience. 

Overview

TurboTax is a specialized personal finance platform from Intuit that helps users file their tax returns by offering financial tools and the ability to consult a tax expert from the platform. 

While not a service that is typically used year-round, TurboTax is extremely helpful during tax season and gives users the ability to file their federal and state tax returns for free by inputting their W-2 information from their employer. The paid TurboTax service allows clients to get more personalized service from a tax professional. 

The basic subscription is free and paid tiers can be broken down as follows:

• TurboTax Deluxe - $59 + $54 per state
• TurboTax Premier - $89 + $54 per state
• TurboTax Self-Employed - $119 + $54 per state

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Cryptocurrency support
• Ease of use
• Users can switch from another provider
• The Deluxe, Premier, and Self-Employed packages come with a donation calculator
• Affordable pricing, free federal taxes

Cons:

• Limited tax advice
• Useful for less complex tax strategies 

The Bottom Line

TurboTax serves a niche purpose in the personal finance market. The platform is geared toward users who want to remove the hassle of filing tax forms and have a birds-eye view of their overall tax burden for the year. The platform is rich in features and offers multiple subscription tiers based on the objectives of the users. Based on the features and fees offered by TurboTax, the platform gets the following score:

• Interface - 4.5/5
• Features - 4.2/5
• Fees - 4.1/5 
• Mobile app - 4.4/5

This gives TurboTax an average investfox score of 4.3 out of 5. 

Overview

Personal Capital is a personal finance platform that offers wealth management and retirement savings to its customers. Clients have access to a team of professionals who manage their funds in accordance with a personalized passive investment strategy. The investor is profiled by their age, income, and risk tolerance to determine the right portfolio for them. Personal Capital invests in a mix of stocks, ETFs, and bonds. The company upholds a $100,000 account minimum and management fees are charged in tiers:

• Up to $1 million - 0.89%
• Up to $3 million - 0.79%
• Up to $5 million - 0.69%
• Up to $10 million - 0.59%
• Over $10 million - 0.49%

The platform comes with an easily navigable website and mobile app, as well as robust account security and plenty of additional financial tools and calculators. Where Personal Capital really shines is the access to personal advisors. Clients can have direct contact with two personal financial advisors after depositing a minimum of $200,000 into their Personal Capital accounts. The advisors help clients plan effective investment strategies to suit their long-term objectives. 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Helpful financial advisors
• Hassle-free investment experience
• Free financial tools
• Cash management
• FDIC-insured accounts up to $250,000
• Retirement planning features

Cons:

• High account minimum
• Tiered account management fee system

The Bottom Line

Personal Capital is a solid and well-respected option for investors who wish to have a hands-off investing experience. The firm offers advice from financial professionals and guides clients through retirement savings and wealth management processes. The platform is well-designed and easy to navigate and the mobile app also offers a quick and easy way to keep track of your finances. Although the $100,000 account minimum may be steep for some people, Personal Capital does a great job at providing value for money to its existing clients. 

investfox scoring:

• Interface - 4.7/5 
• Fees - 4/5
• Features - 4.6/5
• Mobile app - 4.5/5

This gives personal Capital an average investfox score of 4.5/5 - making Personal Capital one of the best choices for wealth management and retirement savings. 

Overview

Credit Karma is a free-to-use credit score management platform owned and operated by Intuit that allows users to connect their bank accounts to the platform and analyze their credit scores based on their financial history. Credit Karma also offers alerts for potential credit score breaches, as well as the tools to find and secure the best credit cards, loan options, insurance, and other financial services for the user to keep their credit score safe. 

Credit Karma has amassed a large subscriber base of over 120 million users and provides bill payments, credit scores from two separate credit bureaus, and credit card snapshots to its users. 

Clients provide their Social Security numbers and other personal details while signing up with Credit Karma, which is why the platform is equipped with plenty of security features to protect user data. 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Free to use
• Well-designed mobile app with plenty of features
• Daily credit scores from two credit bureaus
• Bill payments from the platform
• Credit card snapshots

Cons:

• Financial product recommendations
• No connection with financial institutions 

The Bottom Line

Credit Karma is a solid free-to-use option for credit score management but lacks some of the financial management features that other personal finance platforms offer. 

• Interface - 4.2/5
• Fees - 5/5
• Features - 3.7/5
• Mobile app - 4.6/5

This gives Credit Karma an overall investfox score of 4.4/5.

Overview

Nerdwallet is a popular personal finance platform that provides individuals and small businesses with financial tools to simplify daily financial decisions. Nerdwallet comes with a host of great educational content that is free to access and users can use the platform to calculate their net worth, manage cash and credit scores, etc. 

Nerdwallet also includes reviews for other financial services, which can come in handy for users who are looking for something Nerdwallet does not provide. 

The editorial content from Nerdwallet is especially helpful for beginners, as it includes free content covering a broad range of financial topics, including investments, personal finance, fintech, credit scores, insurance, banking, and so on. 

"NerdWallet democratizes finance for consumers we try to make things easy to understand and easy to access if you have a money question if you're looking for a financial product you can see it all in one place" - Tim Chen

Nerdwallet has overhauled its website and mobile apps, which has made the platform easier to navigate.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Free to use
• Includes reviews and ranking of financial products
• Minimal advertising
• Informative educational content
• Account management included

Cons:

• The website might be a bit difficult to navigate at times
• Not a wide selection of transaction categories
• Limited transaction management capabilities

The Bottom Line

Nerdwallet is one of the better alternatives for users who have limited financial knowledge and would like to learn as they go. The platform provides plenty of educational content to take advantage of, as well as reviews of various financial products and services. Users can manage cash, credit scores, calculate net worth, etc., all while staying informed about new financial products on the market. Nerdwallet’s interface overhaul has also made the platform more convenient and navigable. 

• Interface - 4/5
• Fees - 5/5
• Features - 3.8/5
• Mobile app - 4/5

The average investfox score for Nerdwallet is 4.2/5 - placing the platform as the top choice for educational content.

Overview

You Need A Budget, or YNAB for short, is a budgeting app that helps people manage their finances and maintain a budget. The platform works using four core principles:

• Rule One, give every dollar a job: Once a new source of income is integrated into your YNAB account, you can assign a category to the income
• Rule Two, embrace your true expenses: Users can create monthly payments for infrequent expenses that are outside of their budget
• Rule Three, roll with the punches: If you overspend on one category, you can cover the cost by moving funds from another category
• Rule Four, age your money: YNAB uses money earned from the previous month to fund next month’s budget

YNAB is the budgeting app for more hands-on users and also offers the ability to track investment accounts, however, this feature is less sophisticated than with other portfolio tracking software. YNAB also offers hundreds of free articles and an online forum to answer users’ questions. Users can sign up to YNAB for $14.99/month, or $98.99/year, or use the 34-day free trial, which does not require credit card information to sign up. 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Available on multiple operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows)
• Manual and automated account integration
• 34-day free trial period

Cons:

• Does not offer bill-tracking
• Takes some getting used to 
• Higher price than some competitors

The Bottom Line

You Need A Budget offers an interesting take on personal finance and offers flexible categorization options to its user base. However, the platform ultimately falls short due to its steep learning curve and high subscription fees. YNAB does not offer bill tracking either, which can be a dealbreaker for some users. 

• Interface - 4/5
• Fees - 3/5
• Features - 3.7/5
• Mobile app - 4.2/5

The average investfox score for You Need A Budget is 3.7/5.

Overview

Honeydue is a budgeting software geared towards couples. The platform offers collaboration between partners and expenses are divided into three sections, including individual expenses of each partner, plus shared expenses. Each partner can mark an expense as individual or shared, such as subscriptions, bills, etc. 

Honeydue also has a shared calendar, where each partner can set reminders for bill dates. Partners also have the option of using a joint bank account and taking advantage of the joint checking account, which comes with no monthly fees and activity alerts for both partners. The checking account is FDIC insured for an added layer of security. The Honeydue app is free to use but has advertisements. The platform can be linked to over 20,000 financial institutions and also comes with a handy chat function to discuss decisions with the partner.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Features designed specifically for couples
• Free to use
• Can be linked with over 20,000 financial institutions 
• Chat function between partners
• Joint bank account with a free debit card

Cons:

• No desktop app
• In-app advertisements
• Limited customer support
• No savings tools

The Bottom Line

Honeydue offers a refreshing service for couples to collaboratively manage their finances. The app provides plenty of features for both partners to be engaged with the service and effectively categorize their expenses. The joint checking account is a convenient service for couples to not only keep track of their finances but also make payments together. 

Overall, Honeydue is a great app that services a niche market with the ability to link thousands of financial institutions to the platform.

• Interface - 4/5
• Fees - 5/5
• Features - 4.2/5
• Mobile app - 4.3/5

This gives Honeydue an investfox score of 4.4, making Honeydue the best personal finance platform for couples. 

Overview

PocketGuard is a personal finance app that helps users track their spending. Users can sync their bank accounts with PocketGuard and set limits on spending categories. The “In My Pocket” feature calculates how much can be spent without jeopardizing the user’s finances. 

Each incoming and outgoing transaction is automatically categorized and users can keep track of their savings goals at all times. The base PocketGuard account is free to use and clients who need more customization can upgrade to PocketGuard Plus, which costs $4.99/month, or $34.99/year. Users can also set savings goals and view spending reports to see where they may be overspending. 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Ability to sync accounts from thousands of financial institutions
• Easy-build budgets and savings goals
• Personalized spending reports
• Ability to set spending limits using the “In My Pocket” feature

Cons:

• Limited customization on the free version
• Account syncing is mandatory for using the service

The Bottom Line

All-in-all, PocketGuard is a decent option for users who want no-frills personal finance software at an affordable price. While the free base account might be lacking in customizable features, the paid subscription is not at all too pricey and allows users to set spending limits, track out-of-budget expenses, and control their spending capacity using the “In My Pocket” feature. 

• Interface - 4/5
• Fees - 3.7/5
• Features - 3.8/5
• Mobile app - 4.1/5

This gives PocketGuard an investfox score of 3.9 - placing it near the middle of the list. 

Overview

Stash is a personal finance platform that offers investing and savings management services for a flat monthly fee. The platform provides plenty of educational content and allows automated and DIY investments. Clients can trade thousands of stocks and ETFs, while automated investments come with a monthly fee of $3 or $9 - depending on the user’s preferences and required features.

Stash makes investing accessible to a broad customer base and makes the process simple by providing an intuitive and minimalist interface, as well as streamlined pricing packages. The $3 Stash Growth account offers individual investment services, while the $9 Stash+ offers services for families, including custodian accounts for kids.

Investors on Stash can start with minimal investments, as the platform supports fractional share trading. One notable downside of Stash is the absence of automated IRA management, which can be a dealbreaker for some users.

Stash also offers a Stock-Back card as part of its banking services, which can be used to earn additional stocks while shopping in thousands of Stash partner retailers. 

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The platform is easy to navigate
• Affordable pricing
• DIY and automated investing options
• Fractional shares

Cons:

• No tax-loss harvesting
• No automated IRA management

The Bottom Line

Stash provides a well-rounded and affordable personal finance platform that offers individual and automated account management to users. While the platform does not support tax-loss harvesting or automated IRAs, it makes up for this by providing a reliable service with a sleek and easy-to-use trading experience. Furthermore, Stash does not charge trading fees for individually managed accounts, which clients can use to trade thousands of securities - including fractional shares. 

• Interface - 4.7/5
• Fees - 4.5/5
• Features - 4.1/5
• Mobile app - 4.5/5

Overall, Stash is one of the most attractive choices for people who wish to have the choice between individually managing their accounts, or using automated investing services from trained professionals. Stash gets an investfox score of 4.5/5. 

• Personal finance software allows users to manage their finances and investments, make budgets and set spending limits
• Some personal finance platforms offer custodian services and joint accounts for couples
• Users can keep track of their investments, insurance premiums, bank loans, mortgages, etc.
• Some personal finance platforms, such as Stash, also operate as brokerage firms, while providing checking accounts and debit cards to clients
• Personal finance services are regulated and insured by the FDIC, which makes them secure money management options
• Clients can sync their personal accounts with personal finance platforms to get a clear view of their overall financial standing
• Mint, Personal Capital, and Stash are some of the favorites from a long list of personal finance software