Got money to save? Debts to pay? Credit cards to track? Or maybe you just need a clearer handle on where your money is going every month? Personal finance is a pain. But these apps can ease the burden so you can spend less time tracking your money and more time enjoying it. Here's our round-up of the best apps to help with your personal budgeting.
Pocketbook
Available on: Google Play, App Store
There are plenty of personal budgeting apps around but Pocketbook is one of the easiest to use. Whereas other apps will make you manually enter each purchase and payment, Pocketbook syncs with your bank account so transactions appear automatically. It will also intelligently guess which spending category each transaction belongs to and learns to categorise repeat transactions over time. Once your transactions are categorised, you can see how much you've spent on what with a quick easy graph. You can also set spending maximums for different categories like nights out or groceries and track your progress towards your self-imposed limit. The app allows you to manually add cash transactions with receipts and set bill reminders. Pocketbook syncs with 21 Australian banks.
Wallet
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Wallet is a similar concept to Pocketbook in that it syncs with your bank account so transactions appear automatically for easy categorisation, spend tracking and budget setting. However, this feature is offered only on the premium version of the app which costs $4.29 per month or $25.99 per year. That may seem steep for something Pocketbook does for free, but Wallet offers additional features that Pocketbook doesn't, such as the ability to share and collaborate on your budget with others, which is great for couples and families budgeting together. With wallet you can also keep track of money leant or owed or borrowed from the bank, as well as savings goals.
Mobills
Available on: Google Play, App Store
If you don't like the idea of your budgeting app syncing direct with your bank account, you could try an app like Mobills. You will have to enter each transaction manually but once they're in you'll be able to see all your income and expenses categorised and set spending limits within categories. Mobills has the added advantage of being able to track multiple credit cards, their limits, amounts owing and due dates.
Credit Card Manager
Available on: Google Play
If you don't need a budget so much as a handle on your credit cards, this app might be a good option. With this app you can keep track of all your credit cards including transactions, amounts owing and payment due dates. You can set reminds to settle your payments and organise your cards to show you which one offers the longest interest-free period and get annual-fee waiver reminders.
MoneySmart Financial Calculator
Available on: Google Play, App Store
This app from the Australian Government Money Smart website is a handy tool to keep on hand if you're saving or borrowing money. There are four financial calculators included. The savings calculator will show your savings plus interest for regular contributions to a high-interest savings account. The loan and mortgage calculators will show your total payments including interest on a loan over an estimated repayment schedule. And the interest-free calculator will show what an interest-free deal will really cost you once fees are taken into account.
Money Box
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Just want to keep track of your progress on your savings goals? This is a simple app that will do just that. Tell it how much you want to save and let it know every time you make a contribution and it will create a simple chart visualising how far off you are from your goal – great for staying motivated with positive reinforcement and a clear picture of your progress.
Splitwise
Available on: Google Play, App Store
If you're regularly splitting bills at restaurants, buying communal groceries, planning group holidays, lending or owing money, Splitwise is a great asset for your phone. Just create an activity like a night out, let the app know who's involved and who paid for what. Splitwise will than automatically calculate who owes what to whom. If someone owes you money, they can tick off when they've paid and vice versa. Easy!
Jacqui Dent
Editorial Strategist
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