Best budgeting apps in the UK
The best budgeting apps in the UK automatically track your income and expenses, so you can spot ways to save money and reduce debt. There’s a wide range of budgeting and personal finance apps that can help you get control over your finances.
Budgeting apps can connect all your bank accounts and credit cards in one place, suggest ways to save on your bills, and flag up where you’re overspending. They’re a great tool for budgeting and saving towards your financial goals.
But how do you pick the right one for you? We’ll review how they work and some of the best and most recommended money management apps.
Table Of Contents
Why use a budgeting app?
You might use a budgeting app to stay on top of your finances, control debt or help meet your savings goals.
It’s easy to lose track of where your money goes each month. Budgeting apps do the work for you using the latest personal budgeting software. Developed by fintech firms, expense and savings trackers are built into the apps.
A budgeting app can help you with:
- Keeping track of how much money you make and where you spend it
- Finding ways to save on your shopping and essential bills
- Setting up budget categories, such as food and household bills
- Ensuring you never miss a bill payment or go over your budget
You can download the apps we’ve reviewed at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store – we’ve provided links below.
Important features to look for in a budgeting app
The most important features to look for in a budgeting app will depend on your needs and lifestyle. It’s important to consider what’s important to you, and your goals. Do you want to save money for something specific, such as a holiday? Or get tips on where you can save money on regular bills?
There are some basic features to look out for in any budgeting app. Here’s our rundown:
Ease of use
It’s important to choose an app that’s simple and easy to use. You’re less likely to use a budgeting app if you have to jump through hoops to make it work.
The aim is to simplify managing your money and make this a relatively enjoyable task.
Push notifications
Push notifications from budgeting apps are useful. These are the alerts that appear on your smartphone’s screen. These can give you updates, such as when you’ve exceeded your budget, or where you can save.
The alerts are part of a budgeting app’s real-time spending analysis, so you always know where you stand financially.
Synching with bank accounts
The most useful budgeting apps sync with your bank accounts and credit cards. This enables the app to track your spending across all accounts in one place. The more accounts you have, the more expensive the app might be.
Security features
You may have heard the financial buzzwords ‘encrypted data security’. This is the process of securely converting your financial data into a form that no-one else can use. Budgeting apps use this to safeguard your personal data.
The apps we mention also use other security measures, such as multi-factor authentication to keep your money safe.
Budgeting apps usually use Open Banking, which lets banks provide your financial data to third parties with your permission. The apps we cover here are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means they follow rules that are aimed at protecting consumers.
Apps at a Glance
App |
Basic |
Premium |
Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|
Snoop |
Free |
£4.99 a month or £39.99 a year |
3.2 |
Moneyhub |
Free for six months |
£1.49 a month or £14.99 a year |
3.8 |
Hyperjar |
Free |
Free |
4 |
Emma |
Free |
Monthly: £4.99 (four accounts) £9.99 (unlimited) £14.99 (for business) |
4 |
Snoop
Key features
Snoop’s key features include a personalised dashboard that links your bank and credit card accounts in one place. This shows you clearly how much you’re spending on different categories.
The app’s designed to ‘snoop’ and suggest savings based on your regular spending.
Snoop will:
- Alert you to price hikes on your regular outgoings
- Let you know if there’s a deal you might find useful, based on your shopping habits.
- See whether your bills are going up and down
- Send you spending summaries and money-saving tips
- Flags up cheaper insurance policies or cashback options.
It’s considered one of the best money management apps because of its many features, including useful reminders such as when your car insurance is coming up for renewal.
How much does it cost?
Snoop’s basic version is free. But you can pay £4.99 a month (or £39.99 a year) for Snoop Plus, which comes with extra features such as custom spending categories and personalised payday tracking.
What Snoop does really well
There are a number of things that Snoop does really well, such as:
- Tracking your household bills
- Easy to set up if you’ve already got your banking apps on your phone.
- Easy to see all your accounts in one place, and get personalised tips that help you save money.
What do the reviews say?
The reviews say that Snoop is easy to use. The app scores 4.6 out of 5 on Apple’s App Store from 4,800 reviewers.
Snoop has 64 reviews and scores 3.1 out of 5 on independent review site Trustpilot. Around 55% are 5-star reviews.
Download Snoop from Google Play
Moneyhub
Key features
Moneyhub’s key features include linking up your mortgage, pension and investment accounts – as well as your savings and credit cards. You can also be put in touch with a financial adviser in the app’s chat facility.
You can set spending goals and categorise your spending to compare it with previous months. You’ll get tips on how to save, and reminders when your regular bills are going out.
Moneyhub offers a mobile app and a website. It will also work out your overall wealth – if you own a house and/or car, it’ll include these in the calculation.
How much does it cost?
Moneyhub is free for six months. You’ll then pay a fee of £1.49 a month or £14.99 a year for this personal budgeting software. If you want a free budgeting app, you may want to try Snoop or Emma and stick with their basic plans – both are among the best free budgeting apps.
What Moneyhub does really well
Moneyhub does several things really well. It’s easy to use, with straightforward tools that allow you to understand your spending habits. The app’s ability to connect with a wide range of accounts, including mortgages and investments, makes it particularly comprehensive.
What do the reviews say?
Moneyhub gets 4.4 out of 5 from more than 594 reviews on Apple’s App Store. It receives 3.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 47 reviewers.
Download Moneyhub from Google Play
Hyperjar
Key features
Hyperjar’s key features include a prepaid Mastercard that comes with the app. You can load money onto this to spend money from any of your mini accounts, or ‘jars’.
By setting up different jars for budget categories such as food, travel, and household bills, you can budget more easily. If you’re worried about your spending, you can block or restrict the amount you spend at certain retailers.
You can earn 1%-2% cashback on your spending, as well as discounts and rewards at some retailers by spending using the card.
You can also use the Hyperjar card abroad without any extra charges – so it’s a great option for holiday spending. But you won’t earn interest on any money you save on the card.
You can open a Hyperjar children’s account (for anyone from 6+). They can use the app to learn how to budget while you as the parent control the app on your phone.
Hyperjar isn’t a bank, so your money isn’t protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if it goes bust. But the app states that your money is kept in an account regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
How much does it cost?
The Hyperjar app and prepaid Mastercard that comes with it are completely free. There are no paid-for versions, making it an appealing option for anyone looking for an entirely free option with no tempting upgrade offers.
What Hyperjar does really well
What Hyperjar does really well is use ‘jam jars’ to earmark money for particular outgoings and financial goals. The ability to set up spending limits and blocks for certain retailers helps users manage their spending habits more easily.
What do the reviews say?
Hyperjar gets 4.8 out of 5 from 21,400 reviews on Apple’s App Store. It’s got 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 1599 reviews.
Emma
Key features
Like other budgeting apps, Emma’s key features include the ability to link your accounts, categorise your spending and get tips on how to save more. You set how much you want to spend or save in certain categories such as travel and eating out.
The Emma app will flag where you can save on any potentially unused subscriptions. You can also get cashback on spending with certain retailers.
How much does it cost?
Emma has a free basic version that connects two accounts, tracks spending from payday to payday, sets monthly budgets and monitors subscriptions.
You’ll pay £4.99 for the Plus version to connect four accounts, £9.99 for Pro, which connects unlimited accounts, and £14.99 to connect business accounts. You get seven days free if you want to trial the paid-for versions.
What Emma does really well
Emma has a simple, easy-to-use layout. It also flags stealth subscriptions. These are where you are paying for a service you no longer use or where you signed up for a free trial and forgot to cancel. These charges that can gradually drain your accounts.
Emma can also promote financial literacy with its clear spending insights and particularly user-friendly interface.
What do the reviews say?
The app gets 4.6 out of 5 rating on Apple’s App Store from 15,700 reviews. It gets 4.1 stars on Trustpilot from 206 reviews.
Download Emma from Google Play.
FAQs about budgeting apps
Can budgeting apps really help save money?
Budgeting apps can help you save money by making it easier to keep on top of your finances. Ideally, budgeting apps help you to save towards your goals. You can also receive tips on how you can save more to build up your savings over time.
Are budgeting apps secure?
Budgeting apps can usually be considered secure. They have several security features, including encryption and two-factor authentication to safeguard your data. But do your research and get to grips with the app’s particular security features before using it – and make sure you’re comfortable with these.
How do budgeting apps make money?
Budgeting apps usually make money from premium subscription models. Some also generate income through advertising and commissions from financial firms.
The Snoop app, though, is a little different. It makes money through commissions, and by passing anonymous data to market research companies on consumer trends (but not your personal data).
Can I use multiple budgeting apps at the same time?
You can use multiple budgeting apps at the same time. After all, you might want to try a few before finding one that works for you. You may want to stick with several budgeting apps if you find them particularly useful for managing your finances.
Budgeting apps – final thoughts
These clever apps can simplify the budgeting process – they’ll do the heavy lifting for you, finding ways to save and helping you to set and reach your financial goals.
You might want to try downloading a few budgeting apps to see which you prefer – this depends on what you need. But using a budgeting app could help you budget better and give you greater peace of mind.