Mint Alternatives

Mint offers budgeting and expense tracking. But are other apps better? See how Mint compares to alternatives like Quicken, YNAB and Empower.

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Mint is easily one of the best personal finance apps you can get for free. Or was.

Its parent company, Intuit, has already announced Mint's imminent closure. Is this the perfect excuse to ditch it and look for something better?

Discover other budgeting apps that might not just replace Mint, but potentially offer even more insightful guidance and tools.

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Is Mint App Shutting Down?

Yes, Mint is discontinued as of January 1, 2024. If you're a Mint user, they're giving you the option to move your account to Credit Karma.

However, Credit Karma won't have the exact same features of Mint.

Although you can still view your linked accounts in one place and stuff, you won't be able to set monthly and category budgets on its app. It's also possible that Credit Karma does not yet support your bank accounts.

That could be disappointing enough for you to consider other personal finance management apps.

Top 10 Best Mint Alternatives

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With the above in mind, let's get into the best apps to help manage your money.

1. Empower

Free advanced investment & retirement tracking

Empower offers some of the most advanced financial tools on the market - for free.

It features an investment checkup tool showing if you are optimizing your portfolio. Empower can assess your current investment strategy and make personalized recommendations.

The app also has a fee analyzer to see any hidden fees within your funds.

Using its advanced retirement calculator, you can add different life scenarios (such as buying a house) to see how it'll affect your retirement.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

Empower vs. Mint takeaway
Unlike Mint, you can't add manual transactions and customize alerts in Empower. But that might not be an issue for some. In any case, it's an excellent app for investors who need a detailed snapshot of their accounts, especially if you have a lot.

See our detailed breakdown of Empower vs. Mint.

Join Empower For Free

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2. You Need a Budget

Teaches beginners how to budget and save

You Need a Budget (YNAB) focuses on the "forward-looking" approach to budgeting. It forces you to assign every dollar a job. So you plan for the entire month's expenses in advance.

At the same time, YNAB teaches you to live on last month's income (money you already have, as opposed to budgeting based on future income).

Got a large expense coming up? YNAB helps you break it down and save throughout the year. When the time comes, you're ready and it won't hit your budget too hard.

You can adjust your budget if you accidentally overspend. Likewise, if you don't use up your set budgets, you can roll them over to the next month.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

YNAB vs. Mint takeaway
While you can link your financial accounts to YNAB, it does not sync automatically like Mint. Transactions that cleared before the date of the starting balance will not be imported. Instead, they'll only become available in your app within 24-72 hours.

3. Tiller

Create customized spreadsheets

Credit: Tiller Money

Tiller is the ultimate budgeting tool for a spreadsheet fanatic. It combines the convenience of automatic data imports with the flexibility of spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets include net worth tracking, weekly spending, debt snowballing, and tons more. You can use pre-built budgeting templates, or mix-and-match templates to create custom workflows.

You can automatically update your transactions and balances into Google and Excel spreadsheets. No more manual data entry!

If you run a small business, you can track expenses and cash flow, and estimate your quarterly tax payments.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

Tiller vs. Mint takeaway
Tiller does not have a mobile app which can turn off some users. Instead, it relies heavily on spreadsheets, which can be confusing to first-time budgeters.  But it can provide more customized reporting than Mint.

Try Tiller Free

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4. Quicken Classic

All-inclusive personal finance software

Quicken offers perhaps the most comprehensive financial tools, with multiple plans available under their Quicken Classic line.

Quicken Classic Deluxe is your entry point to a more complex viewing of your finances. You get to create as many spending categories as you want and set a budget for each category.

It also features a Lifetime Planner, which lets you play with different life scenarios (like buying a house or paying for college) to see how they'll impact your retirement.

With a Quicken Classic Premier plan, you can compare your portfolio's performance to market benchmarks. It shows all your investment fees and your true market returns.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

Quicken Classic vs. Mint takeaway
If you are willing to pay for an all-encompassing finance management program, you will benefit from Quicken. However, its software requires a computer download, and there may be unsupported features on different operating systems.

See our detailed breakdown of Mint vs. Quicken.

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For mobile app users, Quicken has Simplifi, which is up next.

5. Quicken Simplifi

Upgraded Mint without the ads

Simplifi is Quicken's another option for IOS and Android users.

As its name suggests, it is a more user-friendly platform, providing a concise yet comprehensive view of your finances on your mobile device.

Simplifi doesn't impose on a single budgeting system; in fact, it can accommodate any method you like to use, such as zero-based budgeting, envelope budgeting, 50-30-20, and more.

You also get more customizable budgeting features, projected cash flows, and real-time spending alerts.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

Quicken Simplifi vs. Mint takeaway
Despite being a free app, Mint delivered a straightforward overview of your finances. However, if you're searching for more advanced features without being bombarded by ads, paying for a Simplifi plan may be worthwhile.

Get Started

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6. PocketSmith

Advanced forecasting & retirement planning tools

PocketSmith may be a pricier option, but it offers a variety of state-of-the-art tools that you might find worth paying for.

With its top-tiered Fortune plan, you can create financial projections from weeks up to 60 years by adding adjustable budgets on a downloadable calendar. This helps you formulate "what if" scenarios to see how they affect your finances.

PocketSmith even boasts global support, which is great for those with multi-currency accounts. It allows you to import data from over 12,000 supported institutions in 49 countries automatically.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

PocketSmith vs. Mint takeaway
The features on PocketSmith's free plan may not be as generous as Mint's, but it is ad-free, which can be refreshing. PocketSmith is generally best for those looking for long-term financial planning.

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7. Monarch

Flexible budgeting

Monarch is another great finance management app that has a bit of everything.

With its transaction tracker, you can organize your purchases into different layers of categories, from broad ones like "food and dining" to something more specific like "groceries" and "restaurants."

What's really cool is that you can even tag specific merchants, which is quite a unique feature.

You can create your own rules to automatically categorize future transactions based on factors like the merchant or the amount spent.

For joint users, you can even integrate your Venmo accounts, which retain their actual descriptions so you can easily categorize them in your budgets.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

Monarch vs. Mint takeaway
Monarch offers more comprehensive investment tracking than Mint, and rightfully so, since it's a paid app. It also accommodates joint budgeting but has no credit monitoring like Mint.

Start Managing Your Money

• Pay $99.99/year (yearly plan) or $14.99/month (monthly plan)
• Unlimited financial accounts
• Rollover budgeting
• Investment and subscription tracking
• Custom financial goals, reports, and categories
• Venmo, Coinbase, and Zillow support
• Unlimited collaborators
• Sync vehicle values
• Web and mobile apps

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8. EveryDollar

The 7 Baby Steps platform

EveryDollar is the budgeting app created by celebrity money expert Dave Ramsey. It follows the guidelines of his signature "7 Baby Steps" to financial success.

One of these steps includes the debt snowball method, where you pay minimums on most debts and allocate extra funds to the smallest balance.

EveryDollar Premium automates this method, offering guidance on when and how much to pay based on your financial situation.

Aside from the zero-sum budgeting system, it helps you break down large one-time expenses and create goals to fund them throughout the year.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

EveryDollar vs. Mint takeaway
Like Mint, EveryDollar does not have native investment tracking tools in its free plan. However, you will like this app if you want to set category-specific budget limits.

9. Goodbudget

Share a budget between couples & roommates

Goodbudget upgrades the traditional "envelope system" into a user-friendly digital platform.

Instead of carrying around physical envelopes filled with money, just keep track of it all from your smartphone.

With shared financial planning, you and your partner/roommate can add transactions and make changes to your budget as needed.

Using Debt Account on its web version, track your debt payoff progress and see when you'll finally be debt-free!

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

Goodbudget vs. Mint takeaway
Don't expect much from Goodbudget's free plan because it has minimal features. But, beginners can benefit from the envelope budgeting method in visualizing their budget.

10. CountAbout

Users transitioning from Quicken and Mint

CountAbout is often thought of as a cloud-based alternative to Quicken, not just Mint. Aside from the seamless data import it provides, using it on the go is more convenient.

CountAbout has a FIRE widget, or "Financial Independence" and "Early Retirement."^[12]

This tool helps you assess your future financial situation and estimate your potential passive income based on your assets.

For an additional yearly cost, you can also send automated invoices to bill clients for your side hustle or small business.

Pricing, Features, and Reviews:

CountAbout vs. Mint takeaway
While both have limited investment tracking tools, CountAbout scores points with its account reconciliation similar to how you'd check and balance a checkbook. Plus, it has an invoicing option.

How to Choose the Best Mint Alternative

Here are some things you need to look at when shopping for a potential Mint replacement.

Cost
Other apps may have "freemium" versions, but they either usually apply to a limited time or have very basic features. To get more from the app, you often have to shell out $8 to $10 per month.

Data migration
Since not all budgeting apps are built the same, check if the app can import your Mint transactions. Some use a custom data import tool, while others provide detailed instructions to execute the transfer.

Functionality
Try building a house, but you only have a hammer. What if you need a saw and a screwdriver? For example, it's nice to have an account reconciliation system, which Mint didn't have.

Security
Another thing that Mint was good at is its security protocols. This should be non-negotiable. Your chosen app has to surpass or match Mint's.

Compatibility
You know how some apps seem to "get" you? They give you personalized tips and insights that make your financial life more manageable.

FAQs

Why is Intuit shutting down Mint?
According to Intuit, they are reimagining Mint as part of Credit Karma, which is also one of their products. The goal is for Credit Karma to become a full-service financial platform eventually.

Is Quicken or Mint better?
Quicken provides a range of advanced features, including a more robust investment and retirement planning. In contrast, Mint offered a simpler and more user-friendly experience, focusing on personal finance.

Is there a completely free budget app?
Empower is a powerful personal finance management app that's completely free. Some apps like PocketSmith, EveryDollar, and Goodbudget have free options, while others provide a free trial of their services.

Can I migrate my transaction history from Mint?
You can export your transactions from Mint to other personal finance apps such as Countabout and PocketSmith. Both have custom Mint import tools that convert Mint data faster and easier.

Is Empower better than Mint?
Empower is better than Mint with long-term endeavors like investment management and retirement planning. On the other hand, Mint exceled in day-to-day money management, such as budgeting, debt planning, and credit monitoring.

Bottom Line

Despite Mint shutting down soon, it's good to know that you have several alternatives that offer better features, albeit at a cost. After all, budgeting is an important step towards complete financial freedom.

Although Empower could be the only option matching Mint's freemium plan, most apps offer a free trial period to test their services.

Take your time to find the best one for your needs.

References