From budgeting tools and supermarket price comparison apps to bill splitters and savings organisers, these free and low cost apps could help you stay on top of your finances and avoid overspending.
Keeping track of household bills, subscriptions, savings and everyday spending can sometimes feel like a full time job, especially as the cost of living continues to put pressure on budgets. But there are a growing number of apps designed to make managing your money easier, whether you want to build savings, cut back on spending, stay on top of bills or simply understand where your cash is going each month.
Some apps help automate savings, others can compare supermarket prices, monitor subscriptions or even help split bills fairly with friends and family. Here are 10 popular money management apps that could help you take greater control of your finances and make day to day budgeting a little less stressful.
1. Plum
Find you get to the end of the month without having sat down and stashed anything away in savings? Once you have connected your bank accounts and credit cards to Plum, the app works out where you can make savings and investments, and automates deposits and micro-savings by rounding up certain payments and popping the extra in savings pots for you, without you having to think about it or do anything manually.
2. HMRC
Downloading the HMRC app is a no-brainer if you are self-employed or have no clue what your tax situation is. Through it, you can check your national insurance number, work out your tax code, get your head around any child benefit you might be entitled to, make swift Self Assessment payments and even claim a refund if you have paid too much tax. Handily, it is also straightforwardly intuitive to use, much more so than the desktop version of the HMRC website.
3. Premium Bonds Prize Checker
Whether you know you have Premium Bonds (and count down to the monthly dishing out of prize winnings, in the hope it is you that has bagged a £1 million windfall) or think you might have some somewhere, the prize checker is a simple way to stay on top of bonds and check your potential wins in the previous six draws. There are currently 2,625,391 prizes worth £109,014,425 won 18 months or more ago that have gone unclaimed, and some of that cash might belong to you. The best thing about the app is the monthly reveal, when you find out if you have won anything. Wins are accompanied by a short celebratory clip, like someone dancing in the rain or blowing candles out on a cake, and in the sad months without a win, they let you down quickly.
4. Splitwise.com
A game-changer, whether you are going on a group holiday, splitting bills in a houseshare, trying to finance a hen or stag do, or just working out who owes what for a meal out, Splitwise takes out the stress of divvying up the bill. You can pay mates back quickly, flag when you have shelled out a certain amount and are owed by loved ones, and can note down expenses in real time, so payments do not get forgotten about.
5. Monzo
One of the most intuitive digital banking apps out there, you can set up different pots for saving and spending, use it to request payments from friends and family, and Monzo is also great for travelling, because there are no fees when spending abroad. You do have to set up a Monzo current account to get started though.
6. Emma
Looking to overhaul your approach to saving and spending? Emma can be the financial friend that brings you a bit of financial peace of mind, as well as support. Its whole remit is to make managing money easier, more accessible, and empowering. You can track all your bank accounts in one place, see all your subscriptions side-by-side, set achievable budgeting goals, receive analytics that assess your spending, and even build an investment portfolio.
7. Trolley.co.uk
This one is specific to your supermarket shopping habits. Trolley.co.uk compares supermarket prices for you, in real time, so you know if you are getting the best bang for your buck, whether you are shopping in Tesco or Aldi and beyond. Apparently it can help you save up to 30% off your weekly shop.
8. Snoop
Bills are unavoidable, but Snoop can help you make sure you are getting the best deals and tariffs, and will help you switch if you are not. It helps you track essential payments and assesses why they might have fluctuated, alerts you if they have gone up and lets you know when to axe any subscriptions you are not using too.
9. HyperJar
Another app that aims to help you with spending, HyperJar allocates funds to separate pots (jars) so you can budget for day-to-day expenses as well as longer-term goals like a big holiday or a house deposit. It is also a good one for making the most of cashback and discounts with retailers you regularly shop with.
10. PocketGuard
For a full overview of all your earnings and expenditures, PocketGuard claims to be the solution. Whether you want to better understand your net worth, develop a debt payoff plan, track your spending and check your money flow to help rein in overspending, it has got you covered.
