Mint Personal Finance

Mint integrates multiple accounts (including bank, credit, loan and retirement accounts) into one place, provides trending information and can document budgeting plans.

  • Positives: Suggests banks with higher savings rates, credit cards with lower interest rates, provides graphics and saving alternatives (illustrates how much more could be saved by increasing monthly payments, for example), provides free credit score, allows manual input of cash transactions.
  • Negatives: Must be set up from computer, "read only" system for mobile app.
  • Cost: Free
  • Platform: iOS, Android

BillGuard

BillGuard pulls all your credit/debit transactions and sends you alerts of potential fraudulent charges. It also alerts you if a retailer experiences a data breach and if you shopped at that merchant during the breach period.

  • Positives: Can flag and dispute charges through the app. Evaluates your spending habits and finds relevant coupons.
  • Negatives: Is best used in tandem with another app because it only focuses on transactions and threats vs. being a comprehensive personal finance aide.
  • Cost: Free
  • Platform: iOS, Android

Personal Capital

Personal Capital tracks investments by account or asset class, and allows you to compare your portfolio to major indices. The app offers investment checkups and 401(k) and mutual-fund fee calculators.

  • Positives: Offers a unique view for investors, while still providing information on basic personal finance.
  • Negatives: While it is a top-notch security function, the app is a "read-only service" and does not allow for funds to be moved within the app.
  • Cost: Free
  • Platform: iOS, Android

Better Haves

Better Haves is an app designed for couples as an accountability spending and budgeting system. Virtual envelopes are filled with money and as spending occurs, it keeps expenses organized and easily tracked.

  • Positives: The app has the ability for multiple people to view the same information from different devices. Provides real time updates. The envelope system sends reminders to both users when envelops are getting low and spending in that area needs to be more closely monitored.
  • Negatives: Still fairly new and has a few minor kinks that need to be tweaked. Involves a lot of interaction with the app.
  • Cost: Free
  • Platform: iOS, Android

Shoeboxed

Unlike the previously mentioned apps, Shoeboxed provides a way to easily keep up with cash spending in addition to credit/debit card spending. Based on pictures of your receipts, Shoeboxed collects and organizes spending habits.

  • Positives: Creates shareable expense reports, broad range of import and export methods including pictures, email, and scanning.
  • Negatives: Not updated in real time. Because everything is verified as accurate by a Shoebox team member, each receipt can take up to an hour to become live in the app.
  • Cost: The app offers different levels of involvement, and therefore different cost options. DIY: Free; Lite: $9.95/month after free trial; Classic: $29.95/month after free trial; Business: $49.95/month after free trial; Executive: $99.95/month after free trial.
  • Platform: iOS, Android