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Having a budget app on your mobile device can play a huge role in the overall health of your finances without having to reach for a notebook, pen and calculator to crunch the numbers every time you make a purchase or get paid.
According to the 2019 Canadian Financial Capability Survey, more than half (51%) of Canadians don't keep track of their money. One of the common reasons for this was that they felt overwhelmed with the process.
Here's everything you need to know about the best budgeting applications in Canada in 2024.
A budgeting app is a mobile software application designed to accurately organize and track your weekly/monthly/yearly income, spending, and savings. As a result, you can figure out your long-term financial goals and work towards achieving them.
While applications like this are making our lives easier, we realize that not everyone wants to look at their phone all day long. If you are one of these people who prefers to learn how to budget yourself, consider downloading the 50/30/20 budgeting template.
These applications provide well-laid-out categories where you note your total income, list all your expenses, and how much you should spend on each. They help you track your spending throughout the week/month, so you don't overspend on anything.
To boost user experience, different budgeting apps come with distinctive features such as syncing with your bank accounts, bill reminders, automatic saving, alerts on where to find deals, and so much more.
There are a range of benefits to using technology in this way that include:
A budget app is an on-the-go tool that'll help keep you financially responsible by preventing you from going beyond your means. Too much spending, too many expenses, and maxed-out credit cards affect your ability to repay debt and cover emergency costs.
Sometimes, you may not know where your money goes, even after spending responsibly. A budgeting application keeps an account of every expense. As a result, you know where you are spending and can adjust accordingly.
Looking for an app that'll help you achieve much-needed financial freedom? The problem with most budgeting apps is that they are either too complicated or not user-friendly. Many of them also don't offer a free version and if you want to get rid of all their ads, you have to pay!
We created this list of the top 10 free budgeting apps for Canadians so that people can find exactly what they need without having to spend money on an app. This way, everyone has access to these helpful tools. Now it's easy to manage your finances using our comprehensive guide.
Mint is a free budget app designed by Intuit. This financial tool app allows you to create a detailed budget by categorizing your expenses. It keeps track of your day-to-day spending, alerting you when you surpass the budget you originally set out.
The Mint app can link to most of your financial accounts -- bank accounts, loans, investment accounts, and credit cards -- to show you where your money goes. This feature allows you to keep track of your credit score through weekly checks, as well.
Additionally, you can get bill alerts and even have an option to pay these bills via the Mint platform. This application is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Things however don’t always go as planned. We all know the feeling of being tight on money. One day you’re planning to buy a new computer, and then the following week something comes up that impacts our budget. Credit cards are out of the question because they have so many fees that you end up paying more than what you bought for in the first place. Obviously borrowing money from your parents is not an option either.
We know how stressful it can be to not have enough money for the things you need. iCash gives you the freedom to spend exactly how you want. You never have to worry about going to a bank and waiting on lines. You can apply for an e-transfer payday loan 24 hours a day, seven days a week with Canada’s premier online lender. You’ll be approved in minutes without ever having to leave the comfort of your home.
So, whether your needs are unexpected payments for replacing a broken windshield, or just a little extra for the weekend, we are here for you!
Wally is a mobile financial tool that deals solely with budgeting. It balances your income and expenses, allowing you to see where you spend your money. If you're travelling outside Canada, you can still use this tool since it supports almost all foreign currencies.
Additionally, you can sync the app with your banks and get alerts for paying bills. It’s available for iPhone, Android, and desktop users.
With Flipp, you don't have to go through the trouble of walking to various local stores, looking for affordable alternatives can be tiring and time-consuming.
This budget application merges all your local weekly circulars into one easy-to-navigate site that helps you track the best trending deals in town. You can also get notifications for expiring offers, online coupons, occasional sales by different retailers, and so much more.
Moreover, it has a "list" feature so you can make a shopping list and then Flipp points out the best deals in your area for those products. It's free for web, Android and iOS users.
Ampli helps you save money on shopping by earning some of it back. By using the AMPLI5 promo code, you get an automatic $5 welcome bonus to kickstart your cashback earnings.
It has a "Dreamstakes" feature that lets you enter competitions, share the app on Facebook, or link your bank account to win more money. All you need to do to get started is download the app for free for the web, Android, or iOS users.
People who need more money to be able to pass the month have a lot of options today — pawn shops and even their credit cards are all viable choices for people in financial distress. But these alternatives come with high interest rates and fees that can add up quickly.
In fact, Credit card debt is a huge problem in Canada. You might have read about it in the news recently? A lot of people are struggling to pay their credit card bills every month, and they're not sure how to get out of this hole.
With our easy application process and friendly customer support team, getting approved for quick loans in Canada has never been easier! Our website also features an extensive list of helpful articles about credit repair, budgeting as well as other important financial topics like saving money on groceries by using coupons.
We hope this information helps you achieve your goals sooner than later!
Checkout51 is a free budget app developed by Canadians that can help you save money on groceries. Instead of wasting time clipping paper coupons to get discounts, this portable financial tool reduces your grocery bill through cashbacks by providing a list of items that offer rewards.
After you purchase from your local store or online, you should upload the receipt via the Checkout51 app so that the cashback is deposited into your account. Once completed, Checkout51 will mail you a cheque when your cash adds up to $20.
If you did all you could by having a groceries budget and used an app to try to reduce costs, life happens. There are times where we all need extra money for everyday household items, but don't have enough money in the bank account.
If you are in immediate financial distress, licensed direct payday lenders can provide instant loan approval! You can easily get a short-term loan for up to $1,000 with no collateral. Don't wait any longer - apply now to get the help you need today!
These expense-tracking applications should help you manage your spending better:
Founded in 2004, the You Need a Budget (YNAB) app has grown into one of the leading expense-tracking apps available on the market. This online finance tool can help you track your money by connecting to your financial accounts and pulling balances in real time.
Additionally, YNAB helps you better understand your saving and spending habits by providing educational material on personal finance. It also features goal tracking and personal support features. YNAB charges US$11.99 a month to use its services. It's available for both Android and iOS users.
MOKA is the first automated goal-based investing and saving app that offers Canadians the chance to grow their wealth and invest their spare cash. This efficient automated tracking platform allows you to save a small amount of money on everything you purchase. For instance, if you buy a cup of coffee worth $3.20 using a credit card, MOKA rounds up the purchase to $4.00 and saves the extra 0.80 cents in your account.
Additionally, you can accelerate your investment growth or achieve your financial goals by using recurring investments, one-time investments, and roundup multiplier features. The MOKA app has a monthly flat fee of $3, whether you have a small or large account. It's available for both Android and iOS.
If you're looking for a user-friendly and straightforward expenses tracking app, PocketGuard is a sure bet. It organizes and tracks your expenses and tells you what you can afford to spend.
This download comes in a basic edition properly stacked at no cost. If you want to boost usability, you can subscribe to the PocketGuard Plus for US$3.99/monthly subscription or a US$34.99 annual charge. This will allow you to create your own categories, export transaction data, manage ATM deposits and withdrawals, and so much more.
Before money discussions become full-on arguments you and your significant other need to be on the same page about shared finances.
Money can be a real problem for many people, especially young people. Many of us work several jobs just to make ends meet. Saving money is important, but when you're living paycheque to paycheque it's hard to put any aside.
Some people apply for loans online to find the right financing to fit their needs. The big advantage to working with these types of lenders is that you can apply from your home or office in minutes, often without impacting your credit score and without any collateral.
Budgeting is also essential and we should be saving money for the future instead of spending it on things we don't need right now. But we're also human beings with needs and desires! It's hard to think about saving when you're struggling just to pay your bills each month, isn't it?
Your money is working hard right now, and it can work even harder if you start using these budgeting apps for couples:
GoodBudget operates using two virtual envelopes: the "regular" that tracks recurring expenses like debt payoff, rent, and groceries; and the "more" envelope, which covers occasional expenses like car insurance, property taxes, and auto repairs. Additionally, it gives you a report on your monthly spending.
With the free version, you get 20 virtual envelopes to control your spending and account access for two devices. For $7 monthly (or $60 annually), you get unlimited envelopes and account access for up to five devices.
If you're looking for an effective way to combine your finances with your better half, HoneyDue can help. This dashboard displays all your financial accounts in one place so you can have a glance at where you stand. After syncing your bank accounts, and investment accounts, you'll have a snapshot of your balances in the activity log.
This financial tool app helps couples categorize and monitor account transactions. They can also set spending limits in each category, and the app notifies them when they hit the limit. HoneyDue is free to download and use.
This budgeting tool, called Zeta, helps couples stay on top of their finances together. It helps to keep track of shared money, communicate, build a plan, and set goals. Zeta works perfectly for couples who share objectives and expenses, but who have separate finances.
The app allows both of you to connect your credit cards and bank accounts to see all your money in one place. Zeta is free of charge on both Android and iOS.
If you're aspiring to add some comfort and ease to your travel-expense tracking, below are three of the best travel budget applications that make logging the numbers and mileage easier than you ever expected:
Tripcoin is an offline budget app that allows you to track your travel expenses anywhere in the world – regardless of the network coverage. The Tripcoin program processes your purchases to give you a spending summary of your trip. Its interface presents bar graphs and charts that allow you to see your daily expenses and pinpoint which purchase types are taking up most of your cash flow.
This app is completely free and only available for iOS users.
Spendee links to your bank accounts and tracks your cash movement using user-friendly, brightly coloured charts and diagrams. This provides you with all the information you need to track your budget without being too complicated.
Additionally, Spendee allows you to set up customizable alerts, link your account to multiple users, and features smart budgets which help you save on bigger items such as a dream summer vacation.
Their basic version is available for free on Android and iOS users. You can subscribe to Spendee Premium at an annual fee of $22.99 or Spendee Plus, which costs $14.99 per year.
Running more than one credit card each month can get complicated. To avoid this, use money tracking tools to track monthly payments and spending. Money tracker app functions vary since some focus more on rewards while others monitor payment dates.
Here are some of the best money tracking apps to help you manage your credit cards in Canada on one platform:
KOHO bundles budgeting, savings, and track earning rewards all into a single app. It also doubles as a prepaid payment card. Its new Early Payroll feature lets you receive an interest-free $100 from your paycheque three days before deposit. The budgeting feature identifies which categories you spend the most.
What's more, you'll earn 1.20% interest on unspent cash and 0.5% cashback on all of your purchases, depending on whether you go for the card's free or Premium versions. KOHO Premium costs $84 a year or $9 a month.
Like many money-tracking apps, Wallet gives you an informational summary of your financial activity. Wallet lets you upload data from other finance apps and your bank. It'll even allow you to take pictures of your receipts so you can archive them.
It also has an extremely easy-to-use interface that enables you to effectively manage all your loyalty and reward cards without having to carry them.
The basic download is free for iOS and Android. The free version does not automatically sync to your bank accounts. For an additional fee of $6.50 monthly, or $38 annually, you get bank account syncing and other premium features.
Download the best budget applications for your needs and become more savvy with your finances. With a budget in mind, taking short term loans should never be a worry because you can plan how to repay on time.
For quick, secure, short term loans, apply online at iCash.ca.
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