Best Free Budgeting Apps 2026 (No Subscription Required)

Tired of budgeting apps that charge monthly fees? These are the best genuinely free options in 2026, with no subscriptions and no bank account required.

Most "free" budgeting apps aren't really free. They're free trials with a paywall after 14 or 30 days. Or they're free to download but charge a monthly subscription to unlock anything useful. Or they're technically free but make their money by selling your financial data to third parties.

If you're looking for a budgeting app that's genuinely free to use, with no subscription, no time limit, and no requirement to hand over your bank credentials, the list gets shorter. But the options that remain are solid.

What "free" actually means in budgeting apps

Before the list, it's worth being specific about what "free" means here. There are several models:

• Completely free, no paid tier. The app is free for everyone. The developer either runs it as a side project, makes money another way, or charges a one-time fee for optional extras. This is rare.
• Freemium with a usable free tier. The core features are free, with optional paid upgrades for power users. This works as long as the free version is genuinely functional, not a stripped-down demo.
• Free trial masquerading as "free". The app is free for 7 to 30 days, then requires a subscription. This isn't free; it's a trial. We're not including these.
• Free but monetised through data. The app is free because your financial data is the product. Mint operated this way before it shut down, serving ads based on your spending. "Free" in this sense has a cost; it's just not a monetary one.

The apps below are either completely free or have a free tier that covers enough to be useful on its own.

The best genuinely free budgeting apps

MoneyPeas

Price: Free. Optional PRO upgrade available as a one-time purchase (not a subscription).
Bank linking: None. All entries are manual.
Platform: Web app (works in any browser, no download needed).

MoneyPeas is a manual budget tracker built for people who don't want to connect their bank account to anything. You enter your income and expenses yourself, which takes a few seconds per transaction and gives you full control over what the app knows about your finances.

The free version covers everything most people need: income and expense tracking, categories, and a clear view of where your money is going. The PRO upgrade (a one-time purchase, not a recurring fee) adds tools like fixed expense tracking and CSV data export for people who want more detail.

The deliberate simplicity is the point. There's no AI categorisation that miscategorises half your transactions, no social features, no bank sync that breaks when your bank changes its API. You enter a number, it's tracked, you move on.

For the full approach behind manual budgeting without bank access, see the complete guide to budgeting without linking your bank.

Goodbudget (free tier)

Price: Free tier available. Paid plan at $10/month or $80/year.
Bank linking: None (even on paid).
Platform: iOS, Android, web.

Goodbudget uses the envelope budgeting method: you divide your income into virtual envelopes for different spending categories, and track spending against each envelope. When an envelope is empty, you've hit your limit for that category.

The free tier limits you to 10 envelopes, one account, and one device. That's enough for a simple budget but feels restrictive if you have more than a handful of spending categories. The paid plan unlocks unlimited envelopes, multiple accounts, and device syncing.

Like MoneyPeas, Goodbudget doesn't connect to your bank, even on the paid plan. All entries are manual. The envelope system works well for people who think in categories and want hard spending limits rather than just tracking.

Actual Budget

Price: Free (open source, self-hosted) or $6.50/month for the hosted version.
Bank linking: Optional (available on paid hosted version).
Platform: Web, desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux).

Actual Budget is an open-source budgeting app that you can run for free if you're comfortable self-hosting it. The hosted version charges a monthly fee but removes the technical setup. It uses envelope-style budgeting similar to YNAB.

The self-hosted option is genuinely free with no limitations, but it requires some technical knowledge to set up and maintain. Your data stays on your own server, which is as private as it gets. The trade-off is that you're responsible for backups and updates.

Best for: technically minded users who want full control over their data and don't mind running their own server.

Google Sheets / Excel

Price: Free (Google Sheets) or included with Microsoft 365.
Bank linking: None.
Platform: Web, mobile, desktop.

A spreadsheet isn't an app, but it's worth including because it's what many people already use and it's completely free. Google Sheets works on any device, syncs automatically, and gives you total flexibility in how you structure your budget.

The downside is that you have to build everything yourself: categories, formulas, monthly rollovers, charts. There are plenty of free budget templates available online that give you a starting point, but you'll still spend more time maintaining the system than you would with a dedicated app.

Best for: people who like building their own systems and want maximum flexibility. Not ideal if you want something you can open and start using immediately.

EveryDollar (free tier)

Price: Free tier available. Premium (with bank sync) is part of Ramsey+ at $49.99/quarter.
Bank linking: Premium only.
Platform: iOS, Android, web.

EveryDollar uses zero-based budgeting: every pound or dollar of income gets assigned to a category, with the goal of reaching zero unallocated money. The free version is manual entry only, which works fine for basic budgeting.

The free tier is functional but clearly designed to push you toward the paid Ramsey+ subscription, which adds bank syncing and other features. The app itself is clean and simple, though the constant upsell messaging can be annoying if you have no intention of paying.

Best for: people who like the zero-based budgeting philosophy and can ignore the upgrade prompts.

How they compare at a glance

• MoneyPeas: Truly free. No bank linking. No subscription (one-time PRO option). Manual entry.
• Goodbudget: Usable free tier (10 envelopes). No bank linking. Paid plan is $10/month.
• Actual Budget: Free if self-hosted. Optional bank linking on paid tier. Hosted version is $6.50/month.
• Google Sheets: Completely free. No bank linking. No subscription. Manual entry (you build it yourself).
• EveryDollar: Usable free tier. Bank linking on premium only. Full version is $49.99/quarter.

What to look for in a free budgeting app

Not all free apps are equal. A few things worth checking before you commit:

• Is the free version actually usable? Some apps offer a free tier that's so limited it's essentially a demo. If you can't do basic budgeting without paying, it's not really free.
• Does it require bank access? If an app is free but requires linking your bank account, ask how they're making money. The answer is usually your data. For more on this, see is it safe to link your bank account to a budgeting app.
• Can you export your data? If you ever want to switch apps or just keep a backup, you need to be able to get your data out. Apps that lock your history in are a risk, especially free ones that might shut down.
• What's the business model? A one-time purchase, a small premium tier, or open-source with donations: these are sustainable models. "Completely free with no obvious revenue" sometimes means the app won't be around in two years.
• How much setup does it need? Some apps work out of the box. Others need significant configuration before they're useful. If you want to start tracking today, pick something simple.

FAQ

Are free budgeting apps safe?

It depends on the app, not the price. A free app that doesn't connect to your bank and stores data locally or under your control (like MoneyPeas or a self-hosted Actual Budget) carries very little risk. A free app that requires bank linking to function is making money from your data in some way, which may or may not be acceptable depending on your privacy comfort level.

Why do some budgeting apps charge subscriptions?

Bank syncing is the main driver. Connecting to bank accounts requires paying data aggregators like Plaid, which charge per connection. Apps that offer bank sync need ongoing revenue to cover those costs, hence the subscription model. Apps that skip bank linking don't have this cost, which is why they can be free or charge a one-time fee instead.

Is manual entry too much work?

It takes about 10 to 15 seconds per transaction. Most people make 3 to 5 purchases a day, so you're looking at under a minute of total entry time daily. The trade-off is that you're more aware of what you're spending, which is the whole point of budgeting. For a deeper look at how this works in practice, see the guide on budgeting without linking your bank.

What happened to Mint?

Mint shut down in early 2024, migrating users to Credit Karma. It was one of the most popular free budgeting apps, but it was free because it monetised user data through targeted financial product ads. Its shutdown left millions of users looking for alternatives, many of whom are now wary of relying on a free service backed by advertising revenue. The lesson: check how a free app makes money before investing your time in it.

Can I budget effectively with just a free app?

Yes. The core of budgeting is knowing what comes in, what goes out, and whether the gap is where you want it to be. Every app on this list can do that. Paid features like bank sync, advanced reporting, and multi-device sync are conveniences, not necessities. Plenty of people budget successfully with nothing more than a spreadsheet or a simple manual tracker.

What's the difference between "no subscription" and "completely free"?

A "no subscription" app might still charge a one-time fee for certain features. MoneyPeas works this way: the core app is free, and the PRO upgrade is a single purchase that never recurs. "Completely free" means there's no payment at all, ever. Both are better than a subscription if you're trying to avoid ongoing costs, but it's worth understanding which model you're looking at.