Apps Like Mint: 12 Budgeting Apps That Replace What You Lost
Text
About Mint
Founded
2006
USA
Ships to
Discontinued (was US and Canada)
Editor-reviewed
Every recommendation read and refined by hand
Honest tradeoffs
Drawbacks listed, not hidden
No paid placements
Brands cannot pay to be ranked
On March 23, 2024, Intuit shut down Mint. Twenty-five million users got a notice telling them to migrate to Credit Karma, which doesn't do budgeting. The transaction history, the custom categories, the years of carefully tagged spending — gone, or at best exported into a CSV that no longer talks to anything.
Mint was genuinely beloved, and it deserved to be. It was the first product that made personal finance feel automatic instead of homework. You linked your accounts once and the app did the boring part forever — pulling transactions, sorting them, flagging the Netflix charge that snuck up to $22.99, showing you a net worth number that updated overnight. It was free, it was good enough, and for a decade it was the default answer when anyone asked "how should I track my money?"
The shutdown wasn't a quality decline or an ethics scandal — it was a corporate decision that Mint, despite its users, wasn't profitable enough to keep alive next to TurboTax and Credit Karma. Which leaves a very specific question for the millions of orphaned users: what actually replaces a free, set-it-and-forget-it budget tracker that just worked?
Mint was genuinely beloved, and it deserved to be. It was the first product that made personal finance feel automatic instead of homework. You linked your accounts once and the app did the boring part forever — pulling transactions, sorting them, flagging the Netflix charge that snuck up to $22.99, showing you a net worth number that updated overnight. It was free, it was good enough, and for a decade it was the default answer when anyone asked "how should I track my money?"
The shutdown wasn't a quality decline or an ethics scandal — it was a corporate decision that Mint, despite its users, wasn't profitable enough to keep alive next to TurboTax and Credit Karma. Which leaves a very specific question for the millions of orphaned users: what actually replaces a free, set-it-and-forget-it budget tracker that just worked?
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The 12 Best Alternatives to Mint
1
Monarch Money
Est. 2021
San Francisco, USA
$$$
pricier
Mint loyalists who want the closest possible experience without the abandonment risk
Built by a former Mint product lead specifically to be the Mint successor. Same auto-sync model, same dashboard-first approach, same broad account coverage — but actively maintained and constantly improving. Most Mint refugees end up here.
Pros
- Closest spiritual successor to Mint with auto-sync done right
- Clean dashboard, custom categories, net worth tracking
- Shared household access for couples — a Mint weak point
- Active development with frequent feature releases
Cons
- $99/year after free trial — a real adjustment from free
- Occasional sync issues with smaller credit unions
- Investment tracking is decent but not Personal Capital-level
2
Copilot
Est. 2020
New York, USA
$$$
pricier
iPhone users who want the best-designed money app, period
The most polished budget app on the market and the closest to what Mint could have been if Intuit had kept investing. Auto-categorization is genuinely smart — it learns your spending patterns within weeks.
Pros
- Best-in-class iOS design and animations
- Machine-learning categorization that actually learns
- Excellent investment and crypto tracking built in
- Fast, responsive support from a small focused team
Cons
- iOS and Mac only — no Android, limited web app
- $95/year or $13/month
- Newer, so smaller community and fewer integrations than Monarch
3
YNAB
Est. 2004
Lehi, Utah, USA
$$$
pricier
People who tracked spending in Mint but never actually changed their behavior
If Mint's passive tracking left you broke at the end of every month, YNAB is the opposite philosophy: assign every dollar a job before you spend it. Steeper learning curve, but users credit it with actually changing their finances.
Pros
- Genuine behavior change, not just reporting — users break paycheck-to-paycheck cycles
- Excellent educational content and live workshops
- Strong, almost cultish community for support
- Works across web, iOS, and Android equally well
Cons
- $109/year and the steepest learning curve on this list
- Zero-based budgeting requires real weekly engagement
- Overkill if you just wanted Mint-style passive tracking
4
Empower (formerly Personal Capital)
Est. 2009
Redwood Shores, California, USA
≈
similar
Mint users who cared more about net worth and investments than monthly budgeting
The free side of Empower covers what Mint did for net worth and investment tracking — and does it better. Best-in-class portfolio analysis, retirement planner, fee analyzer. Budgeting is the weaker piece.
Pros
- Free dashboard with excellent investment and retirement tools
- Fee analyzer reveals hidden mutual fund costs
- Net worth tracking is more detailed than Mint ever was
- No paywall for the core features
Cons
- Expect a sales call from their advisory arm if you have $100k+ invested
- Budgeting features are genuinely thin
- Mobile app trails the web experience
5
Rocket Money (formerly Truebill)
Est. 2015
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
≈
similar
People who used Mint mainly to spot recurring charges
Inherits Mint's free-tier-with-upsell model and adds the killer feature Mint never had: it actually cancels your forgotten subscriptions for you. Same auto-sync transaction tracking underneath.
Pros
- Free tier covers the basics most Mint users actually used
- Subscription cancellation service genuinely works
- Bill negotiation can recover real money
- Strong mobile-first experience
Cons
- Premium tier uses pay-what-you-want pricing that nudges upward
- Upsells throughout the free experience
- Categorization isn't as smart as Copilot or Monarch
6
PocketGuard
Est. 2014
Palo Alto, California, USA
$
cheaper
Mint users who want passive tracking without learning a new system
Closest to Mint's original simplicity. Connects accounts, shows you what's safe to spend after bills and goals — the "In My Pocket" number. No envelope philosophy, no spreadsheets to maintain.
Pros
- Genuinely free tier that's usable, not crippled
- "In My Pocket" number answers the only question that matters
- Low learning curve — works out of the box
- Bill tracking and lower-bill negotiation built in
Cons
- Less powerful for detailed analysis than Monarch or Copilot
- Free tier ads can be intrusive
- Limited customization of categories on free plan
7
EveryDollar
Est. 2015
Franklin, Tennessee, USA
≈
similar
People in debt-payoff mode who want structure, not just visibility
Dave Ramsey's zero-based budgeting app. The free version is manual entry only (which Ramsey considers a feature) and the paid version adds bank syncing. Strong fit if you're getting out of debt.
Pros
- Free tier is functional for manual budgeters
- Clean, opinionated zero-based framework
- Integrates with Ramsey's broader financial education
- Strong if you're following the Baby Steps
Cons
- Bank sync requires Ramsey+ subscription ($79.99/year)
- Very prescriptive — fights you if you don't follow the method
- Minimal investment tracking
8
Simplifi by Quicken
Est. 2020
Menlo Park, California, USA
≈
similar
Mint users worried about another shutdown — Quicken has 40 years of staying power
Quicken's modern cloud product, built explicitly to compete with Mint. Auto-sync, custom watchlists, spending plans. Backed by a company that's been doing personal finance software since 1983 — unlikely to disappear.
Pros
- Backed by Quicken — won't vanish like Mint did
- Spending plans adapt to actual cash flow
- Strong custom reporting and watchlists
- Reasonable price point at ~$3.99/month billed annually
Cons
- No free tier at all
- Mobile experience stronger than desktop web
- Less polished than Copilot, less powerful than Monarch
9
Tiller Money
Est. 2017
Seattle, Washington, USA
≈
similar
Spreadsheet people who felt boxed in by Mint's fixed categories
For Mint users who always wished they could export everything cleanly — Tiller pipes your transactions directly into Google Sheets or Excel every day. Total customization, no app constraints.
Pros
- Daily auto-sync into Google Sheets or Excel
- Unlimited customization — your data, your formulas
- Strong template library for budgets and trackers
- You actually own the data
Cons
- $79/year and requires comfort with spreadsheets
- No polished mobile app — it's spreadsheets
- Setup takes longer than turnkey alternatives
10
Lunch Money
Est. 2020
Remote (founded in Toronto)
$$$
pricier
Expats, freelancers, and anyone with non-USD or crypto holdings
Indie-built budgeting tool with a passionate following. Multi-currency support, crypto tracking, a public API, and a developer-friendly approach. Run by a small team that actually responds on the forum.
Pros
- Genuine multi-currency support — rare in this category
- Public API and CSV import for power users
- Responsive solo-developer-style support
- Crypto and manual asset tracking built in
Cons
- $10/month or $100/year
- Mobile app is functional but secondary to web
- Smaller user base means fewer third-party integrations
11
Goodbudget
Est. 2009
Mountain View, California, USA
$
cheaper
Couples who want shared envelopes and don't trust auto-sync apps with credentials
Digital envelope budgeting that doesn't connect to your bank accounts at all — you enter transactions manually. Sounds primitive until you realize that's exactly what makes it work for behavior change.
Pros
- Free tier is genuinely usable for one household
- No bank credentials required — privacy-friendly
- Envelope sync between partners works seamlessly
- Forces awareness through manual entry
Cons
- Manual entry isn't for everyone
- Free tier capped at 10 envelopes
- No investment or net worth tracking
12
Actual Budget
Est. 2019
Distributed (open source community)
$
cheaper
Privacy-focused users who want full control over their financial data
Open-source, self-hostable budgeting app inspired by YNAB's envelope method. Free if you self-host, ~$4/month if you use their hosted version. For Mint refugees who don't want a third Big Tech vendor holding their financial data.
Pros
- Open source — you can read the code and self-host free
- End-to-end encryption available
- Active community development since the original founder open-sourced it
- No lock-in — your data is yours forever
Cons
- Self-hosting requires technical comfort
- Bank sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless costs extra
- Less polished UX than commercial competitors
Best free Mint replacements
If you used Mint mostly because it was free, three options preserve that. Empower's free dashboard is unmatched for net worth and investment tracking. PocketGuard's free tier handles basic budgeting without crippling restrictions. Goodbudget's free envelope plan works well for solo users or couples willing to enter transactions manually. Rocket Money is also free at the base tier, with paid upsells for cancellation services.
Closest to the Mint experience
For Mint refugees who want auto-sync, dashboards, and minimal setup, Monarch Money is the consensus answer — built by ex-Mint staff specifically to fill this gap. Copilot is the iOS-only premium option with the best design. Simplifi offers similar functionality from Quicken, a company unlikely to shut down its flagship product.
For people who want their data private
If Mint's shutdown made you wary of trusting any company with bank credentials, three apps stand out. Actual Budget is open-source and self-hostable. Goodbudget never connects to your accounts at all — manual entry only. Tiller pipes data into your own Google Sheets or Excel files, where you fully own and control it.Which Alternative Is Right for You?
If you want the closest thing to Mint resurrected, go to Monarch Money — it was literally built for you. If you want the most beautiful app and use only iOS, choose Copilot. If your real problem was that Mint showed you the damage but never helped you change anything, switch to YNAB and commit to learning the method. If you mainly used Mint for net worth and investment tracking, Empower's free tier is better than Mint ever was. If you're on a debt payoff plan, EveryDollar is built around that. If you want the indie, privacy-respecting path, Actual Budget or Lunch Money will fit. And if you want to keep things free and simple without learning anything new, PocketGuard is the gentlest landing. Frequently Asked Questions
QWhy did Mint shut down and where did everyone go?
Intuit shut down Mint on March 23, 2024 to consolidate users into Credit Karma, which doesn't do budgeting. Most Mint users migrated to Monarch Money (built by ex-Mint staff), Copilot, Rocket Money, or Empower depending on whether they cared more about budgeting, design, subscriptions, or investments.
QIs there any free Mint alternative that actually works?
Yes, but with tradeoffs. Empower is free and excellent for investments and net worth. Rocket Money and PocketGuard offer real free tiers for budgeting with paid upsells. Goodbudget is free for solo users but requires manual entry. There is no free, fully-featured, auto-syncing Mint clone — the economics don't support it without a paid tier.
QCan I import my Mint transaction history into a new app?
Mint allowed CSV export before shutdown, and Monarch, Copilot, Tiller, Actual Budget, and Lunch Money all support CSV import to varying degrees. Monarch even built a dedicated Mint import flow. Custom categories and tags often don't transfer cleanly — expect to spend an hour or two cleaning up after import.
QWhat's the best Mint alternative for couples or families?
Monarch Money supports household accounts and was designed for shared finances from day one. Goodbudget's envelope sharing works well if you prefer manual control. YNAB also handles couples well, particularly for joint goal-setting. Avoid Copilot for this — it's currently single-user.
QWill any of these apps shut down like Mint did?
Mint's shutdown was unusual — Intuit decided it didn't fit their portfolio. Of the alternatives, Quicken's Simplifi is backed by a 40-year-old company, YNAB has been profitable and independent since 2004, and Actual Budget is open source so it cannot truly disappear. The newer venture-backed apps (Monarch, Copilot, Lunch Money) carry more risk, though all are currently growing and well-funded.
Our Verdict
The Best Mint Alternative For You
If you want the closest thing to Mint resurrected, go to Monarch Money — it was literally built for you. If you want the most beautiful app and use only iOS, choose Copilot. If your real problem was that Mint showed you the damage but never helped you change anything, switch to YNAB and commit to learning the method. If you mainly used Mint for net worth and investment tracking, Empower's free tier is better than Mint ever was. If you're on a debt payoff plan, EveryDollar is built around that. If you want the indie, privacy-respecting path, Actual Budget or Lunch Money will fit. And if you want to keep things free and simple without learning anything new, PocketGuard is the gentlest landing.