The Best Mint Alternatives for Budgeting in 2024

When Intuit shut down Mint in March 2024, millions of users lost their favorite financial tool. Intuit pushed users toward Credit Karma, but that platform lacks serious budgeting features. If you need a reliable replacement with seamless tracking and clear user design, several top-tier apps have stepped up to fill the void.

Why Credit Karma Falls Short for Budgeters

Intuit acquired Mint in 2009 and kept it running as a free, ad-supported service for over a decade. When the company decided to close Mint on March 23, 2024, they offered a migration tool to move user data to Credit Karma.

However, former Mint users quickly realized Credit Karma is not a budgeting app. Credit Karma focuses heavily on credit scores, credit card recommendations, and net worth tracking. It does not allow you to set custom monthly spending limits for specific categories like groceries or entertainment. To get that level of control, you need a dedicated budgeting application.

Top Mint Alternatives to Manage Your Money

The budgeting app market has evolved significantly. While Mint was free, the best modern alternatives require a subscription. In exchange, you get ad-free experiences, better privacy, and much stronger customer support. Here are the best options available in 2024.

Monarch Money: The Best Overall Replacement

Monarch Money is widely considered the closest direct replacement for Mint. This makes sense, considering one of Monarch’s co-founders is a former Mint product manager.

Monarch features a beautifully clean user interface and connects to thousands of financial institutions using multiple data aggregators like Plaid and Finicity. If one connection drops, you can easily switch to another.

  • Pricing: $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
  • Best Feature for Mint Users: Monarch offers a custom Chrome extension specifically designed to download your entire Mint transaction history and import it flawlessly into their system.
  • Couples Budgeting: Monarch allows partners to have separate login credentials that feed into one shared household budget.

YNAB (You Need A Budget): The Best for Changing Habits

If you want to stop living paycheck to paycheck, YNAB is the gold standard. While Mint was a passive tracking tool that showed you what you already spent, YNAB forces you to be proactive.

YNAB uses a system called zero-based budgeting. When you get paid, you must assign every single dollar to a specific job (like rent, groceries, or savings) until your unassigned money equals zero.

  • Pricing: $14.99 per month or $109 per year. College students can get their first year for free.
  • Learning Curve: YNAB requires you to learn their specific method. It takes a few weeks to get used to, but the company offers excellent free video workshops.
  • Free Trial: They offer a generous 34-day free trial without requiring a credit card upfront.

Simplifi by Quicken: The Best for Cash Flow Tracking

Quicken is one of the oldest names in personal finance software, but Simplifi is their modern, cloud-based app designed specifically for younger users and mobile devices.

Simplifi excels at tracking your cash flow. Instead of rigid budget categories, it looks at your income, subtracts your fixed bills and savings goals, and tells you exactly how much safe spending money you have left for the month.

  • Pricing: Billed annually at $47.88 (which breaks down to $3.99 per month). Quicken frequently runs sales that drop this price even lower.
  • Custom Watchlists: Instead of budgeting every category, you can set watchlists just for problem areas like dining out or online shopping.

Copilot Money: The Best for Apple Users

If you use an iPhone or a Mac, Copilot Money offers the most visually stunning interface on the market. Copilot makes tracking your money feel modern, fast, and colorful.

Copilot heavily features artificial intelligence to categorize your transactions. If it makes a mistake, you correct it once, and the app learns your preference for the future.

  • Pricing: $95 per year.
  • Platform Limits: Currently, Copilot is only available on iOS and macOS. They do not offer an Android or web browser version, though the company states they are building an Android app.
  • Investment Tracking: Copilot does a fantastic job of integrating your investment portfolios alongside your daily cash accounts.

Empower Personal Dashboard: The Best Free Option

If you refuse to pay an annual subscription fee, the Empower Personal Dashboard (formerly known as Personal Capital) is your best choice.

Empower is entirely free to use. However, it is important to understand that Empower is fundamentally an investment and wealth management tool, not a strict daily budgeter. It is phenomenal for tracking your net worth, analyzing your 401(k) fees, and viewing all your balances in one place. It is weaker when it comes to setting limits on your coffee shop spending.

How to Choose Your Next Budgeting App

When testing these alternatives, keep a few specific features in mind.

First, verify that the app connects to your specific local credit union or bank. Most apps use Plaid, but some smaller banks block Plaid connections. Second, look for custom categories. Mint allowed you to rename and organize categories exactly how you wanted, and apps like Monarch and YNAB excel at this customization. Finally, decide if you want a passive tracker (like Simplifi or Empower) or an active planning tool (like YNAB).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any way to still use Mint? No. Intuit completely shut down Mint’s servers on March 23, 2024. The app no longer functions, and you cannot log in to view past data.

Can I move my old Mint data to a new app? Yes. If you downloaded your Mint data as a CSV file before the shutdown, apps like Monarch Money, YNAB, and Simplifi have built-in importing tools to read that file and apply it to your new account.

Does Credit Karma have any budgeting tools? Credit Karma offers a very simplified cash flow view that shows your recent transactions. However, it does not allow you to set custom monthly limits, create custom spending categories, or roll over unused funds to the next month.