We all live busy lives, and oftentimes, our finances come last when it comes to staying organized. But budgeting and understanding your financial situation should be a top priority.
Fortunately, there are AI budgeting apps to make managing your finances much simpler, but which one is right for you?
9 Best AI Budgeting Apps
Here are the best AI-powered apps that can help you keep your budget in order:
1. Cleo
- Best Overall
- Cost: Free (upgrade option $5.99/month)
Cleo is an AI-powered financial assistant on a mission to help you save money. It’s been in existence for six years and provides personalized advice via text regarding your finances. It intends to help you make smarter financial decisions.
Cleo is a ‘freemium’ app available on iOS and Android and has many free features, including AI-created Budgets.
If you upgrade, you also get access to:
- Cash advances*
- Cashback at your favorite stores
- Credit Coaching
*Eligibility requirements apply. Not all users will qualify. Advance amounts range from $20 to $250. Same-day transfers are subject to express fees. Visit meetcleo.com/terms for more information.
Pros
- Completely customizable
- Takes less than 2 minutes to set up
- Uses humor to help you learn more about your finances
Cons
- Only available in the United States
2. Wally
- Best for Goal Planning
- Cost: Free
Wally is the world’s first AI personal finance app. Once you connect your accounts to Wally, it automatically tracks your spending and bills. It also helps you budget and manage your cash flow.
You can talk to the WallyGPT assistant to get advice on your current finances or to set goals. You can even ‘get schooled,’ learning about investing or personal finance topics you don’t understand.
Pros
- 100% automated
- Uses predictive analysis to help you save more
- Available in 70 countries, it is good for those with investments abroad
Cons
- Doesn’t use two-factor authentication
3. Magnifi
- Best for Investing
- Cost: $11 per month
Investing can feel overwhelming, but with Magnifi, the AI assistant for investing, you’ll instantly have all your questions answered.
With Magnifi, you can find and research the top investments, ask specific questions about the market, or even ask educational questions, like what’s the difference between a mutual fund and an ETF?
With Magnifi, you’ll build an investment strategy to match your personality to help you meet your financial goals. You’ll also have access to investment comparisons, guided goal planning, and as much as a 5% APY on savings.
Pros
- Have access to on-demand data in an easy-to-read format
- Provides personalized investment guidance around the clock
- Easy to learn about new investing trends or to have guidance to try new investing tactics
4. Rocket Money
- Best for Canceling Subscriptions
- Cost: Free (Option to upgrade for $4 to $12 a month)
Rocket Money empowers you to manage your money better by automating many processes so you can make smart money decisions.
Rocket Money tracks your subscriptions, provides personalized alerts about your spending, and sends balance alerts if you go below a specific threshold.
Rocket Premium offers a few more features, including:
- Cancellation of unwanted subscriptions
- Option to chat with a money expert
- Option to open a Smart Savings Account
- Option to apply for the Rocket Signature credit card
- Net worth tracking
- Unlimited budgets
- Bill negotiation (for a charge)
Pros
- Free plan available
- Helps you eliminate unnecessary subscriptions
- Provides customized alerts so you always stay on track with your finances
Cons
- Limited features available in the free version
5. QuickBooks
- Best for Small Business Owners
- Cost: $9 to $60 per month
QuickBooks is one of the most well-known AI apps built for small business owners.
QuickBooks takes the hard work of accounting off a business owner’s shoulders, taking care of tasks such as:
- Invoicing: Automatically send invoices and get paid faster
- Track expenses: Know within the click of a button where your money goes
- Report generation: Have robust reports at your fingertips to help you make important financial decisions
- Mileage tracking: Using your phone’s GPS, QuickBooks can automatically track your mileage, making it easy to get your tax deductions
- Pay bills: Automatically pay your bills and forget those pesky late fees
Pros
- Makes it easier to get the right tax deductions
- Helps you identify areas that need more attention
- Ensures all information is accurately entered to avoid mistakes
Cons
- Can be overwhelming for new business owners
6. GridRewards
- Best for Saving Money on Utilities
- Cost: Free
GridRewards is for anyone focused on sustainability. With GridRewards, you lessen your carbon footprint and get paid for it! GridRewards alerts you when energy usage is high, encouraging you to reduce your consumption, and if you do, you earn cash rewards.
The occurrences to stop your energy usage happen only 5 – 10 times a year, and according to a recent press release, New York City residents who used the app made $80 – $500.
Pros
- Earns you money
- Pays $10 per person you refer
- Helps reduce your carbon footprint
Cons
- You may have to cut down on utility usage when it’s inconvenient for you
7. Waze
- Best for Saving Money on Gas Purchases
- Cost: Free
You might not think of Waze as one of the AI budgeting apps, but it helps you save money, which makes budgeting easier. Waze is a navigation app that helps you find the most efficient route to your destination.
When you take the most efficient route, you decrease your fuel usage and increase fuel efficiency, keeping more money in your pocket.
As a bonus, Waze helps you keep your cool by avoiding excessive traffic or areas with accidents.
Pros
- Helps you save money on gas
- Provides real-time traffic reports
- Helps you save time and avoid headaches
Cons
- The routes can be less than optimal sometimes, especially if you don’t know the area
8. Hopper
- Best for Travel Deals
- Cost: Free
Traveling can get expensive, eating up your assets, but the Hopper app helps you get the best deals on travel, keeping more money in your pocket.
Hopper offers price predictions on flights and other travel necessities, using 30 billion price points and trillions of data points to help you save the most money on travel.
Hopper has helped 100 million travelers save, allowing them to enjoy their lives while keeping more money in their pockets!
Pros
- Completely free
- Has 95% accuracy with pricing predictions
- Offers Flash Deals to help you save even more money
9. PayPal Honey
- Best for Online Shopping Savings
- Cost: Free
Shopping online is fun, but looking for a deal can be a real-time waster. Fortunately, the Honey browser extension makes saving money on shopping simple.
Owned by PayPal, the Honey extension finds the best deals and promo codes for you and automatically applies them when you shop online.
The extension has 17 million users and counting and takes only a few seconds to add to your browser, so you can start saving money. They work with 30,000 stores and also offer a Droplist that allows you to note what you want to buy and alerts you when the price drops. The average Honey user saves $126 per year.
Pros
- Free and easy way to save money
- Can put items on your ‘list’ to watch for lower prices
- Get automatic savings without taking the time to look for a coupon
Cons
- Collects personal information
What Are AI Budgeting Apps?
AI budgeting apps are automated apps that help manage and organize your finances. Think of them as a financial assistant in your pocket!
They can categorize expenses, automatically transfer funds to savings, and track your spending, as a few examples.
How Do AI Budgeting Apps Work?
Most AI budgeting apps require you to link your bank and investment accounts to them, usually through a secure third party like Plaid.
They use the information provided to monitor your spending, transfer money to savings, and help you reach financial goals.
Some AI budgeting apps require input or work from you, and others are completely hands-off, but to get the most out of them, you should check them often, see your progress, and determine where you might need to make changes, if necessary.
Can AI Budgeting Apps Really Help Save Money?
AI budgeting apps make it much easier to save money, but of course, you have to follow through on the suggestions.
Some ways it helps you save money include:
- Rounding up purchases to the nearest dollar and transferring the difference to your savings account
- Analyzing your bank accounts frequently, looking for ‘free money’ it can transfer based on upcoming bills and normal spending
- Provide customized notifications about your budget and spending to help you make better decisions if you’re spending too much
Are AI Budgeting Apps Safe to Use?
Most AI budgeting apps are safe to use, but always check how they use your information. Remember that most AI apps must ask for personal information or link to your personal accounts.
Ensure the app you’re considering has a solid privacy policy, uses two-factor authentication wherever necessary, and doesn’t sell your information to third parties.
AI Budgeting Apps vs Regular Budgeting Apps
AI budgeting apps process data at lightning speed and are much faster than budgeting apps. AI apps can predict trends, sort through data, and give you a much larger amount of information at greater speed.
In addition, not all traditional budgeting apps link to your bank or investment accounts to give you personalized recommendations.
Conclusion
AI budgeting apps eliminate any excuse not to manage your personal finances. It’s like having a personal assistant anywhere you go, 24/7.
Look for the app that suits your needs the most while keeping money in your pocket.