Need advice choosing a simple personal finance app

General
1

I’m trying to get better at budgeting and tracking expenses, but I’m overwhelmed by the number of personal finance apps out there. I’ve tried a couple, but they felt too complicated or full of features I don’t need. I’m looking for an easy-to-use app that helps with basic budgeting, tracking spending, and maybe simple savings goals. What apps do you recommend and why

2

I went through the same “too many features, brain melts, delete app” loop.

What helped me was treating it like a checklist:

  1. Decide your priority
    • Simple expense tracking
    • Or full budget with categories and goals

From what you wrote, I’d start with simple tracking first, then add budgeting later.

Here are a few apps that stay out of your way.

  1. Spending / Money Manager (Android)
    • Zero fluff. Tap, add expense, done.
    • You pick category, amount, optional note.
    • Basic charts by day, week, month.
    • Local data, no logins, no ads in some versions.
    Works if you only want “where did my money go this week”.

  2. Wallet by BudgetBakers
    • Has bank sync, but you can ignore it and input manually.
    • You set a few categories, then track.
    • Nice monthly overview and simple budgets.
    • Good if you want one app to grow with you later.

  3. Simple spreadsheet approach
    • Google Sheets with 3 columns: Date, Category, Amount.
    • On your phone, add each spend.
    • Once a week, sort by Category and total with SUM.
    • You stay fully in control and see exactly what you spend on.
    If apps feel bloated, this fixes it.

  4. Budget apps that stay simple if you ignore extras
    a) YNAB
    • Strong on “give every dollar a job”.
    • Overkill if you want quick logging, but perfect if you want rules.
    • Expensive, but people who stick with it often report saving 200 to 600 a month after a few months, based on user surveys they share.
    b) EveryDollar
    • Zero based, categories are clear.
    • Manual entry version stays simple.

My suggestion if you feel overwhelmed:

Phase 1, 2 weeks:
• Pick one: Money Manager or a tiny spreadsheet.
• Track every expense, no budgets, no goals.
• Your only job: log within 10 seconds after spending.

Phase 2, next 2 to 4 weeks:
• Look at last month totals.
• Pick 3 buckets max:
- Fixed (rent, utilities, etc)
- Variable (groceries, transport, eating out)
- Fun / random
• Set a simple limit for Fun and Eating Out together. Example, “200 per month”.

Phase 3, if you want structure:
• Move your data to YNAB, EveryDollar, or Wallet.
• Start with maybe 6 to 8 categories, not 30.
• Ignore features you do not understand.

Hard truth from my side, the app matters less than the habit.
What worked for me:

• One app only. No switching for 60 days.
• Manual entry for at least a month so you feel the spend.
• Weekly 10 minute review every Sunday. Check totals, adjust one thing.

If you want dead simple and free, start with:
• Money Manager (if you want an app)
• Or Google Sheets (if you like full control)

Once that feels easy, then move to something like Wallet or YNAB if you want more structure.

3

I’m gonna slightly disagree with @suenodelbosque on one thing: I don’t think you have to start with super bare‑bones tracking if that’s what kept you bored or unmotivated before. Sometimes “too simple” makes you drop the habit because you don’t see any payoff.

Instead of picking the perfect app, decide on 3 non‑negotiables and filter everything through that:

  1. Manual entry must be stupidly fast
    If it takes more than 5–10 seconds to log something, you’ll stop. Look for:

    • Big “+” button on home screen
    • Recently used categories at the top
    • Option to skip notes, photos, tags, etc.

  2. You should see your “danger zones” in 1 screen
    Not twenty charts. One simple overview like:

    • “You’ve spent: Groceries / Eating Out / Fun / Other this month”
      If you have to drill into 3 menus to find “eating out total,” delete.

  3. No required bank connection
    Bank sync sounds cool but for people starting out it often creates more noise than clarity: duplicates, weird categorizations, subscription nags. Look for apps that offer sync but do not force it, or just skip it entirely for now.

Based on that, a few different lanes you might actually like:

  • “I just need totals, nothing else”
    Try a daily “spend limit” style app. Some apps literally ask:

    • What’s your daily / weekly budget?
    • Subtract as you go, show remaining.
      No categories, just “You have 34.20 left today.” It’s shockingly effective if you’re overwhelmed by categories.

  • “Visual person, hate spreadsheets”
    Look for apps that use progress bars or color coding:

    • Each category is a bar that fills up across the month
    • Green → yellow → red
      That way your brain sees “ok, eating out is almost red, chill” without reading numbers.

  • “ADHD / forgetful brain”
    Your biggest feature is not charts, it’s reminders.
    Check for:

    • Daily notification: “Log today’s spending?”
    • Lock‑screen widget to add expense
      If an app doesn’t help you remember to use it, it’s useless no matter how ‘powerful’ it is.

  • “Hate cluttered home screens”
    Some apps come with goals, investments, credit score, offers, all that junk. Skip any app that:

    • Mentions “cashback,” “rewards,” or “cards” on the first screen
    • Has a social feed or “community” tab
      You just want: Accounts, Transactions, Budget. If there’s more than 4 tabs, prob too busy for what you want.

A workflow that might fit you without copying exactly what @suenodelbosque said:

  1. Pick one simple app that:
    • Lets you set a monthly limit for just 3 things: food, transport, fun
    • Lets you hide or delete extra categories and features
  2. Turn off every notification except:
    • A single “log your day” reminder at night
  3. Use it for 30 days with one rule:
    • Don’t try to “fix” your spending yet, just watch it
  4. At the end, only adjust the one category that annoys you most. Don’t build a full fancy budget.

If you post what phone you’re on (iOS or Android) and whether you care about bank sync at all, people can probably suggest 2 or 3 concrete apps that match those 3 non‑negotiables so you’re not drowning in options again.