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These days, there’s no shortage of money apps on the market that can help improve your financial situation, whether it be by helping you save money, helping you manage your money, or helping you earn more money. The right money app for you depends on your financial goals and how much time you’re willing to spend.
We’ve rounded up a list of the best money apps on the market, including Rocket Money, Acorns, Ibotta, and more. The best money app for you depends on your financial situation and goals, as well as how much time you’re willing to spend.
How we evaluate products
When choosing the best money apps, we started by considering the various reasons someone might use a money app (e.g., budgeting, investing, earning cash back, etc.). We aimed to include apps that meet a variety of needs.
When comparing apps, we considered factors like cost, features available, ease of use, and the potential earnings and/or savings it offered. Ultimately, we wanted to include apps that are easiest to use and offer the greatest bang for your buck.
Keep in mind that there are hundreds of money apps on the market, and we couldn’t try every single one for this review. Just because you don’t see an app listed in this review doesn’t mean it won’t help you reach your goals.
The 8 best money apps
Best money apps: Quick comparison
| Best for | Learn more | |
| Rocket Money | Monitoring your spending | Read Rocket Money review |
| Acorns | Micro-investing | Read Acorns review |
| Ibotta | Earning cash back on your groceries | Read Ibotta review |
| Oportun (formerly Digit) | Saving automatically | Read Oportun review |
| Chime | Accessing your money early | Read Chime review |
| Rakuten | Earning cash back for online shopping | Read Rakuten review |
| Survey Junkie | Making extra money | Read Survey Junkie review |
| Upside | Earning cash back on gas and dining out | Read Upside review |
1. Rocket Money
Pricing: Free to $12/month
- Robust spending insights
- Pay what you think is fair model
- Offers credit score tracking
- Tracks and cancels subscriptions for you
- Many features require a fee
- Takes a cut of negotiated savings
- Limited reporting features
Rocket Money has quickly become one of the most popular budgeting apps on the market, especially since Mint was discontinued. The platform offers both free and paid accounts, but you need the paid version to do most things. A Premium Membership allows you to pay whatever you think is fair, between around $6 and $12 a month — which you won’t see with other apps.
I found Rocket Money’s spending insights to be more impressive than many other budgeting apps. For example, it sent me a notification to let me know my water bill was $15 higher than last month. It also tracks your subscriptions and can cancel them for you or negotiate bills. Just be prepared to pay between 35% and 60% of your savings, which feels high to me.
Alternatives to consider
Trim could be a good tool for finding and canceling unwanted subscriptions. Quicken Simplifi and YNAB are budgeting apps that can help you monitor your spending.Visit Rocket Money | Read our full Rocket Money review.
2. Acorns
Pricing: $3 to $12/month
- Offers automatic savings round-ups
- Diversified ETF portfolios
- High APY on savings
- Low investment minimum
- Requires a monthly fee
- Doesn’t offer individual stocks
- No tax-loss harvesting
Acorns is a great option if you’re looking for an app that can check a lot of boxes on your financial to-do list. It's known for its micro-investing features and diversified ETF portfolios. As a parent, I love that Acorns has retirement accounts, taxable brokerage accounts, and custodial accounts all in one place (though you need the most expensive $12 plan to access all these).
One of the platform’s most popular features is its automatic round-ups to your savings or investments. If you have a hard time saving money, this could help you hit your goals without much impact on your lifestyle. On top of investing, Acorns offers a solid 2.72% (as of 11/8/24) APY1 on your checking balance and 5.00% (as of 10/28/24) APY on savings if you have the Mighty Oak debit card. These rates are pretty competitive with top-earning deposit accounts.
Alternative to consider
If you like Acorns’s features but aren’t sure it’s right for you, you could also consider Stash, which lets you pick individual stocks (including fractional shares) rather than having a pre-built ETF portfolio. It also comes with automatic round-ups, retirement accounts, and kids’ accounts.Visit Acorns | Read our full Acorns review.
3. Ibotta
Pricing: Free
- Redeem cash back for gift cards or bank account deposits
- Multiple cash-out methods
- Offers online price tracking
- Offers welcome and referral bonuses
- $20 cash-out threshold
- Requires scanning receipts
- Limited online shopping deals
Ibotta is a popular shopping app that connects users with cash back offers on purchases. It offers in-store and online offers, but we strongly recommend it for in-person shopping. To qualify for rewards, find the store you’re shopping at through the Ibotta platform, claim individual offers by adding them to your account, and scan your receipt.
You won’t get rich using Ibotta, but since you’re probably grocery shopping anyway, it’s a solid way to earn a bit of extra money. I like to let my cash back rack up until the holidays and redeem it for gift cards then.
Alternative to consider
Ibotta certainly isn’t the only app of its kind — Fetch Rewards is another I use every week to get cash back on my groceries. But I’ve found that I make a bit more money from Ibotta. However, Fetch has a slightly less onerous process for getting your cash back, so that’s worth considering.4. Oportun (formerly Digit)
Pricing:
- Moves safe-to-save money from checking for you
- Can set unlimited savings goals
- Has overdraft protection
- Free 30-day trial and free year for Oportun personal loan borrowers
- Requires a monthly fee
- No interest on savings
- Limited control over your transfers
Oportun (formerly Digit) is a budgeting and savings app that can help you save for specific goals while tracking your spending. It stands out from other budgeting platforms because it saves automatically with its Set & Save feature. You connect your bank account so Oportun can learn your habits, factoring for everything from bills to your income and spending patterns. Then you set savings goals, and Oportun makes small transfers with money it determines you don’t have an immediate need for. This differs from round-up savings transfers you’ll see with some checking accounts and investing accounts like Acorns because these typically just round each transaction up to the nearest dollar and transfer the extra to savings.
The obvious downside here is you’re losing some control over your finances. Not everyone likes the idea of money being withdrawn from their accounts without knowing exactly how much and when, but you can always transfer money back if you end up needing it. Oportun also has some safety measures, like automatic transfers back to your checking account to avoid an overdraft.
Alternative to consider
If you want a similar app without smart transfers, consider Qapital, which gives you more control over and options for automating your saving.5. Chime®
Pricing: Free
- No account fees
- Fee-free overdraft protection up to $200 for eligible members
- Advances on your paychecks
- Offers credit-building services
- Not an actual bank
- Relatively low savings APY
- No physical locations or free cash deposits
Chime is a popular fintech company that offers banking services2. It offers a checking account, a savings account3, and a credit-builder credit card called the Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card4.
One thing that sets Chime apart from other money apps is that you have a few different ways to access your money early. First, its SpotMe® services can float you up to $200 to cover overdrafts without fees.5 And its MyPay feature allows you to access up to $500 of your pay early, within 24 hours of you requesting it. Though some similar apps (like EarnIn and Brigit) charge fees for this type of service, it’s free with Chime. Chime also offers Early Pay6, which might let you get your paycheck up to two days before it’s scheduled to arrive. This is fairly common for checking accounts these days, but it’s still nice to have.
Alternatives to consider
If you like the idea of a paycheck advance app but don’t want to open a Chime checking account, some other options to consider are Empower, MoneyLion, and Current.Visit Chime® | Read our full Chime review.
6. Rakuten
Pricing: Free
- High cash-back rates at some retailers
- Low cash-out threshold
- Potential to earn Amex Membership Rewards points
- Doesn’t require you to upload receipts
- Rewards are paid out every three months
- Difficult to use for in-store purchases
- Can’t claim offers after-the-fact
Rakuten is another app that can get you cash back on your shopping, but this one is primarily geared toward online spending. You can use it as a browser extension, app, or through the Rakuten website. I personally prefer to use my desktop because that’s often how I like to shop and the browser extension automatically pops in the corner when I’m on a retailer’s website.
Rakuten typically offers you a percentage of cash back on your purchases. For example, at the time of writing this, Rakuten is offering 1% cash back at Target. If you’re an American Express card holder, you can turn your cash back into Membership Rewards points, which would give you more redemption flexibility. A big downside, however, is that you can’t get the money deposited into your bank account — the only other options are a paper check or PayPal deposit.
Alternatives to consider
If you’re looking for alternatives to help you save on your online shopping, you could also consider PayPal Honey or Capital One Shopping. A feature I love about both of these that Rakuten doesn’t offer is the ability to compare prices across retailers, see the price history of an item, and set up price tracking.7. Survey Junkie
Pricing: Free
- Choose which surveys you take and when
- Low cash-out threshold
- Easy to use
- Relatively low earnings
- Won’t be eligible for every survey
- Some surveys can take a long time
Survey Junkie is an app that allows you to earn some extra cash by sharing your opinion in surveys. If you’re hoping to replace your income, surveys aren’t the way to do it. However, it’s a decent way to make a bit of extra money in your spare time and on your schedule.
When I’ve used Survey Junkie, I’ve done it when I’m watching TV. I can easily do it on my phone without putting much thought into it since I’m just sharing my opinion. And because I wouldn’t be doing anything productive with that time anyway, the low pay isn’t as big of a deal. Compared to other survey sites, Survey Junkie tends to have more surveys to choose from, and it has a good reputation with users.
Alternatives to consider
Survey Junkie is just one of many survey apps on the market. For example, if you want other survey options and want to earn money in other ways, such as by playing games or reading emails, consider InboxDollars. However, I found the interface of that one to be a bit overwhelming.Visit SurveyJunkie | Read our full Survey Junkie review.
8. Upside
Pricing: Free
- Cash back at gas stations and restaurants
- Includes local businesses
- Doesn’t require you to upload receipts
- Fewer offers than many apps
- Not available in all locations
Upside is another cash back app, but this one has a different twist. Instead of earning money primarily for your online shopping or on groceries (though you may still be able to earn cash back on groceries), the bulk of the offers are for gas stations and restaurants.
The biggest thing that surprised me when I started using Upside was that there are local businesses on there. Sure, there are some fast food restaurants and other chains. But I can also get cash back at the local sushi place my husband and I love or the brunch place just down the street from my house. That’s not something I’ve found with other apps. And for a family that loves to eat out, an extra bit of cash back — most amounts range from 6% to 20% — makes it that much more appealing.
One big downside I’ve noticed with Upside is the limited availability. When I saw people start talking about Upside a couple of years ago, it didn’t have a single business in my area. Now, there are quite a few, but still fewer than in other cities. And in some areas, you won’t find offers at all.
Visit Upside | Read our full Upside review.
How to choose the right money app
Since the fintech industry has exploded, there are more money apps than ever, some of which can do a lot to help you with your finances. However, picking and choosing the best ones can also be difficult. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a money app:
- Know your financial goals: First, money apps are a broad category that includes everything from budgeting and investing apps to survey and cash-back apps. Knowing your goals will help you identify the best types of platforms to consider.
- Compare your options: When you know what type of app you’re looking for, research your options. For example, there are tons of budgeting apps on the market. Once you know you need help with budgeting, you can narrow your focus to just that type of app.
- Pay attention to fees: Some money apps charge monthly fees, while others have more nefarious hidden fees. Read the fine print before downloading any app to find out what fees you may have to pay. Fees aren’t always bad or not worth paying — I’ve been forking over money every month for my budgeting app for over half a decade. But decide what fees are worth it for you and whether you can get a similar service for free.
- Combine benefits: You don’t have to choose just one money app, even within a single category. If you glance at my phone, you’ll find at least six cash back apps, and I currently earn money with most of them. If you find multiple apps useful, then by all means, get the benefits of more than one at a time.
FAQs
What is the best app that gives you money?
There are many different apps that give you money, including cash back apps, which give you cash back on your purchases, and survey apps, which pay you to take surveys. A few of our favorite money-making apps include Ibotta, Rakuten, Upside, and Survey Junkie, but there are many more to choose from.
What is the safest money app?
There’s not necessarily one money app that’s safer than the rest. Any time you’re using an app connected to your personal finances, it’s critical that you make sure it has strict security standards in place. Additionally, make sure to take steps on your own to keep your information safe, such as setting up challenging passwords and two-factor identification.
Is there a better option than Mint?
Mint was the most popular budgeting app on the market, but it shut down in early 2024, which left users scrambling for a different option. There are many budgeting apps on the market, many of which have as many as or more features than Mint did, though many also charge monthly fees (which Mint didn’t). When choosing the best Mint alternative, make sure to consider what features you want from a budgeting app and whether you’re willing to pay for those features.
Bottom line
With all these mobile app options, there’s sure to be a tool you can use to get more out of your money. They may not make you rich or revolutionize your money management, but these mobile apps can help streamline your finances and create some breathing room in your budget. And when it comes to saving money, every cent counts.
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