Saving & Spending Budgeting & Expenses

Trim vs. Rocket Money [2024]: Which One Is a Better Option for You?

Trim and Rocket Money provide similar money-saving services to help you manage your finances. But which one offers the most value?

Updated Sept. 9, 2024
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Trim
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    Get money back by canceling old subscriptions
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    Trim has already helped members save over $8 million! How much could it save you?
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    Like carrying a personal financial planner in your pocket!
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Rocket Money
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    Consolidates finances in one place and automatically tracks real estate value
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    Uncovers forgotten subscriptions to cancel and negotiates bills
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    Supports tracking trial subscriptions
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    Automates moving money into a savings account
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    Provides credit monitoring and insights
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    Low cost for premium features at $6 for the monthly plan or $4 a month for the annual plan
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Our view

Rocket Money is a great budgeting app that helps customers save money via bill negotiation services, savings features, budget tracking, credit score monitoring, and more. I like that its mobile app is easy to use and highly visual, making it an appealing choice for nearly anyone trying to get a handle on their finances. I would recommend it to almost anyone looking for an app to help them get organized.

Trim’s main advantage is that it’s free — if you have access to it. Currently, Trim’s advanced features like bill negotiation are only available for OneMain or Brightway customers. Therefore, most of its high-value features are not available to everyone.

How we evaluate products

If you’re trying to figure out how to save money on monthly subscriptions, bills, and other expenses, consider using apps like Trim and Rocket Money. It can be difficult to keep track of a growing number of subscriptions and knowing how much you should pay on certain bills, which is why Trim and Rocket Money exist. These apps can help you save money on forgotten expenses and bills.

In this Trim versus Rocket Money comparison, we break down the different features you’ll find on each app. This will help you understand how the apps work, how much they cost, and where each app’s strengths and weaknesses lie. With these insights, you can judge whether one app might suit you better than the other.

Trim vs. Rocket Money

Budgeting apps are designed to help you manage your finances and save money where you can. Trim and Rocket Money are two apps focused on cutting your spending on everyday bills and subscriptions. However, they also offer other useful features to help with your finances.

To determine which app is better suited to your financial situation, use the table below to compare the cost of services and available features. This will give you a quick overview of both apps, and we’ll get into more detail below.

Trim Rocket Money
Type of app Budgeting Budgeting
Cost Free, with some features only available to OneMain or Brightway customers Free, with optional paid features; $6 to $12 per month for Rocket Money Premium
Bill negotiation cost Free, but it is only available to OneMain or Brightway customers 35% to 60% of first year’s savings
Availability Desktop web browsers Desktop web browsers and mobile apps (Android and iOS devices)
Best for... Tracking spending and monitoring subscriptions Budgeting and bill negotiation
Visit Trim Visit Rocket Money

What both budgeting apps excel at

Both Trim and Rocket Money are designed to help you figure out how to manage your money in simple, yet effective ways. Their end goal is to help you save money, which they accomplish through their various available features. Because their goal is the same, it’s not surprising that many of their features share similar aspects.

Here are a few areas where both budgeting apps excel:

Bill negotiation

It’s important to note that Trim’s bill negotiation services are only available to OneMain or Brightway customers. Rocket Money’s are available to anyone, but the company does take a percentage of the money it saves you.

Negotiating a bill is a foreign concept for many of us because we’re used to buying products or services at their listed prices. Outsourcing the whole ordeal to professionals can make a lot of sense, as well as cents. And in some cases, many apps similar to these may be able to help with bills you didn’t know you could renegotiate.

Subscription tracking

Trim and Rocket Money make it easy to spot duplications like this and otherwise manage your subscriptions through your applicable online account. Then it’s up to you to decide which ones to keep and which ones to cancel. Last year, I found out I’d been paying for two Hulu subscriptions for six months!

Financial account tracking

Trim and Rocket Money take your same banking data and make it easy to see where you might be able to cut back on monthly spending. You can quickly see how much you’ve spent this month and see whether you’re on track to stay under your saved budget.

Savings goals

I am a very visual person, so I am always looking for new ways to see and track my savings. Both apps provide options to save for specific goals, which is often helpful for those trying to get ahold of their finances.

3 important differences

Here are a few important differences between Trim and Rocket Money:

1. Cost

Whenever evaluating any finance-related app, it’s important to take the cost into consideration. After all, you don’t want to spend more on the app than the value it’s providing.

Trim’s subscription tracking and budgeting services are completely free. Its bill negotiation services are also free, although they are only available if you are a OneMain or Brightway customer.

Rocket Money is free to use if you don’t want any of its premium features, like Smart Savings, Premium Chat, unlimited budget plans, and credit score activity. This isn’t a bad deal if you’re primarily interested in bill negotiation and tracking your subscriptions. Of course, you’ll have to pay between 35% and 60% of your first year’s savings whenever Rocket Money lowers one of your bills, whether or not you pay for a premium account.

Winner: It’s a tie. If you can access all of Trim’s features for free because you’re a OneMain or Brightway customer, then that may be the better deal. But if you don’t have access to those features, Rocket Money provides a lot more value for its relatively low costs.

2. Accessibility

Your Rocket Money personal finance dashboard can be accessed through a desktop web browser or directly from its mobile app on a compatible iOS or Android device. Keep in mind, the Rocket Money mobile app is more developed than the desktop version, so it’s easier to use and see all your financial information in one place.

The desktop version mainly shows your subscriptions and recurring charges from your linked bank account and not much else. However, this shouldn’t be a problem if you prefer to use mobile apps for their accessibility.

Trim doesn’t have a mobile app, so you can only access your account from a web browser. This isn’t a huge deal for some people, but it might be a dealbreaker for others. It would be for me. The easy accessibility of a mobile app can help you keep better track of your finances.

Winner: Rocket Money because of its easy-to-use mobile app.

3. Additional features

It may seem like both apps essentially do the same thing at first glance, but that’s not entirely true. If you dig deeper into their differences, you’ll see that Rocket Money has a few more unique features.

For example, Rocket Money allows you to automate savings transfers with its Smart Savings feature. You can also access your credit score activity if you pay for Rocket Money Premium, which you won’t find on Trim. Personally, I get this same feature from Credit Karma, so it’s not totally unique, but if you’re just looking between Rocket Money and Trim, this might set Rocket Money apart.

Winner: Rocket Money because it offers more features that are more accessible to more people.

Which budgeting app should you choose?

To choose the best budgeting app between Trim and Rocket Money, the first thing you need to consider is whether you have access to Trim’s full suite of features through OneMain or Brightway. If you don’t, there are not many reasons I can think of to opt for Trim over Rocket Money.

If you do have full access to Trim, it could be a good option because it’s free. For pretty much anyone else, I would recommend Rocket Money. I like its accessibility via its mobile app and its additional budgeting features.

FAQs

Which is better, Trim or Rocket Money?

The better option between Trim and Rocket Money depends on what you’re looking for, as one isn’t necessarily better than the other and both may help you save money. Both apps offer ways to create budgets, lower your bills, and track your monthly subscriptions. Still, you might prefer Trim for its unique features like medical bill negotiation and bank negotiation. Or you might go with Rocket Money because it’s available as a mobile app and easy to access from anywhere.

Is the Trim app legit?

Trim is a legit financial services company that’s been in business since 2015. The company focuses on helping people save money and reduce debt by getting rid of unwanted subscriptions, decreasing monthly bills, and tracking your finances. According to the Trim website, it has helped its users save more than $40 million.

Is the Rocket Money app legit?

Rocket Money is a legit financial services app that helps people manage their money in different ways. It focuses on helping you save money by tracking your subscriptions so you can cancel them if you want. You can also use Rocket Money to negotiate lower bills from major companies like T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and more. Rocket Money has been in business since 2015 and has saved its users more than $14 million during that time.

Can Rocket Money actually help lower your bills?

Yes, Rocket Money might actually help lower your bills and could potentially help improve your financial health. Rocket Money employs professionals to help find discounts and lower rates for cable bills, internet bills, cell phone bills, and more. If Rocket Money helps you lower a bill, it takes 35% to 60% of your first year’s savings. If your bill isn’t lowered, Rocket Money won’t take anything. To date, Rocket Money has helped its users save more than $14 million since its inception in 2015.

How do Trim and Rocket Money make money?

Both Trim and Rocket Money make money through their premium services and bill negotiation services. If you have a free Trim account and use its bill negotiation services, you’ll pay 33% of your first year’s savings if Trim helps lower one of your bills. Trim won’t take a percentage of your savings if you have a premium account. Rocket Money charges 35% to 60% of your first year’s savings if it helps you lower a bill, no matter which account type you have. If your bill isn’t lowered with either service, you don’t pay the negotiation fee.

Is Rocket Money safe?

Rocket Money offers certain security features to protect its users, including bank-level security and 256-bit SSL encryption, and two-factor authentication, so it’s considered relatively secure. It also stores sensitive user data on Amazon Web Services, which is the hosting server that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and NASA use.

Bottom line

There’s no clear winner between Trim and Rocket Money because it depends on what you have access to. Either could be a good choice among best money-saving apps, but it really depends on if you have access to Trim’s full features.

Rocket Money is a good choice for most people because of its clear bill-negotiation features, its mobile app, and its more comprehensive financial tracking features.

If Trim and Rocket Money don’t sound like the right options for you, check out our picks for the best budgeting apps.

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.

Author Details

Lisa Dammeyer

Lisa Dammeyer is an accomplished editor focused on personal finance and investing. She got her start in the finance industry in 2020 when she worked at a stock market news website. In that role, she helped lead a team of editors as they covered the biggest news stories in the market each day.