Top budgeting apps after Mint’s exit in March 2024
The widely-used budgeting app, Mint, is slated for discontinuation. Its parent company, Intuit, has announced the cessation of operations on March 24, 2024, advising users to transition to its alternative personal finance application.
As one of Mint’s 3.6 million active users (as of 2021, according to Bloomberg), I relied on Mint for consolidating all my accounts into a single platform, eliminating the need to log into multiple banking apps.
In addition to consolidating accounts, Mint provided features such as credit score monitoring, monthly budget tracking, and goal setting, such as establishing an emergency fund or expediting mortgage payments. Upon learning of Mint’s impending closure, finding a suitable alternative became a priority.
Although Intuit has not clarified whether it plans to incorporate Mint’s budgeting features into Credit Karma, Credit Karma alone does not fulfill the role of a Mint substitute. After testing Credit Karma and finding it inadequate, I explored various competing finance apps to identify a suitable replacement for Mint.
The following review outlines my experiences, test results, and recommendations for the best available alternatives to Mint. Additionally, I commit to updating this review as the tested apps evolve, incorporating new features and addressing known issues.
How to import financial data from Mint
Mint users should prepare to migrate their data to a new budgeting app. However, transferring data from Mint is not as straightforward as entering credentials and importing. Instead, apps offering Mint data portability require users to upload a CSV file containing transactions and other relevant data. To download a CSV file from Mint, users should follow these steps:
-Sign in to Mint.com and navigate to Transactions.
-Select the desired account(s) or all accounts.
-Locate “export [number] transactions” and initiate the download of the CSV file.
While downloading data per account may seem tedious, it can facilitate the setup process on the new platform, especially if the chosen app requires one-to-one transaction imports into corresponding accounts.
Also Read
Mint app alternatives
Prior to exploring budgeting apps, comprehensive research was conducted to gather a selection of apps for testing. Sources included Google searches, discussions on Reddit, reviews on the App Store, and recommendations from acquaintances.
While some apps offer free services akin to Mint, the majority necessitate paid subscriptions, usually priced at approximately $100 per year or $15 per month. Unless stated otherwise, all apps are accessible on iOS, Android, and web platforms.
Following are Mint alternatives you can try:
| Budgeting apps | |
| Quicken Simplifi | $48 a year at Quicken |
| Monarch Money | $50 a year at Monarch Money |
| Copilot Money | Two months free at Copilot Money |
| NerdWallet | Free |
| YNAB | $99 a year or $14.99 a month at YNAB |
Following a meticulous assessment, two apps have emerged as the leading contenders: Quicken Simplifi and Copilot Money. While I continue to evaluate both applications, I am particularly drawn to Copilot Money’s intuitive interface. However, its current deficiency in essential features prevents me from deeming it the superior choice.
Consequently, I am currently utilizing both Quicken Simplifi and Copilot Money, carefully considering their individual strengths and weaknesses before committing to a long-term solution.
