8 Best Money Apps of 2024

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.

The 8 best money apps

• Rocket Money
• Acorns
• Ibotta
• Oportun
• Chime®
• Rakuten
• Survey Junkie
• Upside

Best money apps: Quick comparison

1. Rocket Money

Pricing: Free to $12/month

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.

Visit Rocket Money | Read our full Rocket Money review.

2. Acorns

Pricing: $3 to $12/month

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 2.57% (as of 12/19/24) APY¹ <p class="">The product and annual percentage yield (APY) data displayed on this website is gathered from various sources and may not reflect all of the offers available in your area. Although we strive to provide the most accurate data possible, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. Always verify account details and availability with the financial institution before opening an account.<br></p> on your checking balance and 4.05% (as of 12/19/24) APY on Mighty Oak Card Emergency Fund savings. These rates are pretty competitive with top-earning deposit accounts.

Visit Acorns | Read our full Acorns review.

3. Ibotta

Pricing: Free

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.

Read our full Ibotta review.

4. Oportun (formerly Digit)

Pricing:

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.

Read our full Oportun review.

5. Chime®

Pricing: Free

Chime is a popular fintech company that offers banking services² <p>Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services&nbsp;and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. The secured Chime Credit Builder Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.</p> . It offers a checking account, a savings account³ <p class="">Chime Checking Account is required to be eligible for a Savings Account.<br></p> , and a credit-builder credit card called the Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card.

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.⁴ <p>SpotMe® for Credit Builder is an optional, no interest/no fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account; SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no fee service attached to your Chime Checking Account (individually or collectively, “SpotMe”). Eligibility for SpotMe requires $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account each month. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account and/or their Secured Deposit Account up to $20 in total, but may be later eligible for a higher combined limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your SpotMe Limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your SpotMe Limit. Your SpotMe Limit may change at any time, at Chime or its banking partners’ discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third party fees associated with ATM transactions or OTC cash withdrawal fees at retailers. SpotMe won't cover non card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. <a href="https://www.chime.com/policies/">SpotMe on Credit Builder Terms and Conditions</a>.</p> 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 Pay, 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.

Visit Chime® | Read our full Chime review.

6. Rakuten

Pricing: Free

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.

Read our full Rakuten review.

7. Survey Junkie

Pricing: Free

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.

Visit SurveyJunkie | Read our full Survey Junkie review.

8. Upside

Pricing: Free

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.

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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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