Best budgeting apps in the UK: YNAB, Goodbudget and free tools

Budgeting apps sort into methods, not brands, so the useful question is which method you will keep doing. This guide compares a zero-based app, a digital envelope app, a free government-backed planner and two paper options. We have not used these ourselves, and all details come from each maker's or official page, checked on 26 October 2026.

What makes a budgeting app good?

One you will still open in three months, which usually means it takes minutes a week and shows one number you can act on.

Look at five things:

• Method. Zero-based budgeting (give every pound a job), envelopes (a fixed pot per category), or a tracker that only shows what you spent.
• Bank connection. Importing saves typing but needs a supported bank. Manual entry is slower and keeps your data to yourself.
• Currency and cost. Some apps bill in dollars, so the pound price moves.
• Free tier. What you actually get before the paywall.
• Longevity. Apps close. Moneyhub's own page said its consumer app was due to shut on 14 August 2026, with a CSV export before then.

Which budgeting app is best for a zero-based budget?

YNAB (You Need A Budget) is the one in this group built around it.

YNAB's method gives each pound a job before you spend it. It costs $14.99 a month or $109 a year, which YNAB says works out at $9.08 a month, and the page notes these are US dollars with no exchange rate shown. There is a 34-day free trial, with no card needed if you sign up directly through YNAB, and students can get a year free through the College Program. YNAB says it can currently connect to at least one bank in the UK, but support is limited to select banks and some account types, such as savings, may be missing. In practice that means you need to try your own bank before you commit.

Which budgeting app is best for envelopes?

Goodbudget, if you want digital envelopes and do not mind typing.

Goodbudget's free plan includes 10 regular envelopes, 10 annual or goal envelopes, one account and one year of transaction history. Premium costs $10 a month or $80 a year and adds unlimited envelopes and accounts, seven years of history and automatic bank syncing, but the syncing is for US banks only. So in the UK you will enter spending by hand either way. If you would rather use paper, a cash envelope binder does the same job; our cash envelope guide covers it.

Is there a good free way to start?

Yes, the MoneyHelper budget planner, and it is worth doing before you pay for anything.

MoneyHelper is run by the Money and Pensions Service. The planner is free and takes most people about 5 to 10 minutes. You can enter amounts by the day, week, fortnight, four weeks, month, quarter or year, save your progress and come back, and download the results as an Excel spreadsheet. Citizens Advice suggests gathering recent bank statements, payslips, card statements or bills and receipts for regular cash spending before you start, and counting every expense. It adds that if you have received court papers, face eviction or expect bailiffs, you should speak to an adviser straight away.

Should you use an app or paper?

Whichever sits where you will see it.

A paper planner left open on a table is hard to ignore in a way an icon on page four of your phone is not. Hem Studios' £12 planner is A5 with 32 budgeting pages, 12 monthly spreads, savings goal pages for eight goals and an end-of-year review. It is built on 100gsm FSC-certified paper. The Mlife binder set is the cash route: clear envelopes, budget sheets and labels in a ring binder. Neither connects to a bank, so the numbers come from you.

How do you check an app before connecting your bank?

Check the company's FCA reference number and its listing, as Which? advises.

Which? says regulated open banking apps are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority or use a firm that is. Find the company's trading name and FCA reference number, usually at the foot of its website, compare them with the FCA Register, and search openbanking.org.uk. If an app does not appear, do not grant it access. You can also withdraw permission later.

Comparing the options

Things to know

• This is information, not financial advice. For help with your own situation, Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper are free.
• Some apps are missing on purpose. A few well-known budgeting apps are off our shelf while we finish our checks.
• Prices change. US dollar prices were as stated on the makers' pages on 26 October 2026.
• We could not confirm everything. MoneyHelper's own page refused our request, so planner details come from a GOV.UK record. We could not confirm the Mlife binder's dimensions.