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Times are tough. Whether you rely completely on rideshare and delivery for income, or you use gig work as a side job to bring in extra income, your budget might be a little tighter this month.
One way to get a hold of your cash flow in financially uncertain times is to manage your finances. Understanding how income enters and exits your bank account is the first step to saving money. Luckily, there are a ton of apps that can do the work for you. We’ve put together a list of the top money-saving apps that will help you track your spending, invest your money, and find great deals and discounts.
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Manage Finances and Lower Bills
Make your dollar go further by understanding how you spend it. Apps that track your spending make the process easy. Identify unwanted subscriptions, lower bills, and track your credit score within minutes.
Credit Karma
Credit Karma helps you take control of your credit score. This free service monitors your credit, notifies you of changes, and teaches you how to improve your score. It gives you access to personalized recommendations for home and auto loans, as well as credit card offers, based on your score and what you qualify for without a credit inquiry.
Improving your credit score can lower your interest rates and save you money. One of the most important parts of responsible financial management is understanding your credit score.
Trim Financial Manager
Do you know where your last paycheck went? Trim Financial Manager does. It’s the virtual personal assistant you never knew you needed. It works to constantly save you money by analyzing your spending patterns and suggesting ways to cut costs.
Trim will help you cancel old subscriptions, identify how much money you spent on fast food last month, and alert you to any sudden fees on your account. It even allows you to set spending alerts so you know when you’ve exceeded your budget this month. Basically, Trim takes all of the guesswork out of managing your income.
Trim will even let you know if there are offers available to lower your rates on existing bills like cable, phone or other utility bills.
If the app saves you money, you only pay a percentage of what it saved for you,.
Truebill
If you’re worried about how much you’re spending on takeout, you might want to look into Truebill. Truebill is an app that helps people gain awareness about their spending habits and how they manage their money.
Truebill will help you get rid of old subscriptions that are still costing you money. The app will also show you how to lower the cost of your monthly bills. You can even use Truebill to start a savings account. If you’re looking to track your spending and create customized budgets, Truebill fits the bill.
Truebill and Trim do much of the same things. Truebill is great at negotiating your recurring bills. If the app saves you money, you only pay a percentage of what it saved for you.
Stash
Stash helps its users build financial freedom. The app offers a variety of services — everything from banking to retirement. The simplest and cheapest plan, the Beginner plan, gives you access to personalized banking and investment plans. Stash will tell you what to invest in and show you how to manage it.
The app allows you more flexibility when it comes to investing than other apps on the market. You can choose how you want to invest your money and feel confident in your choices with guidance from financial advisors. Invest with as little as $1 and start trading stocks today.
Cleo
Track your spending, save money automatically, and conquer your goals with Cleo – the AI chatbot making money easy. You can even earn cash-back rewards! Trusted by 3 million users, Cleo helps you make money like a champ with strong tools and brand-new tech. Whatever you need extra funds for, like eating out? buying a house? An advance till payday? Cleo has you covered.
This app has humor and even a roast mode. Talk about personality, Cleo will tell it like it is. Use save goals, autosave features, and hacks found through interacting with Cleo, you can save money while having fun. Improve your credit score with their credit builder which makes a credit report less intimidating. This is a feel-good app improving your financial health.
Greenlight
Greenlight debit card and app allows kids to earn money through chores, set savings goals, spend wisely and invest. Parents set flexible limits and get real-time notifications every time their kids spend money while kids set goals, monitor their balances, and learn how to manage money.
Individualize your kids’ debit cards with photos and images. Put their allowance on autopilot, you can set it and forget it. Get real-time alerts any time the card is used. Join +4 million parents and kids.
Hiatus
Need an app to find you savings and improve your finances? Hiatus helps over 1,000,000 people organize their finances and find ways to save money. Utilizing all the best educators, money experts, and tech wizards, Hiatus really can help you lower your bills, cancel old subscriptions, and create easy budgets.
One customer says, “My coworker told me about Hiatus and I’ve since canceled two old subscriptions and had them negotiate my cell phone bill. I’ve saved over $240.”
Save and Invest
The money you put into your savings now will become your future financial safety net. Depositing your disposable income into a low-interest savings account might not be the best option to grow that safety net. There are several apps that can help you discover the best investment strategies for your savings.
Acorns
We used to put our spare change in jars and piggy banks for a rainy day. Now, you can invest the “spare change” from your debit card purchases. Acorns allows you to automatically round up daily purchases.
If your coffee costs $3.75, Acorns takes $0.25 and invests it for you. You’ll get a diversified investment portfolio based on your financial situation and goals. Portfolios are developed by certified investment pros and structured with ETFs from well-known investment management companies.
When the app first came out, you could only link it to an existing bank account. Now, when you sign up with Acorns, you can open an Acorns Spending account. This account is an FDIC-insured checking account linked to a visa debit card. When you use the Acorns debit card, your round-ups occur in real-time. Overall, Acorn is the only service that allows you to invest small amounts daily. Setup takes only five minutes.
Tradier
Tradier Brokerage Dash is a powerful tool that is simple to use for unlimited commission-free* trading today. With this app, you get services from Tradier Brokerage, full API access, and stock and options trading that is commission-free*. Pick your own platforms from a quickly growing list of 3rd parties. You can even modify/create new features and platforms. With full API access, you get live, streaming APIs whenever you need them. Easy to use for simple and complex equity and option orders. Support is available when you need to talk to a real person because they have expert support staff to help.
Trade when you want, within seconds. Tradier Brokerage Dash is simple to use and implements your trades right away. There are many strategies to choose between, Multileg, option, equity, or combo trading all on one platform. Keep up to date with real-time market data. Try it today!
Robinhood
Robinhood‘s slogan is “It’s Time to Do Money.” The app allows you to break away from traditional investment options. With Robinhood, you can invest commission-free in companies or bundle your investments. It also enables you to track stocks and place them on a watch list if you’re not ready to invest. The options are virtually limitless.
The best part of Robinhood is the design. It’s perfect for anyone looking to frequently trade stocks using a streamlined interface. If you’re looking for more than stocks though, you’re out of luck. You cannot use Robinhood to invest in mutual bonds or funds.
Public
Public is a social stock investing app to build your portfolio, commission-free. Public says it wants to build a community around the stock market, letting users follow other investors, view their portfolio, and exchange ideas. You can also create chat groups with friends, family, and fellow community members. Social features really help anyone get started with investing. You can invest in funds and stocks, commission-free.
Start investing with as little as $1 or any amount you want. You pick where to invest, like in companies you believe in. Using fractional investing you can start small and build on that as you learn and grow. Public offers thousands of stocks and ETFs that you can use to grow your portfolio regardless of how small you start out. With educational features built-in like tapping key terms to learn simple definitions, and explanations for stock movement, you learn what and why things happen.
MyConstant
MyConstant is a lending app for borrowers and investors. Choose your own interest rate, and term and the app finds someone interested in your loan. Investors can earn up to 8% APR on their money, with terms of any size beginning from 30 days. Lenders: be reassured, all lending is 150% back by liquid collateral so it’s easily sold if borrowers default. You choose to auto-reinvest earnings or withdraw in USD or stablecoins. Spread your risk across multiple markets and maximize your reward. Free USD withdrawals and no investing fees. 24/7 customer support.
Borrowers can borrow against 60+ cryptocurrencies at flexible rates and terms. Your assets are protected by Bitgo insured custody and smart contracts until you repay. If your collateral falls in value you can top it up or withdraw excess if it increases. Borrow against 71 Cryptocurrencies from only 6% APR. Get the funds you need quickly without needing to sell your portfolio.
Groundfloor
GROUNDFLOOR lets you invest on your own terms with short-term, high-yield real estate debt investments. Investors can build their portfolios through real estate. Borrowers can do their fix and flip project. Shareholders can take advantage of a current raise on SeedInvest topping $4M with over 2,000 investors. GroundFloor offers a way for everyone to build wealth through real estate lending.
Want a portfolio of short-term, high yield, real estate debt investments according to your own risk/reward profile? Do it all by yourself, or let their investment wizard guide you. You can link your account (securely encrypted) to transfer funds and begin investing. There’s less risk with debt products. Groundfloor generates consistent 10%+ returns for investors over six years with repayments going out in 6-9 months on average.
BlockFi
A BlockFi Interest Account (BIA) lets you put your crypto to work and get monthly interest payments in the asset-type that you transfer to BlockFi.
BlockFi clients using the BIA earn compound interest in crypto, substantially increasing their Bitcoin, , PAX Gold, USD Coin (USDC), Ether, Gemini Dollar (GUSD), Litecoin, and Tether (USDT)** balances over time.
It’s quick and easy to open an account. Learn more about how you can start earning interest or refer your friends by exploring their resource center.
Personal Capital
Need help tracking and managing your personal finances? The Personal Capital investing and finance app offers a dashboard to let you see your net worth. View all of your accounts in one place – bank accounts, stocks, retirement funds, debts, and investments. With multiple layers of security at all points, your data and money are safe. You can utilize an advisor to get a free personalized plan and get personalized advice for your specific needs.
See your total income, and expenses across all accounts with the Cash Flow Graph. Keep track of your investments with the Investment Checkup tool. Worried about retirement? You can manage and even forecast your retirement in one place with their Retirement Planner.
M1 Finance
M1 Finance is the future of finance in a sleek, modern app. It puts investing, borrowing, and cash management in one place. It falls somewhere in between a robo-advisor and a traditional investment brokerage firm. Basically, the app is designed for more sophisticated investors, with a slightly higher flexible income.
Users can take advantage of free investing, high yield checking, low rate borrowing, automation, and optimization. M1 Finance uses a strategy called “pie investing” where portfolio allocations consist of various combinations of stocks and ETFs. Pie investing adds a unique visual aspect to trading that other apps haven’t adopted.
U-Nest College Savings Plan
It seems like college tuition increases in cost every year. Account for those future costs by starting a college savings plan today. U-Nest College Savings Plan makes it easy to invest in your child’s future education. This app puts a college savings account at your fingertips. It allows you to start a tax-free investment fund that you can contribute to monthly.
The hardest part of maintaining a savings account is sticking to a schedule. U-Nest will help you remember to deposit a specific amount monthly by sending alerts and helping you set up auto-deposit. You can open an account in just 5 minutes, and invest as little as $25/month.
MaxiFi Planner
MaxiFi Planner takes the guesswork out of large financial decisions. It literally calculates your projected yearly spending over the course of your lifetime. You’ll know exactly what you can and can’t afford. Unlike a lot of other apps, MaxiFi Planner has been around for more than 20 years and focuses exclusively on financial planning.
In addition to projecting your lifetime spending, MaxiFi Planner offers savings and life insurance plans that fit with you and your lifestyle. Want to find more money and make smarter financial decisions? Put this powerful tool in your hands.
Blooom
Blooom focuses on managing your 401K and IRA. Instead of getting set up with a new account, you can link your existing 401K to the app. Blooom will give you a full analysis of the health of your retirement fund for free. It will also analyze your investment habits to help craft a well-rounded strategy.
Post-analysis, Blooom will even help you implement changes for a low flat fee. If you’re looking for a more hands-off approach, Blooom can handle management of your 401K or IRA for $120 yearly, regardless of your account size. Overall, Bloom is ideal if you want to make the most out of your retirement fund but don’t have the time to learn how the ins and outs of managing it.
Get Deals and Discounts
Everyone wants a good deal. Spending less means saving more. Did you know an app can identify deals and discounts for you? Before you open a tab to start online shopping, consider using one of these services to make sure you’re getting the best price.
Rakuten
Rakuten enables you to get cash back on everyday purchases at a variety of online stores. Fans of Ebates will recognize the overall concept. Here’s how it works: After you create an account at Rakuten.com, you use the website to shop at your favorite stores. Rakuten will confirm any purchases you make and deposit a rebate into your Paypal account or send you a “Big Fat Check.”
Through Rakuten, you can earn cash back at stores like Ebay, Overstock.com, Old Navy and more. Rebates usually range between 5% and 20%. Even if you aren’t a big online shopper, it’s always worth checking Rakuten to make sure you get the best deal.
Earny
Earny works to save you money in two ways. First, Earny helps you identify the best price for an item through their payment protection plan. If you happen to overpay, Earny will enable you to take advantage of a store’s price protection policy. Second, Earny offers cash back. If you use Earny while shopping, simply click the cash back button to earn a rebate.
Earny offers price protection for Best Buy, Bloomingdale’s, Costco, the Gap Group, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Newegg, Nike, Nordstrom, Sears, Zappos, Home Depot, and more. Unlike some other cash back services, Earny charges a monthly subscription fee, so this might not be ideal for someone who doesn’t shop online often.
Raise
Have you ever been given a gift card for a store that you don’t shop at? It’s happened to everyone. Raise lets you turn that unused gift card into cash.
Basically, Raise is a marketplace for buying and selling gift cards at a discount. You can surrender an existing gift card in exchange for cash. Or, you can buy gift cards from 1%-25% off for stores like Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Best Buy, and many more. That means you can save up to 25% at your favorite store. When you sign up for Raise, you can also get access to promo codes, free shipping, and all kinds of discounts.
For a limited time, new customers can save $10 off Starbucks, Lowe’s, Home Depot and more when they use promo code 10RAISE40AF.
Slide
Slide is a cash-back, reward app for everyday purchases made online or in store. You can earn 4% cash back instantly with no restrictions to how much you can earn. A quick and easy app to pay with that gets you real cash.
Withdraw your cash back once you’ve earned $15, no scanning receipts or special conditions. If you connect Apple pay or a rewards credit card you can earn even more! Also, if you add funds in advance to apply to your purchases then you earn an extra 1% cash back. 200 brands qualify for contactless easy purchases with cash back online or at the register in seconds.
ShopAtHome
ShopAtHome is a browser extension that can help save you money while you shop online. The ShopAtHome.com Savings Button is your personal shopping assistant. Automatically get cash back, discounts, coupons, and deals while you shop online. Simply install, and start shopping. With ShopAtHome, you can turn your cash back savings into a check, gift cards, or PayPal deposits.
Drop
Drop is a rewards program app that earns you cash back and rewards on purchases like food, shopping, and travel. You earn reward points that can be redeemed at places like Starbucks, Amazon, and Netflix. Start earning rewards right away by shopping deals and flyers, taking reward surveys, play real money games, and more.
Shop at the stores and brands you already love and earn cash back! If you link your card you can get extra rewards. Gift cards can earn you even more savings on your favorite places. Link, earn points, get rewarded, start today!
Honey
Want to automatically find coupons while shopping your favorite sites? Honey helps over 17 million members look for coupons, check prices, and earn rewards. Honey can automatically apply coupons. Whenever you shop on your computer Honey finds every coupon code and applies the best one to your order.
Try Honey Gold for rewards like gift cards of your choice. Never miss a sale with their droplist feature, you add items, and it notifies you when the price drops. There is a referral bonus to get you started. Start saving money today!
Miles
Miles is a new kind of reward app. You can earn miles(points) automatically for every mode of transportation. Going beyond airline miles or even credit card points, They reward you with miles however you get around. You can drive, walk, take a train, bike, carpool, and get rewarded for each mile traveled. The rewards multiply for more eco-friendly travel options. Even up to 10x miles for walking or running.
Redeem your miles in several ways such as, discounts, gift cards, or other exclusive rewards. You can also enter gift card and product raffles from exciting brands, or donate to help support the charities you care about.
TopCashBack
TopCashBack gives users access to rebates at more than 4,400 stores online. Similar to other apps, it has partnerships with stores that give a commission for sending them traffic. When you shop through TopCashBack you receive a rebate that you can withdraw once the site confirms your purchase. Get rebates when you shop online at Walmart, eBay, GNC, Newegg, and more. TopCashBack is free to use and easy to sign up for.
Tada
Tada is a free cash back app for online and in-store shopping. Use the app to shop at your favorite stores to automatically see coupons and sales prices. No muss no fuss. You get cash back rewards while using coupons and promo codes. You can redeem your earnings for PayPal cash or free gift cards. Just like magic. Also earn cash rewards for different tasks like taking pics of your receipt, visiting your favorite store, or scanning barcodes.
Tada is affiliated with Swagbucks another popular cash app. Tada pays you in Swagbucks, which you can redeem for prepaid Visa gift cards, PayPal cash, and popular store gift cards, as well as other promotions. Get paid for the shopping you are already doing. It’s simple and free.
Rebaid
Are you constantly scrolling through Amazon, looking for great deals? Scroll with confidence that you’ll get the right price on Rebaid. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to browse through hundreds of rebate offers. The products change daily and claiming your rebate is simple. When you find something you’d like to purchase, click to claim your offer and buy it on Amazon. After you complete your purchase, you can navigate back to Rebaid to claim your offer. Rebaid will confirm the purchase and send you your rebate in as little as three days.
Cash-out the offers through checks or direct deposits. Rebaid is a great way to find Amazon discounts and make sure you’re getting the lowest price.
Which App Will Save me the Most Money?
Whether you’re saving for your future, or trying to get the best deal on a pair of jeans, apps are a great way to get on top of your finances. Track your spending, find discounts, and grow your savings with the touch of a button. As far as which app works the best, we suggest trying out a few different combinations to figure out what works for you. Everyone has a unique financial situation. The perfect app for you will be the one that makes your life easier and stretches your dollar further.
