It can feel downright impossible to get a handle on your monthly expenses if you don’t make a conscious effort to determine where you spend your money.

While this has always been true, it’s even more relevant today, given that transactions are predominantly conducted electronically.

To ensure your finances are in order, or, to at least have a better understanding of where you spend your money, there are a wealth of apps available to help you create a personalized financial plan.

How to Track Monthly Expenses With Spending Apps

Below are four apps that specialize in tracking monthly expenses, including fixed expenditures like bills, and personal spending.

Our Criteria

To be considered in our list, each app:

• Must be available for both Android and iOS.
• Must be free, or reasonably priced.
• Must not require you to link to all your financial institutions to use expense tracking features.

Our Champions

Fudget:

A free-spending tracker app modeled after excel spreadsheets. Users report the app is simple to use and is ideal for those who want to track their spending without connecting a checking account.

EveryDollar:

Developed by financial guru Dave Ramsey, this popular app reportedly takes fewer than 10 minutes to set up and use. However, some users have complained about seeing too many ads on the app.

DollarBird:

This unique personal finance app uses a calendar system to track your spending. While there is exceptional value to learning how much you spend per day, users reported a sharp learning curve with this app.

Wally:

Personally, this is my favorite app. While Wally isn’t as intuitive for beginners, the app’s review section includes a feature that does all of the analyzing for you! That’s how I came to learn it wasn’t just my every-other-day triple shot mocha habit that might’ve gotten me into trouble if left unchecked, but I was frequently ordering a Lyft in lieu of taking the bus.

Additionally, I admire that the developer of this app is a small, independent company that is committed to keeping Wally free indefinitely.

Winner Takes All

So which expense tracking app reigns supreme?

The answer is deceptively simple: the best app is the one that works best for you.

One size does not fit all in this circumstance, and you owe it to yourself and your future to get into the habit of learning where your money is going.

Things to Consider

The most important thing to remember when using an app to track your finances is to get started.

Here are some additional things to consider when choosing an app:

• Looks matter.

If a particular app has an interface you enjoy interacting with, you’re more likely to regularly enter your expenses.

• One-by-one.

Download one app at a time. Make sure to devote a few minutes daily to exploring its features.

• Give it a month.

If you decide to move on, delete the app from your phone, and, if applicable, the webpage.

Did we miss your favorite app to track your expenses? Let us know in the comments!