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As a personal finance writer, I’m constantly testing out new money apps and programs, on the hunt for the most helpful and easy-to-use tools. And while I haven’t tried every app on the market, there are a handful that really stand out to me, and that I use in my day-to-day life to manage my finances.


Obviously my financial situation is different than yours, but here’s what I currently use to budget, check my accounts and save for goals. You’ll notice some categories are missing, like microinvesting apps. Right now they aren’t in line with my personal needs, though you may like them.


Chase Bank

I belong to Chase because there’s one on virtually every corner in NYC and I like the convenience of its ATM network. Its app is easy to use and has pretty much all of the capabilities I need, though I do wish it offered daily texts with my account balances, rather than just email. This is probably the app I use the most, because it’s connected to my main checking/saving account.


Qapital

I recently started using Qapital as a replacement for Digit. While I loved Digit, it felt counter-intuitive to spend $3 per month on a personal finance app when there are free alternatives. I’ll be honest: I don’t like Qapital as much, but it’s free and easy to use. It’s hooked up to IFTTT, and I use it to save money for specific goals. When I was on a spending freeze, for example, I set up rules that would siphon some money off into savings if I shopped at certain stores/restaurants. I’m currently using it to save for a vacation.


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Credit Karma

I’m a big fan of Credit Karma’s app, which gives you your credit score and an overview of your credit report, with tips on how to improve your financial life. As with many of these free apps, be wary of the financial products, like credit cards, they’re pushing—they need to make money somehow, sure, but that doesn’t mean you should buy what they’re selling.


Coinbase



I use Coinbase to remind myself to check in with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies (I have not invested in any through the app).


Mint

I don’t use Mint as much as I probably should (I used PocketGuard for budgeting in the past, but deleted it because I rarely opened it), but I keep it around for when I want to do a deep dive into where my money’s going.



Clarity Money

Clarity Money isn’t strictly a budgeting app, but I use it that way—it’s easy to see transactions on it and find simple advice on how to improve. It breaks down your spending into categories and lets you search how much you’ve spent on a certain website or store in a given month (for example, you can see how much you spent at Amazon throughout February). Another feature I like: It lists your recurring bills and subscriptions and helps you cancel them. Like Qapital, you can also set goals in Clarity Money. After my Chase app, this is the one I use most often.


Fidelity

If I’m making changes to my investments, I do so on a desktop, but I like having Fidelity’s app to check in every now and then. It also provides market news and analysis, which I find useful.


What about you? Which apps do you like using?