It’s almost the New Year, and if there’s anything nearly everyone needs, it’s a good, solid, pandemic-proof budgeting plan.

Now, it’s rough out there — landing a job may not be possible. Keeping your job might not be possible. It’s not a fool-proof plan here, but if your goal is to see where your money is going so you can form better habits, then this is likely going to be of interest to you.

Here are four budgeting apps to help you keep track in 2021:

Buddy

The best free finance budget around, hands down. You can set your own budget for just about everything under the sun, create your own categories, add your income, set goals, and do just about everything else you want to do…

Without having to connect it to your bank accounts at all.

It’s easy to use, no learning curve, and it’s pretty sleek. The design is appealing but minimal, so you can focus on your tasks without being distracted. 

Oh, and you can set reminders to add your spending on a daily basis if you want those on. 

Is there anything this little app can’t do? Well, kind of. Only get this app if you’re willing to do everything yourself. Since it doesn’t connect to your bank, you need to add all your transactions.

Also, Premium unlocks the ability to split budgets with your partner, or add another (second) budget plan. It’s not useful for single people, or people without business partners, but for couples or coworkers who do share finances, it may come in handy.

Available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Spendee Budget & Money Tracker

This is like Buddy, but it’s better suited for people who actually want to connect their bank account to the app to ensure they don’t miss any transactions. It’s especially good if you happen to have at least two bank accounts and consistently purchase or transfer money. An app like this can save you a lot of time.

You can still set budgets, manually add cash expenses, or tell the app to manually categorize everything for you.

Available on iPhone and iPad.

Wally – Smart Personal Finance

If you need something more chart-based, and don’t mind complicated financial screens, then Wally might be for you. Watch your accounts, spending, budgeting, savings, and get in-depth insights like spending patterns.

Basically, if you want to approach your finances like a nutrition scientist looks at food, this might be for you. Analyze what triggers you to spend, how much you spend on your sprees, which months out of the year you tend to save the most money, etc.

While Wally is free, you might want to opt for the paid version if you get this app. It unlocks more data-centric features that appeal to its user base.

Available for iPhone and iPad.

Monefy – Money Tracker

Kind of like Buddy, but with more charts involved. It’s not quite as in-depth as Wally is, but it does target an audience that thrives off of visual, analytical data a bit more than Buddy’s user base. 

It’s nothing complex — just not as comprehensive. For the price of free, it doesn’t hurt to try it if you’re looking for a more visual way to keep your finances in check.

Available for iPhone.

— By Jennifer Mendez

Jennifer Mendez is a content creator and Lynnwood resident who specializes in copy, graphic design and photography for her clients. Whenever she’s not creating something, she’s exploring new places to eat in the area.