Search "best free budgeting app" and half the results are apps with a 7-to-34-day trial that quietly need a credit card and a monthly charge afterward. That's not free, that's a funnel. This list only includes apps with a genuine free tier you can use indefinitely — plus, at the end, a quick note on which "free" apps are actually free trials in disguise, so you don't get surprised.

What counts as "actually free" here

We only counted an app as free if it has a tier that works forever, with no credit card required and no forced expiration. Apps that offer a 7-30 day trial and then require payment are noted separately below, because they show up in "free" searches constantly and it's worth knowing upfront.

Quick comparison — genuinely free tiers

App	What's free forever	Bank login required	Main limitation on free tier
Lumi	10 AI scans/mo, 2 budgets, Back Tap, Apple Pay import, voice input, basic analytics	No	Limited AI scans and budgets
Goodbudget	Envelope budgeting, up to 20 envelopes	No (manual entry)	20-envelope cap, 1 device
PocketGuard	"In My Pocket" spending number, basic tracking	Yes	Limited categorization depth
EveryDollar	Manual zero-based budgeting	No (manual only)	No bank sync without upgrading
Chime	Banking + automatic round-up savings	N/A — it's the bank	Not a dedicated budgeting app

Lumi — Free tier built around fast logging, not restrictions

Lumi's free plan isn't a stripped-down demo — it includes the features that actually save time day to day: Back Tap logging, Apple Pay auto-import, voice input, 10 AI receipt scans a month, 2 category budgets, and basic analytics, all with no bank login and no credit card at signup. The ceiling is AI scan volume and budget count, not core functionality.

Best for: Anyone who wants fast, low-friction logging without connecting a bank account or starting a trial clock.

Goodbudget — Free envelope budgeting, no bank required

Goodbudget's free tier gives you the full envelope-budgeting method with up to 20 envelopes on one device, entirely manual entry, no bank connection ever required. It's one of the only apps here that's both free and privacy-first by design, not just as a free-tier limitation.

Best for: People who want the classic envelope method for free and are fine entering transactions by hand.

PocketGuard — Free "safe to spend" tracking

PocketGuard's free tier gives you the core "In My Pocket" number and basic transaction tracking, though it does require linking a bank account to calculate it. Categorization and deeper insights are more limited than the paid tier, but the core feature works without paying.

Best for: People who want one simple spendable number and are comfortable linking their bank for it.

EveryDollar — Free zero-based budgeting, manual entry

EveryDollar's free tier is fully functional zero-based budgeting with manual transaction entry — no bank sync, which is a paid-only feature, but you're not blocked from using the core budgeting method for free indefinitely.

Best for: People following zero-based budgeting who are fine typing in transactions themselves.

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Chime — Free banking with automatic savings

Chime isn't a budgeting app in the traditional sense — it's a full banking app (checking + savings) with automatic round-up transfers to savings built in, at no monthly cost. If you're open to using it as your primary bank account, the automated savings piece is genuinely free, which most automated-savings competitors are not.

Best for: People who want free automated round-up savings and don't mind switching their everyday bank account to get it.

The ones that look free but aren't

YNAB offers a 34-day free trial, then requires a paid subscription (~~$109/year) — there is no free-forever tier. Monarch Money offers a 7-day trial, then a paid subscription (~~$100/year). Copilot similarly trial-only, ~$96/year after. Digit and Acorns (covered in our financial goals apps comparison) are subscription-only with no meaningful free tier. None of these are bad apps — they're covered in our full budget app comparison — but if "free" is the deciding factor for you, they don't qualify.

Bottom line

If you want fast logging without linking a bank, start with Lumi's free tier. If you want the classic envelope method for free, Goodbudget. If you want one clear "safe to spend" number and don't mind bank sync, PocketGuard. If you're following zero-based budgeting and want to enter transactions by hand, EveryDollar. And if you want your bank account itself to save money for you automatically at no cost, switch to Chime.

Last updated: July 2026. Free-tier details change — always confirm current limits in the App Store or Play Store listing before committing.