5 Expense Tracking Apps Worth Using in 2025
There are hundreds of expense tracking apps. Most of them are fine. A few are genuinely good at specific things. The problem isn’t finding an app — it’s finding the one that matches how you actually think about money and what you’re willing to do every day to track it.
These five apps take meaningfully different approaches. One isn’t universally “best.” Each wins for a different type of person.
Expensify — For Work Expenses
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web Price: Free plan available; paid plans from $5/user/month
Expensify is the default choice for anyone who submits expense reports at work. It scans receipts, auto-generates reports, syncs with corporate credit cards, and integrates with accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero. If your company already uses it, you probably don’t have a choice — and that’s fine, because it does the job well.
Where it shines: The workflow from “I have a receipt” to “my report is submitted” is fast. SmartScan extracts the vendor, date, and total. Reports can auto-submit on a schedule. Managers approve with one tap. Reimbursement goes through ACH.
Where it doesn’t: Expensify is a business tool wearing a consumer-friendly interface. Using it for personal finance feels clunky — you’re always navigating around report structures and approval workflows that don’t apply. It also doesn’t do item-level receipt breakdowns, so you know you spent $89 at Costco but not on what.
Best for: Employees who expense things for work. Corporate finance teams. Business travelers.
For a deeper comparison, see our Receiptix vs Expensify breakdown.
YNAB (You Need a Budget) — For Budget-First Thinkers
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web Price: $14.99/month or $99/year (34-day free trial)
YNAB’s philosophy is “give every dollar a job.” It’s zero-based budgeting — you allocate your income to specific categories before you spend it, then track against those allocations. This forward-looking approach is the opposite of most expense trackers, which look backward at what you already spent.
Where it shines: If you have trouble with overspending, YNAB’s system forces awareness. You physically assign money to “dining out” or “groceries” before the month starts, so every purchase is a conscious decision against a known limit. The educational content is genuinely good — YNAB treats financial literacy as part of the product.
Where it doesn’t: The learning curve is real. YNAB’s methodology takes a week or two to click, and the app’s interface isn’t intuitive until it does. There’s also no receipt scanning. Every transaction is either manual entry or synced from a bank connection, which means you get totals but not item-level detail.
Best for: People who want structure. Those who overspend because they don’t have a plan, not because they don’t track. Read our Receiptix vs YNAB comparison for more.
PocketGuard — For the “How Much Can I Spend?” Question
Platforms: iOS, Android Price: Free with optional PocketGuard Plus ($7.99/month or $34.99/year)
PocketGuard connects to your bank accounts and credit cards, tallies your bills and savings goals, and shows one number: how much you have left to spend. That’s it. That’s the core product. The app calls it “In My Pocket.”
Where it shines: Simplicity. If you don’t want to learn budgeting methodology or manually categorize transactions, PocketGuard does the math for you. It’s the fastest way to answer “can I afford this?” without thinking too hard.
Where it doesn’t: The simplicity is also the ceiling. PocketGuard doesn’t give you much control over categories, doesn’t scan receipts, and the bank syncing can lag by a day or two. The insights are surface-level — you’ll know your spending is high in a category, but not why.
Best for: People who want a quick daily check-in, not a detailed financial system. If you’ve tried other trackers and abandoned them because they required too much effort, PocketGuard’s low-touch approach might stick.
Goodbudget — For Envelope Budgeting
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web Price: Free (limited envelopes) or $10/month for Plus
Goodbudget digitizes the envelope system — the old-school method where you put cash into labeled envelopes and stop spending in a category when the envelope is empty. Each spending category is an “envelope” with an allocated amount. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
Where it shines: Households and couples. Goodbudget syncs across devices, so both partners see the same envelopes and balances in real time. There’s no bank syncing — you enter transactions manually — which sounds like a downside but actually forces the same awareness that made physical envelopes work.
Where it doesn’t: No receipt scanning, no AI, no automation. Every transaction is manual. The free tier limits you to 10 envelopes, which feels tight once you start categorizing seriously. And because it’s built around the envelope metaphor, it doesn’t handle variable or irregular income well.
Best for: Couples managing a shared budget. People who liked the cash envelope system but want it on their phone. Anyone who finds manual entry more grounding than automated tracking.
Receiptix — For Understanding What You Actually Buy
Platforms: iOS, Android Price: Free tier available; premium subscription for advanced features
Receiptix approaches expense tracking differently from the apps above. Instead of connecting to your bank or asking you to set budgets, it focuses on what you purchased — at the item level. Photograph a receipt and the AI scanner pulls out each line item: the $4.99 yogurt, the $12.49 cleaning spray, the $6.99 bag of coffee. That detail is what separates it from apps that just show “Target, $47.”
Where it shines: The item-level data changes what questions you can ask. Not “how much did I spend on groceries?” but “how much did I spend on snacks versus actual meal ingredients?” Voice input (premium) lets you log expenses in a few seconds without opening the app interface. Smart categorization learns your patterns over time. Custom tags let you slice spending by context — a specific trip, a project, a client. And Shared Projects (premium) works for couples or roommates tracking shared costs without corporate hierarchy.
Where it doesn’t: Receiptix doesn’t sync with bank accounts or credit cards, so it won’t automatically capture card transactions. You’re either scanning receipts or entering expenses manually/via voice. There are no budgeting tools built in — it’s a tracker, not a planner. If you want YNAB-style allocations or PocketGuard’s “how much can I spend” number, you’ll need to use those alongside Receiptix.
Best for: People who want to understand their spending habits at a granular level. Those who track groceries and want to know where the money goes inside each receipt. Anyone who tried simpler trackers and wanted more detail.
Picking the Right One
| Your priority | Start here |
|---|---|
| Submit expense reports for work | Expensify |
| Build and follow a strict budget | YNAB |
| Quick “can I afford this?” check | PocketGuard |
| Shared envelope budgeting with a partner | Goodbudget |
| Detailed item-level spending analysis | Receiptix |
Some people layer two apps — YNAB for budget planning and Receiptix for receipt-level spending data, or Expensify for work and Receiptix for personal. There’s no rule that says you pick one and ignore the rest.
The only wrong choice is the app you download but never use. If you’re new to expense tracking, start with whichever one matches your tolerance for effort — and switch later if your needs change.
Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always consult with a financial advisor for personalized guidance.
