Mint Shut Down: 7 Best Mint Alternatives in 2026 (Ranked by Price & Privacy)

Looking for cheap alternatives to Mint that won't swap one monthly subscription for another? The best low-cost option in 2026 is ExpenseSumo, free to start (2 accounts, 90 days of history), with a $54.99/year Pro upgrade for full history.

That's roughly 3x cheaper than Monarch Money or YNAB, while keeping the simple, lightweight feel Mint users actually miss.

For anyone searching for apps like Mint that kept things simple and lightweight, ExpenseSumo was built with exactly that user in mind.

No bank linking required on the free tier, a clean interface, and a pricing model that doesn't punish casual users. It's the closest thing to what Mint used to be before it got complicated.

Mint shut down on March 23, 2024 after 17 years Forbes, leaving 3.6 million active users scrambling for a replacement. Intuit pushed them toward Credit Karma, but Credit Karma is a credit-monitoring product, not a budgeting tool CNBC.

That's why search volume for Mint alternatives and apps like Mint free is still climbing two years later.

This guide ranks the best replacements for the Mint budgeting app in 2026 with features, pros, cons, and real pricing for every type of user.

Why Look for Cheap Alternatives to Mint?

If you're wondering what to use instead of Mint, you're not alone, 3.6 million users faced the same question when Mint shut down.

Mint was the default free budgeting app for over a decade. Most replacements since its shutdown create new problems.

• Trial-only "free" tiers. Most free apps are 30-day trials that flip to $10–$15/month. No real free path to keep using the app.

• Your data becomes the product. Free apps profit from your spending data via ads and credit-card offers.

• Forced bank linking. With some apps, you can't even set up a budget until you connect your bank account.

• Feature bloat. Spending trackers now bundle investment advice, debt help, and subscription tools you didn't ask for.

• Method overhead. Some tools make you learn a whole budgeting system before you can log a single transaction.

• The price adds up. Most apps like Mint now charge $100–$109/year. That's $500+ over five years for what Mint used to do for free.

Now that Mint is gone, what should you use instead?

The tools below cover every major use case like free trackers, methodology-first budgeting, and investment-heavy dashboards.

Some are paid tools. Others are Mint alternatives free for life. The right one depends on what you need.

ExpenseSumo (Best mint replacement)

If the Mint budgeting app was your go-to for tracking spending, you already know how to use ExpenseSumo, no learning curve required. It tracks every expense without selling your data, demanding your bank login, or charging you $100+/year.

The free tier (2 accounts, 90 days of history) handles most casual budgeters out of the box. No 30-day trial. No surprise pricing. No credit card at signup.

Best for: Solo budgeters, couples, families, and side hustlers who want Mint-style expense tracking without the ads, data harvesting, or paywall runway.

Key Features:

• Free tier with 2 accounts and 3 months of transaction history. No credit card required.

• Pro upgrade unlocks unlimited accounts, full history, and advanced reporting at $24.99/year.

• Multi-account support for bank accounts, credit cards, and cash, all in one view.

• Smart monthly budgets with category tracking and auto-reset each month.

• Multi-currency support with conversion built in, useful for freelancers and international workers.

• Powerful transaction search and filtering across your full history.

Pros:

• Real free tier. not a 30-day trial countdown.

• Pro at $54.99/year is the lowest-priced full-featured budgeting app in the category.

• No bank credentials required. Your login details never leave your bank.

• Built for real households, solo users, couples splitting expenses, and families.

• No learning curve. If you used Mint, you already know how to use this.

Cons:

• Free tier limits to 2 accounts and 3 months of history. Pro lifts both.

• Manual entry by design, no automatic Plaid-style bank syncing.

• Not built for tracking complex investment portfolios.

Pricing: Free tier (2 accounts, 90 days of history). Pro at $54.99/year unlocks unlimited accounts and full history. No credit card required at signup. See full pricing.

Monarch Money

Monarch has become the one of the paid Mint alternatives. Its background explains why. One of its co-founders worked on the original Mint product team, and it shows in the interface.

Best for: Ex-Mint users who want deep automation and investment tracking, and are willing to pay for it.

Key Features:

• Automatic connection to bank, credit card, and investment accounts.

• Recurring-expense and subscription monitoring.

• Household sharing, one subscription covers couples.

• Clean web and mobile interfaces.

Pros:

• Strong automation pulls transactions in without manual entry.

• Handles investments alongside spending, which Mint never did well.

• Built by people who actually know the Mint user.

Cons:

• No free tier beyond a short trial.

• ~$100/year is a real line item for simple expense tracking.

Pricing: ~$14.99/month or ~$99.99/year.

YNAB

YNAB is the philosophical opposite of Mint. Mint showed you where your money went after you spent it. YNAB makes you assign every dollar a job before you spend it.

Best for: Budgeters, not trackers. Built for people tackling debt or paycheck-to-paycheck living.

Key Features:

• Zero-based budgeting system.

• Automatic bank account connections.

• Household sharing for up to six people on a single subscription.

• Reports and spending trends.

Pros:

• Effective for behaviour change, not just tracking.

• Active community and strong onboarding content.

• One subscription covers the whole household.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve, especially for credit card handling.

• No free tier beyond a 34-day trial.

Pricing: $14.99/month or $109/year. Free 34-day trial, no credit card required.

Empower

Empower's free tier is useful for users whose net worth lives in investment accounts. Portfolio tracking is its strength, and it goes far beyond what Mint offered.

Best for: Users with meaningful assets across brokerage, retirement, and real estate accounts.

Key Features:

• Net-worth dashboard across all linked accounts.

• Investment performance analysis and fee analyzer.

• Cash-flow tracking and spending analysis.

• Retirement planning tools.

Pros:

• Free core tools with no trial countdown.

• Best-in-class investment tracking among free apps.

• Bank-level security and clean interface.

Cons:

• Weak as a pure budgeting tool, not built for category-level spending control.

• Paid wealth-management service dominates the app.

Pricing: Free for the money tools. Wealth-management service charges a percentage of assets managed.

Rocket Money

Rocket Money's free tier covers the basics. You get account linking, spending tracking, budgets, and balance alerts. But where it earns its keep is subscription management. The numbers here are worth a look.

Best for: People losing money to forgotten subscriptions and recurring charges.

Key Features:

• Subscription scanner that surfaces recurring charges.

• Bill negotiation service (for a cut of the savings).

• Credit score monitoring (premium).

• Net-worth tracking (premium).

Pros:

• Quick value for users with too many subscriptions.

• The free version is actually useful.

• Clean, easy-to-use mobile app.

Cons:

• Bill negotiation takes 35–60% of first-year savings.

• Less focused on traditional category budgeting.

Pricing: Free tier available. Premium from around $7/month.

Goodbudget

Goodbudget runs on the envelope method. You set amounts for groceries, rent, and gas upfront, then spend from each "envelope" until it's empty.

Best for: Couples and families who budget together without linking banks.

Key Features:

• Digital envelope budgeting system.

• Manual transaction entry (no bank linking required).

• Household sync across many devices.

• Debt-payoff tracking.

Pros:

• Manual entry keeps bank account information private.

• Works well for shared household budgeting.

• Free tier is enough for basic envelope budgeting.

Cons:

• Free tier limits envelope count and history length.

• Manual entry requires discipline.

Pricing: Free tier available. Plus plan around $10/month.

PocketGuard

PocketGuard's signature feature is its "In My Pocket" number. It looks at your income, bills, goals, and spending, then tells you what you can safely spend today.

Best for: People who just want to know how much is safe to spend without doing the math themselves.

Key Features:

• "In My Pocket" safe-to-spend calculator.

• Automatic bank account syncing.

• Rollover budgets (premium).

• Debt-payoff planner (premium).

Pros:

• Simpler mental model than zero-based budgeting.

• Good for people who want answers, not spreadsheets.

• Solid free tier.

Cons:

• Less flexible than full-category budgeting.

• Advanced features need Plus subscription.

Pricing: Free tier available. PocketGuard Plus around $13/month or ~$75/year.

Cheap Alternatives to the Mint Budgeting App: Quick Comparison"

Final Words:

Which one of Mint alternatives Is Right for You?

Whether you need the best Mint replacement with full automation, or just simple apps like Mint for basic tracking, one of these seven tools will fit.

None of them are perfect. But each one beats waiting for a Mint replacement that isn't coming.

For a wider look at the budgeting app landscape, see our full guide to the best budgeting apps of 2026.

A rough decision guide:

• If you want Mint back free, simple, private, start with ExpenseSumo.

• If you want deep automation and investment tracking, Monarch Money.

• If you're in debt and need a system that forces change, YNAB.

• If most of your money is in investments, Empower.

• If subscriptions are eating you alive, Rocket Money.

• If you're budgeting with a partner, Goodbudget.

• If you just want to know what's safe to spend today, PocketGuard.

Most readers should start free with ExpenseSumo. If you find yourself bumping up against the 2-accounts or 90-days-history limit which usually happens once you start tracking seriously, Pro at $54.99/year unlocks everything. That's still less than three months of YNAB or Monarch.

No data selling. No surprise pricing. No bank credentials handed over. Just the budgeting tool ex-Mint users have been waiting for.

Start free on ExpenseSumo | See pricing

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