Daydreaming about your next holiday? Struggling to save for your new car? Hoping you’ll have some spare cash this Christmas?
Why not keep your cash in check at the touch of a button?
Here at MOVE Bank, we have enlisted the help of our people to review the top personal finance apps which are taking a swipe at making your finances easier to handle. We’ve tried and tested 3 budgeting apps to see if they were user-friendly, functional and were actually worth your while.
We had only two rules: the apps needed to be completely free to download and available on both Apple and Android phones.
So … what were the results
App Tester: Ross – ICT Manager
App Name: Wally
What’s it supposed to do?
Wally aims to consolidate your financial life by balancing your income and expenses. Wally also gives you insights into where you stand financially compared to other people like you. It tells you where, why, on what, and with who you spend money, so you know exactly where your money goes.
What did we like?
- Easy to use interface
- Sleek design
- Uses location settings to record where you shop
- Ability to scan receipts so you can keep a track of your spending (great for tax time too!)
- No ads or bugs
What didn’t we like?
- The welcome screen initially seemed a bit creepy as all it asked for was an email address; however, it got a lot better after that.
Final Verdict? 6/10
App Tester: Rick- Senior Consultant
App name- GoodBudget
What’s it supposed to do?
GoodBudget is a personal finance app for budget planning and money management. GoodBudget utilises the ‘envelope budgeting system’ to help keep track of your finances digitally. You can sync your budget across multiple phones and even use their website online.
What did we like about it?
- Easy to use interface
- Defaults to monthly but you can change it to suit your pay cycle
- Starts with 20 ‘envelopes’ on the free version that you can use to put in bills and savings
- Sets a goal for saving and allows you to set an end goal amount and a date you want to save by which gives you the figures of how much needs to be saved each cycle
- Have not yet experienced any ads (so far!)
What didn’t we like?
- If you need more than 20 ‘envelopes’ you need to pay.
Final verdict? 8/10
App Tester: Nitesh- Finance & Assurance Officer
App name- TrackMySpend
What’s it supposed to do?
TrackMySPEND helps keep track of your personal expenses by giving you a clear picture of what you are spending your money on and allows you to set spending limits and separates ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ to help identify opportunities to save.
What did we like about it?
- Easy to use interface
- Tracking bar to help monitor spending against budget
- Ability to export the data to an Excel spreadsheet for your own records
- Ability to sync and use the data interchangeably on multiple devices
- Created by ASIC’s MoneySmart which means there are no ads or bugs!
Final Verdict? 9/10
While not all of the apps that we tried were a smash hit, they did manage to successfully keep a track record of our spending habits (some better than others).
All of our app testers agreed that getting into the routine of imputing your daily expenses into the app was the only real challenge; however definitely something to get into the habit of doing!
Overall, we would recommend giving any of these apps a go to see if they work for you; anything that will help you save money and make your finances easier to handle is A-OK with us!
Don’t forget to download the MOVE Bank App while you’re at it! We’re so proud that it’s even easier for our members to keep on top of their finances anytime, anywhere.
This blog post is for general information purposes only and is not intended as financial or professional advice. It does not have regard to the financial situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as financial product or other professional advice. You should seek your own independent financial, legal and taxation advice before making any decision about any action in relation to the material in this article. Railways Credit Union Limited trading as MOVE Bank ABN 91 087 651 090. AFSL/ Australian Credit License number 234 536 | ABN 91 087 651
