Anyone still using budgeting app in [October] '26?

[KnotKnull]

Real experiences are usually more useful than glossy ads and comparison pages.

Real answers about budgeting apps from actual people are more useful than any comparison page.

I am trying to make a decision and the usual sources are not giving me a straight answer.

Keen to hear from people who have actually done this

[Anchor99]

I still using one here. It is less about tracking every single penny and more about noticing patterns. Seeing where money actually goes is surprisingly useful, especially with those small purchases that do not feel like much at the time.

The biggest win has been setting realistic categories rather than making a perfect spreadsheet that lasts three days. A simple system you actually keep using beats a complicated one you abandon.

I think budgeting apps are more useful now than they used to be because they fit into everyday banking better.

They are not exciting, but neither is checking your finances and discovering a problem months later. A few minutes of tracking can save a lot of stress.

[Jarvis]

Yes, although I have moved away from obsessively checking it every day. These days it is more of a monthly check-in to see if anything has drifted.

The biggest benefit is catching subscriptions and random spending habits. Those little £5 and £10 payments add up faster than people expect.

[Scholar29]

Still a fan of budgeting apps, but I think people sometimes expect them to magically fix spending habits. They are tools, not financial wizards hiding inside your phone.

A good app makes it easier to make decisions, but you still have to decide what matters to you.

Good thread this.

Automating your savings so you never see the money is the most effective method for most people

[Ann]

Used one for a while and it genuinely helped. The main thing was finally seeing the difference between what I thought I spent and what I actually spent.

Turns out a lot of money was disappearing into convenience purchases. Not dramatic spending, just lots of small things quietly joining forces.

[CMPunk_Fan]

Definitely still using one. It is especially handy for irregular expenses because those are the ones that catch people out.

Car repairs, gifts, annual payments and random household costs always seem to appear at the worst time unless you plan ahead.

[Courier53]

I still use one, mostly for planning rather than tracking. Knowing what bills are coming up and what is safe to spend makes life much less stressful.

The nice thing now is that many apps can automate the boring parts, so it does not feel like a second job.

Tried a few over the years and the biggest improvement has been simplicity. The old style of entering every coffee purchase manually was never going to survive.

The best app is probably the one you will still open six months later, not the one with 200 features you never touch.

[Luke_67]

Budgeting apps are useful if you treat them like a dashboard rather than a punishment system.

A lot of people quit because they feel bad every time they open it. It works better when it helps you plan for things you enjoy as well as keeping spending under control.

[ProperMadlad20]

Gave them another try recently after years of using notes and spreadsheets. The convenience is much better now, especially with automatic transaction importing.

Still think people should understand their own numbers though. If you never look at the categories, the app is just collecting data for decoration.

[Mike80]

Yeah I am still using one, but I went back to basics rather than anything fancy.

A simple budgeting app that just tracks spending by category works way better for me than anything with AI predictions or subscription dashboards.

Honestly, the simpler it is, the more likely I am to actually open it every day.

[GhostRider41]

I tried a few of the big name apps and ended up uninstalling most of them.

They were either too complicated or tried to upsell me premium features for things I do in a spreadsheet anyway.

Now I just use a free app plus a weekly check-in routine and that has stuck surprisingly well.

[Builder]

I still use one, but only for one reason: visibility.

Seeing everything in one place stops me from doing that classic "I think I have money somewhere" self-deception.

It is not perfect, but it has definitely saved me from a few questionable impulse buys.

[HeartbreakKidStinger64]

Hot take: most budgeting apps fail because people expect them to do the discipline for them.

The app can track, but it cannot stop you ordering takeaway at 11pm.

Once I accepted that, the app actually became useful instead of annoying.

[Delulu66]

I have gone completely old school now with a notes app and manual tracking.

Weirdly, that friction of typing things in makes me think twice about spending.

Automation is nice, but sometimes a bit of effort is the actual feature you need.

[Craig95]

I still use one, but only for shared expenses with my partner.

Splitting bills manually was turning into a weekly argument starter.

Now it is all tracked automatically and we argue about far more interesting things instead.

[Jonathan11]

Still using one here, although the way I use it has changed. It started as a way to track every coffee and random purchase, but now it is more about planning ahead and making sure bills, savings and bigger expenses are covered.

The shared expenses point is a big one. Trying to remember who paid for what after a month of shopping, meals and household stuff is a recipe for pointless arguments. Having it written down removes a lot of friction.

[Sharp Shannon]

Budgeting apps are still useful, but only if they fit your routine. There are plenty of people who download one, spend two hours setting up categories, then never open it again. The app did not fail, the setup was just too complicated.

A simple system that you actually maintain will beat a fancy one with every feature under the sun.

[Canopy]

Using one mainly for household costs now. Personal spending is easy enough to keep an eye on, but shared money gets messy quickly.

Things like utilities, groceries and random purchases for the home are where these apps shine. Nobody wants the monthly conversation that starts with "wait, who bought that?"

[WildManCena23]

I think budgeting apps have become less about strict budgeting and more about awareness. Most people already know the big bills, it is the small leaks that are harder to notice.

Seeing a few months of spending patterns can be enough to make changes without feeling like every purchase needs approval from a spreadsheet.

[Luke_67]

Still using one, but I would push back on the idea that everyone needs one. Some people naturally keep track of money well without an app.

For those who struggle with organisation though, having everything visible in one place can be a game changer. The tool is useful because it reduces the mental load, not because it replaces good habits.

[MachineSaint]

The shared account situation is exactly where these apps earn their place. Splitting expenses manually sounds simple until you are doing it every week and trying to remember small payments from three weeks ago.

It is not the most exciting technology, but removing arguments over money is a pretty good feature.

[Louise]

Moved away from daily tracking because it became too much work. There is a point where managing the budget becomes another task instead of helping you manage money.

Now a monthly review works better. Check categories, adjust anything that looks wrong and move on. No need to turn your finances into a full-time hobby.

[Matt95]

Still a believer, especially now that many banking tools have similar features built in. The important part is not the brand of app, it is whether you actually look at the information and use it to make decisions.

A budget is not meant to make life miserable. It is there so you know what you can spend without that uncomfortable end-of-month surprise.

[Phil]

The partner expense tracking example is probably one of the strongest arguments for these apps. Money disagreements are rarely about one coffee or one supermarket trip, they are usually about feeling like things are unfair.

Having a shared record keeps the conversation about the numbers rather than turning into a debate about memory. That alone is valuable.

[Scott98]

One underrated benefit is preparing for irregular costs. Car repairs, birthdays, insurance renewals and annual subscriptions are the things that catch people out.

A budgeting app makes those expenses less surprising because you can see them coming. It is basically a reminder that future you also has bills to pay.

[Rhys74]

Have tried several over the years and the winners are always the boring ones. The app with fewer buttons and less complicated setup usually survives the longest.

Financial organisation does not need to look impressive. A simple list that prevents overspending is already doing its job.