Being an adult means juggling many financial responsibilities. Properly managing your own finances is one of the most important adulating skills you need to learn. Unfortunately, as the cost of living and market prices continue to rise, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep track of your budget.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by your ever-growing expenses?
Thankfully, there are plenty of user-friendly expense tracker apps in Singapore. Finding the right expense tracker app will help you keep track of your spending and even help you target how much you should save.
Are Expense Tracker Apps Safe?
Using expense tracking apps is safe as long as you use a reputable budget tracker. We listed some of the best expense tracker apps below.
But first, you need to understand the personal information you’ll possibly be sharing with the app:
- Details of your bank and credit card accounts
- Some expense tracker apps may ask for sources of income, such as stocks and investment funds
Note that such expense tracker apps will sync bank accounts as well as credit accounts periodically. However, it is only “read-only” access. This means they can “read” your financial activity but can’t make changes, such as transferring or withdrawing money without your consent.
Lastly, a reputable expense tracker app will only show your budget (e.g bills and purchases), but not your bank login data.
Check out also: The Best Money Saving Apps in Singapore and Investment in Singapore.
Top Expense Tracker Apps To Manage Your Finances
1. Spendee: Best for Beginners
If you’re just dipping your toes in expense tracking, Spendee is a good app to get started. This budget tracking app has gorgeous visuals and a minimalistic user interface, making it very user-friendly. With Spendee, you can manage your money with ease from one place.
A fuss-free budget tracker, simply link your credit and bank account to your Spendee account.
Features/Highlights:
- A streamlined approach to financial management
- Easy-to-understand graphic with powerful insights
- Set up smart budgets to avoid overspending
Cost: Free
Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 stars
Reviews: 2.2K on iOS; 36.4K on Google Play
2. TOSHL Finance: Best for Families Searching a Feature-Packed Budget Tracker App
Want to keep a close eye on your expenditure? Toshl Finance is an expense tracker app that is packed with features that may overwhelm beginners. Thankfully, the app doesn’t overload you with information. Additionally, it is highly streamlined and easy to use.
It allows you to connect multiple bank accounts from across the globe. Plus, you can add multiple credit cards for added convenience and auto-sync multiple devices, making it ideal for tracking household expenses.
Features/Highlights:
- Unlimited financial accounts for the paid version
- Fingerprint scanning feature
- Multi-currency support
- Auto-sync with multiple devices
Cost: Free; Paid version starts at USD3.33/month for a 1-year subscription
Rating: 4.7 / 5.0 stars
Reviews: 512 on iOS; 30.3K on Google Play
3. Seedly: Best For Beginners Because Of Its Minimalist Interface
Seedly blog is the leading personal finance guide in Singapore. If you’re a frequent reader of their finance blog, you’ll be glad to know that they launched their own expense tracker app – Seedly.
The Seedly app is designed with a minimalist look that aims to help users break down their monthly expenses. It features easy-to-understand graphs at a glance. Perfect for beginners, you can quickly get into the habit of budgeting without getting confused by all the technical terms.
Feature/Highlights:
- Breaks down and analyzes your transaction
- Smart spending categories
- Customizable budgets
- Month-on-month transaction comparisons
Cost: Free
Rating: 4.4 / 5.0 stars
Reviews: 230 on iOS; 317 on Google Play
4. YNAB: Best for Couples Who Budget Together
YNAB, also known as You Need a Budget, is different from other expense tracking apps because it teaches you how to manage your money. It features a wide variety of budgeting tools and features, including bank syncing. YNAB also offers over 100 free, live workshops about finance management.
YNAB is also a great option when budgeting with a partner. Whether you have a shared account, separate accounts, or a combination of both, this app will help you organize your account. It also gives you and your partner a clear, real-time look at managing your money together.
Features/Highlights:
- Uses an award-winning software
- Multiple bank account syncing
- Excellent customer support
- Budgeting workshops
Does YNAB work in Singapore? Yes, like most expense tracking apps, YNAB works great in Singapore.
Cost: Free for the first 30 days, USD14.99/month thereafter
Rating: 4.7 / 5.0 stars
Reviews: 113 on iOS; 10K on Google Play
5. Expensify: Best for Small Businesses and Freelancers
Expensify is known for being one of the best expense tracking apps for small companies or freelancers. If you’re a business owner, you can ensure that all employee transactions with the same email domain will be monitored seamlessly with Expensify.
It helps users organize receipts and other payment processes. This app can categorize and code each receipt. Plus, it can automatically submit business expenses for approval and reimbursement.
Features/Highlights:
- Track all employee transactions and submission of claims
- SmartScan feature so employees won’t have to fill in all the info by hand
- Accounting integrations and expense approval
Cost: Free for individuals and self-employed; paid version for businesses starts from USD5/user/month
Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars
Reviews: 113,552 on iOS; 19.8K on Google Play
Other expense tracker apps that are worth considering include the Household Account Book which is the cutest expense tracker app and Zennmoney which can predict future expenses.
| Expense Tracking App | Spendee | TOSHL Finance | Seedly | YNAB | Expensify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free
Paid version starts at USD3.33/month | Free | Free for the first 30 days; USD14.99/month thereafter | Free for individuals and self-employed |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 stars | 4.7 / 5 stars | 4.4 / 5 stars | 4.7 / 5 stars | 4.5 / 5 stars |
| Best for | Beginners | Families | Beginners | Couples | Small business and freelancers |
| Key feature | Easy-to-understand graphic and powerful insights | Auto-sync with multiple devices
| Month-on-month transaction comparison | Multiple accounts syncing | SmartScan feature so employees won’t have to fill in all the info by hand
|
How We Chose the Top 5
The top 5 expense tracking apps listed above were chosen primarily because of their unique and valuable key features. The Google rating and the number of reviews were also taken into account. As such, we only chose expense tracker apps with a 4-star rating and above and over a hundred reviews on both iOS and Google Play.
Tips When Budgeting
Want to start saving money and putting a cap on your expenses? Using the right expense tracker app is only the tip of the iceberg. Here are other essential tips for managing your spending habits and ultimately save money:
1. Set quantifiable goals
Setting goals is crucial in motivating you to stick to a budget. However, it’s best to make your goal achievable and quantifiable. Here’s an example of a quantifiable goal:
- I want to save SGD X,XXX at the end of the year.
- I want to buy a 2-room HDB in X area by the age of 30.
2. Use the 50/30/20 rule when budgeting
Don’t know where to start? A rule of thumb is to split your income into three broad categories.
- Up to 50% for needs – groceries, bills, loan repayments, etc.
- Up to 20% of your household income must go to your savings account.
- Up to 30% can be used for flexible spending, such as entertainment, clothes, etc.
3. Keep track of your spending using expense tracker apps
Most of these apps can automatically sync with your bank account and credit cards, it will help you stay on top of your expenses. Additionally, these apps can help you determine which category you’re overspending on. Plus, you can compare month-on-month transactions.
4. Look for ways to cut costs
When you find the areas that need work, take the necessary steps to cut costs. Whether it’s finding cheaper alternatives at the grocery or cutting down on dining out expenses, it can go a long way to lowering your expenses.
5. Keep track of your debt
Make sure to pay all your outstanding debts on time to avoid late fees and additional interest charges. List all your debts and keep track of your monthly repayment schedules. Consider setting up an auto payment to avoid missed bills.
Conclusion
A reliable budget tracker will help you stay on track so you can reach your financial goals easily. The smartest expense tracker app will make keying expenses seamless and ensures safe syncing with your bank and credit accounts. Compare different apps to find the features that best suit your needs.
Key Features
- Expense tracking is made quick and easy with smart expense tracking apps.
- Most budget trackers have a free version, but if you want to enjoy more features and detailed insights, you may need to get the paid version.
- Using expense tracking apps is safe as long as you use a reputable budget tracker.
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