A recent survey has found that 29% of the UK’s New Year’s resolutions set for 2024 are money-orientated. But the thing about saving is – it is actually pretty hard!
Mix financial illiteracy with the cost-of-living crisis, any existing debt and impulse buying and it’s easy to see how in 2023, 23% of Brits had no form of savings at all. Learning how to budget is a life skill, and as with all skills – they are picked up through practice and experience.
Whether you are saving for a rainy day, a mortgage or you’re simply trying to make the most of your apprenticeship salary – looking inwards at your personal finances will provide you with a better understanding of where your money is going, and how much money you can realistically afford to put aside.
We know that looking through your bank statements and categorising your spending can be boring. But fear not, we live in a digital age and tech works for us and our needs. Budgeting apps mean you have a financial advisor at your fingertips! Let’s take a look at the 3 apps that are guaranteed to level up your saving game in 2024.
3. SNOOP
Ratings & Reviews: 4.6 out of 5* ⭐
#23 IN FINANCE ON APPLE APP STORE
100K+ DOWNLOADS ON GOOGLE PLAY
Snoop is a money management app which allows you to automatically connect your bank accounts via Open Banking. The app displays all your bank accounts together so you can see your financial information in one place.
Snoop groups payments together so you can visualise what you are spending your money on. Whether you are guilty of spending more than you care to admit on entertainment, eating out or groceries – Snoop provides you with a spending analysis month by month to show that it all adds up.
Though, the biggest benefit of using Snoop is that it doubles as a money-saving app! Snoop can help you save on your broadband, energy bills, car insurance… The list goes on. The app can save you money in other ways, too. It can notify you about subscriptions you no longer use regularly, find vouchers and sales at places you shop, and track refunds.
Of course, if you are already a savvy saver then this feature may just tell you things you already know – but for those new to saving this app feature really is a game changer.
If you purchase Snoop Plus, for £3.99 per month or £31.99 annually, you can personalise your app to track your bills by pay cycle rather than monthly, and you can even check out your net worth. It may feel counterproductive to pay for a budgeting app, but it is always worth looking at the benefits and considering whether they can help you better reach your goals.
In our opinion, this app is perfect for those just starting their money-saving journey!
2. EMMA
Ratings & Reviews: 4.7 out of 5* ⭐
#8 IN FINANCE ON APPLE APP STORE
100K+ DOWNLOADS ON GOOGLE PLAY
Launched in 2018, Emma quickly took the UK by storm.
Emma has been praised for its user-friendly interface. The easy-to-navigate money management app uses Open Banking to access your current accounts without accessing your personal account details.
Emma does everything you would expect from a budgeting app. You can set your payday and Emma will analyse your bills, subscriptions and general monthly spending habits to provide you with an individually calculated monthly budget to follow. Alongside this, Emma will categorise transactions and provide a detailed breakdown of your spending.
The basic features of the app are great (and most importantly, free!) but if you are looking for more, users can upgrade their subscription to Emma Plus (£4.99 per month), Emma Pro (£9.99 per month) or Emma Ultimate (£14.99). Each provides a different level of enhancement to your app experience, Emma Plus allows you to see cashback deals and set bill reminders while Emma Pro enables you to earn cashback and rewards you for shopping with certain retailers.
Anything that makes budgeting accessible and easy to use gets a thumbs-up from us!
1. PLUM
Ratings & Reviews: 4.7 out of 5* ⭐
#5 IN FINANCE ON APPLE APP STORE
500K+ DOWNLOADS ON GOOGLE PLAY
Claiming our top spot, we have Plum! Plum is widely renowned as one of the most popular budgeting apps available. The free money management app is designed to help you put away money directly from your bank account into ‘Plum Pockets.’
You provide Plum ‘read-only’ access to your current accounts via Open Banking, and the app uses an AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithm to analyse your bank balance, recent transactions, and spending habits to determine how much you can afford to put away. The app then takes the money from your account and puts it into savings without you even noticing! The app boasts that these deposit amounts are tailored to each user so you will never be left short.
While the app is primarily an automated financial aid, you do have some say in how much you’re putting away. You can tweak the amount taken weekly depending on your ‘Mood.’ On the Plum app, users can click on the home tab and configure their own rules in the ‘Brain’ section. This allows you to change your Plum mood, which ranges from ‘Shy’ (which will put away 50% less than the scheduled amount) to ‘Beast Mode’ (which stashes 75% more than the scheduled amount.)
Overall, this app is easy to use, has many useful features, and its informal tone makes saving money in the app FUN! That is why it is our favourite!
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*Ratings and reviews are taken from the Apple App Store and correct as of 03/01/2024.