The 5 best apps to control your budget

Whether you're the cicada or ant type, keeping an eye on the state of your bank account throughout the day is always useful to avoid a possible overdraft. Many banks, which have understood the need to embark on a digital shift, now have their own applications to enable their customersto access their balances in real time. However, few offer other interesting options such as preparing a forecast budget or simply synchronizing several accounts from different institutions. In order to meet the growing demand of users, several apps have been created, each with its own peculiarity.

The most complete: Bankin '

Bankin' is a 100% French app available on Android and Apple phones. Very popular in France, she synchronizes with her bank account to get an accurate picture of her situation. If you are a customer of multiple banks, you can manage all your accounts from the same app, which is a significant asset. It gives no sense of frustration as it offers access to almost all the featuressuch as transfers or the “budget” tab, which allows you to assign a sum to several categories. to predict how much we will have at the end of the month. However, it is not possible to customize names or create new ones, as this is reserved for premium subscribers.

• We appreciate: The security level of the app, which requires you to enter your 6-digit personal code every time you connect or enter your fingerprint, the website that allows you to access the same functions on your computer, the advice of the “coach”
• We like less: The interface a bit difficult to handle the first time

The least intrusive: Isavemoney

If the idea of entering your bank details in an application gives you goose bumps, Isavemoney is the ideal alternative. Completely manual, you will have to enter your income and expenses yourself, which can quickly become a real long-term puzzle if you look for the most accurate overview possible. However, in order to facilitate the use and avoid having to enter the same data each month, fixed expenses such as “rent” or “mutual” may be foreseen , which will be repeated on the desired dates. Creating categories to classify your expenses is simple and playful, as is the interface that allows you to quickly see if there have been unexpected excesses. It is also possible to simulate transfers to your account, to make the budget true to reality.

• We appreciate: The complete free application and its easy handling.
• We like less: Bright orange a little aggressive

The most functional: Wallet

Mixing budget management and everyday tasks, Wallet is perfect for those who want a little personal assistant in their pockets . For example, the free version allows you to make your shopping list, group your warranties in the same place or organize your loyalty cards. Obviously, the application is also used to track its finances : the free version asks to make its entries manually while the paid version automatically synchronizes with the bank for ease of use. The interface allows you to quickly get the software in hand thanks to small bubbles that give us tips on how to use the different tabs. The “Wallet Now” section is very visual and shows in a blink of an eye the state of our situation using explicit counters. The possibility of budgeting for certain expenses such as “emergency fund” or “purchase of a new car” is valuable and motivating to help save. Thus, we observe the percentage evolved as soon as we manage to set aside what makes the action much more playful.

• We appreciate: A complete application that offers a lot of features, even in a free version. A very easy grip and a welcoming design. The “statistics” tab that allows us to quickly visualize our data
• We like less: Having to pay to synchronize your application to your bank account

The most popular: Linxo

Linxo is the first mobile budget management application in France with more than 2 million users. However, users are very quickly limited in their choices if they do not subscribe to Linxo Premium: the free version only allows to synchronize their software to one or more bank accounts in order to make transfers and monitor the real evolution of their finances. As far as forecasts are concerned, the sum of 30 euros per year will have to be paid, which is one of the lowest rates on the market. This advanced version allows, among other things, to benefit from an extension of warranty on all everyday devices whose sales price exceeds 100 euros and cover up to 5000 euros per year, which is an original and not insignificant feature. Also reserved for premium users, the ability to customize categories or search over time.

• We appreciate: Notifications that alert us as soon as our bank account falls below a certain threshold or when a high expense is made. Pleasant design and general ergonomics.
• We like less: Having to pay for access to the forecast budget

The simplest: Money Manager

Ideal for those who are not comfortable with graphs and statistics, Money Manager has made the bet of simplicity by making its application as accessible to as many people as possible. Here, no headache: you indicate whether it is an expense or income, you choose a pictogram, a title, an amount and the trick is played. You can also create your own categories for accuracy, and plan a purchase on a given date. However, options are quickly limited, and it is not possible to make a repetitive expense which can quickly prove to be redundant. Like Isavemoney, it is not possible to synchronize the application with your bank account and everything is completely manual.

• We appreciate: The extremely purified interface, almost childish, which decomplexifies such an important task.
• We also like the great customization of the categories
• We like less: The inability to record recurring expenses