Best Student Budgeting Apps 2026
Stretch your student budget further. Find the perfect app to track spending, split bills with roommates, and graduate without crushing debt.
Why Students Need a Budgeting App
Roommate Bills
Split rent, utilities & groceries fairly
Tight Budget
Make every dollar count
Student Loans
Track debt and plan ahead
Social Life
Budget for fun without guilt
Savida
Best Overall for Students
Free / $9.99/mo
✓ Pros
- Free tier perfect for students
- Split expenses with roommates
- AI financial coaching
- Bank sync (premium)
- Works for all student groups
✗ Cons
- • Bank sync requires premium
Bottom Line: The ideal app for students juggling roommate bills, group trips, and tight budgets—with AI coaching to build smart money habits.
Mint
Classic Free Budgeter
Free (ad-supported)
✓ Pros
- Completely free
- Credit score monitoring
- Bill reminders
- Spending categorization
✗ Cons
- • Contains ads
- • No expense splitting
- • Owned by Credit Karma
- • Privacy concerns
Bottom Line: Good free option for solo budgeting, but lacks roommate splitting and has ads.
Splitwise
Roommate Expense Splitting
Free / $4.99/mo
✓ Pros
- Great for roommates
- Simple IOUs
- Large user base
- Group expenses
✗ Cons
- • No budgeting features
- • No bank sync
- • Manual entry only
- • Premium for best features
Bottom Line: Essential for splitting with roommates, but you'll need another app for actual budgeting.
PocketGuard
Simple Spending Tracker
Free / $7.99/mo
✓ Pros
- 'In My Pocket' shows spendable cash
- Simple interface
- Bill detection
- Bank linking
✗ Cons
- • Limited free features
- • No expense splitting
- • Premium for full features
- • Basic budgeting
Bottom Line: Good for seeing what you can spend, but limited features in free version.
Copilot Money
Premium iOS App
$14.99/mo
✓ Pros
- Beautiful design
- Smart insights
- Subscription tracking
- Investment viewing
✗ Cons
- • Expensive for students
- • iOS only
- • No Android
- • No expense splitting
Bottom Line: Beautiful app but too expensive for most students and lacks splitting.
Goodbudget
Envelope Budgeting
Free / $8/mo
✓ Pros
- Envelope method
- Sync across devices
- Simple concept
- Debt tracking
✗ Cons
- • Only 10 envelopes free
- • Dated interface
- • Manual entry
- • No bank sync free
Bottom Line: Good for learning envelope budgeting, but limited free tier.
YNAB
Zero-Based Budgeting
Free for students / $14.99/mo
✓ Pros
- Free for students (1 year)
- Proven methodology
- Educational resources
- Goal tracking
✗ Cons
- • Steep learning curve
- • Expensive after free year
- • Complex for beginners
- • No splitting
Bottom Line: Worth trying the free student year, but prepare for the learning curve.
Venmo
Payment & Splitting App
Free
✓ Pros
- Easy payments
- Social feed
- Split bills instantly
- Widely used by students
✗ Cons
- • Not a budgeting app
- • No spending tracking
- • Social pressure
- • Privacy concerns
Bottom Line: Great for sending money but doesn't help you budget or track spending.
💡 Student Budgeting Tips
Use the 50/30/20 Rule
50% needs (rent, food), 30% wants (entertainment), 20% savings/debt. Adjust based on your situation.
Set Up Auto-Split
Use automated rules to split recurring bills with roommates—no awkward reminders needed.
Track Small Purchases
Coffee runs and snacks add up fast. Track everything for a week to see where money goes.
Use Student Discounts
Many apps offer student pricing—always ask! YNAB is free for students for a full year.
Start Budgeting Like a Pro
Join thousands of students using Savida to manage money and split bills.