Mint shut down in March 2024 after 15+ years. Credit Karma - where Intuit pushed users - isn’t really a budgeting app. It’s credit monitoring with basic transaction viewing.
If you’re looking for an actual replacement, here’s what works.
Spreadsheet Budgeting
Before jumping to another app, consider whether you need one at all. The Mint experience left many users questioning whether automatic bank connections are worth the hassle - account linking breaks, categorization needs constant fixing, and apparently the whole service can just disappear.
Spreadsheets offer complete privacy and data ownership. No bank linking, no subscriptions, works offline, never shuts down unexpectedly. Templates like the Monthly Budget Template and Net Worth Tracker replicate what Mint did for tracking. The trade-off is manual data entry instead of automatic import, but many former Mint users find they actually prefer the intentionality of entering transactions themselves.
Quicken Simplifi
If you want the closest experience to what Mint was, Simplifi is probably it. Automatic transaction import, spending categories, budget tracking - the core features work similarly.
The spending plan approach feels familiar to Mint users, showing money in versus money out with clear visual progress. At $48/year, it’s affordable for an app with automatic imports. The company has been around for decades, which provides some stability reassurance after the Mint shutdown.
Monarch Money
Built by a former Mint product manager who apparently saw the writing on the wall. Monarch was literally designed to be what Mint could have become with continued investment.
Joint account access makes it popular with couples who want to budget together. The budget vs. actual tracking is more detailed than Mint offered, and cash flow projections help with planning. At $99/year it costs more than Simplifi, but users who’ve tried both often prefer Monarch’s polish and features.
YNAB (You Need A Budget)
This one takes a different philosophy entirely. Instead of tracking what you spent (Mint’s approach), YNAB has you assign every dollar a job before spending it.
The learning curve is steeper - expect a few weeks to really get comfortable. But YNAB users often report significant financial improvements from the methodology itself, not just the software. At $109/year, it’s the most expensive option here, though the approach works for people who struggled with passive tracking.
Empower Personal Dashboard
Empower is free, which is notable given Mint’s fate. The focus is different though - strong investment tracking and net worth monitoring, less emphasis on day-to-day budgeting.
If Mint’s net worth and investment features mattered most to you, Empower actually exceeds what Mint offered in those areas. The catch is that Empower makes money through wealth management services, so expect some sales pitches. For basic tracking though, the free tier works well.
Tiller Money
Tiller takes an interesting approach - it pulls transactions automatically into Google Sheets or Excel. You get the automation of app-based tracking with the flexibility of a spreadsheet you control.
At $79/year, the price sits between Simplifi and Monarch. The appeal is having your data in a format that will never become inaccessible because a company decided to shut down. Good middle ground for people who want some automation but also want true data ownership.
What About Credit Karma?
Intuit pushed Mint users toward Credit Karma, but it’s not really a replacement. Credit Karma lacks category budgeting, spending targets, and budget vs. actual tracking - basically everything that made Mint useful for budgeting purposes.
Credit Karma is a credit monitoring service, not a budgeting tool. It shows your credit score and lets you see transactions, but there’s no budget functionality. If you switched and wondered why it felt inadequate, that’s why. The products serve different purposes.
How to Choose
The right choice depends on what you actually valued about Mint. If you valued simplicity and just want something that works, Quicken Simplifi or PocketGuard recreate that experience well. If you want better budgeting than Mint ever offered, YNAB or Monarch provide more robust methodologies.
Privacy-conscious users tend toward spreadsheets or Goodbudget, which works without linking bank accounts. Investment-focused users often prefer Empower for its portfolio tracking. Couples budgeting together generally like Monarch or Goodbudget for shared access.
The Lesson
Mint’s closure taught something worth remembering: when you rely on a free service, you’re vulnerable to the company’s decisions. Millions of users lost access to years of tracking data with limited notice. This risk exists with any service where you don’t own your data.
Whether you choose an app or spreadsheet, a few questions are worth considering. Can you export your data? What happens if the service shuts down? Who controls your financial information?
Spreadsheet-based tracking offers permanent data ownership - your files exist on your computer or Google Drive forever. Apps offer convenience but come with platform risk. There’s no wrong answer, but the Mint situation made the tradeoffs clearer.
Common Questions
Is there a free Mint alternative? Empower Personal Dashboard is free. Free tiers also exist for PocketGuard, Rocket Money, and Goodbudget. Spreadsheets are free with Google Sheets.
Which is most like Mint? Quicken Simplifi or Monarch Money. Both offer automatic import and category-based budget tracking.
Are other apps at risk of shutting down? Free services carry this risk since the business model is less clear. Paid services with sustainable business models (YNAB, Simplifi, Monarch) tend to be more stable. Spreadsheets won’t shut down.
Related
- Net Worth Tracker - replaces Mint’s net worth tracking
- Annual Budget Template - year-long budget view
- Monthly Budget Template - replaces Mint’s spending tracking
- Privacy-First Personal Finance