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App Imp

Budgeting apps.

Sync & data runs in 9 of the 11 apps here — nobody on this shelf has fixed it.

11 apps · 4,997 reviews held · 2,122 negative · 2026-08-24 snapshot

64/100 opportunity

6 of 6 factors · not advice
Nobody's fixed it9 of 11 apps82
How far above typical6.5% vs 2.2% typical75
How angrystar2.8 · 138 reviews13
People in the market843,708 ratings64
Room to enterleader holds 45% of ratings55
Willingness to pay10 of 11 charge · $6.49 entry91

Mostly solved: ads. 8 of 11 apps run below the store’s typical rate on it — while 9 of 11 still carry sync & data complaints.

How this is scored

Weighted mean of the sub-scores, weights re-normalized over whatever is computable (nobody's fixed it 25 · how far above typical 20 · how angry 15 · people in the market 15 · room to enter 15 · willingness to pay 10). Fixed anchors map each count to 0–100: breadth and willingness-to-pay are straight shares; the gap’s heat tops out at 4times the store’s typical rate; anger scores star3 as 0 and star1.5 as 100; reach runs 104 to 107ratings on a log scale; room to enter is one minus the leader’s share of shelf ratings. A factor that cannot be counted is dropped and named — never imputed. The site’s one composite (#115, owner decision 2026-08-15); cited industry benchmarks are never blended in.

5 gaps.

01

Sync & data — unfixed in 9 of 11 apps

high · 6.5% of this shelf’s 2,122 negative reviews, against 2.2% typical store-wide, at 2.80star average anger.

What they said · 138 reviews
  • Sync fails between devices15 of 138
“Better on computer — The computer/online version is great. The mobile app sucks at syncing data across different devices. Many times i have had to re-reconcile various transactions because of a failure to sync correctly from the mobile app. Watch out for duplicate transactions!”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 1star · Aug 21, 2026
“Issues prevent me from using — I want to like this app. I really want to like it. It promises so many great things. Unfortunately, if you do not have one of the major five banks, you will probably have issues. I have a small, smaller credit union, and and there are constant issues with syncing, correct balances, and just getting it to work in general. I downloaded this in spent more time talking w”Copilot: Track & Budget Money · 3star · Aug 14, 2026
“Needs Work — I’ve read the book and I’m totally on board with how YNAB frames finance. But this app is poorly structured and non-intuitive. I thought if I stayed with it, maybe something in it would click, but that’s not happening. It also, unlike the app I’ve chosen to use, doesn’t sync with all my banks. So I’m making Goodbudget work in YNAB framing.”YNAB · 2star · Aug 12, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
6.5%
138 of 2,122
store-wide
2.2%
typical
breadth
82%
9 of 11 apps
02

UX — unfixed in 11 of 11 apps

high · 7.7% of this shelf’s 2,122 negative reviews, against 2.9% typical store-wide, at 3.09star average anger.

What they said · 164 reviews
“UI changes are just ridiculous — 2nd time in a few years that they’ve made the DUMBEST changes to the UI. I use this app for how friendly the user interface was. You seriously need to fire whoever thought the most recent change was a good idea. The app is now ugly and just as boring as every other budgeting all out there. It’s time to start looking for a different system.”YNAB · 2star · Aug 14, 2026
“Constant Useless and Confusing Updates Recently — Have been a used for years. Recent updates bury my budgeting info multiple clicks deep so I can no longer see the useful info (how much money I am aiming for, nave, and need) without multiple clicks. Was all set to get an account for my child before college. Now I am looking to see when my current subscription expires so I can be sure it doesn’t au”YNAB · 1star · Aug 14, 2026
“Not Worth The Subscription ❌ — YNAB used to be the gold standard for budgeting, but it feels like every update makes the app worse. Instead of improving the core budgeting experience, the team keeps making changes that add more clicks, more friction, and more confusion. It feels like change for the sake of change, not because users asked for it. What many longtime users want is simple: go back to”YNAB · 1star · Aug 14, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
7.7%
164 of 2,122
store-wide
2.9%
typical
breadth
100%
11 of 11 apps
03

Login & auth — unfixed in 11 of 11 apps

high · 29.2% of this shelf’s 2,122 negative reviews, against 13.2% typical store-wide, at 2.67star average anger.

What they said · 619 reviews
“Works well until it doesn’t! — Im glad I downloaded the free version, its great, but it crashed after four weeks and I can’t login anymore. It has been three days so far, I found another expense tracker. Again, its great if it works! Again, it’s the best app, if it’s working! Maybe stick to the free version until you can trust it enough! Nevertheless, I’ve deleted and downloaded the app multiple t”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 3star · Aug 21, 2026
“Will rob you — This app stole almost 45$ from my bank account, stating the charges as “rocket money fees” don’t let this app get ahold of all your personal information and it is a scam.”Rocket Money - Bills & Budgets · 1star · Aug 14, 2026
“Invasive — When you end your subscription your bank accounts are still linked and Rocket Money still emails you notices about your spending etc. Then even if you log into your account, you can’t unlink your bank accounts without restoring your subscription. I find this unethical. And I ended my subscription so I don’t want the service anymore, why are you still emailing me? I will not use Rocket m”Rocket Money - Bills & Budgets · 1star · Aug 14, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
29.2%
619 of 2,122
store-wide
13.2%
typical
breadth
100%
11 of 11 apps
04

Billing — unfixed in 11 of 11 apps

elevated · 46.5% of this shelf’s 2,122 negative reviews, against 32.1% typical store-wide, at 2.92star average anger.

What they said · 987 reviews
  • Price judged too high for the value71 of 987
  • Cancellation blocked or broken28 of 987
  • Trial converted without clear consent26 of 987
  • Charge the user never authorised22 of 987
“Zero customer support — I’ve experienced many of the issues in this review - duplicate transactions, banks disconnecting, transactions not being cleared when deleted or categorized. I was willing to keep trying but I have created multiple support tickets and literally no one gets back to you. I like the UI but I am in the process of transitioning to another app. Edit: after nearly 2 weeks, still”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 2star · Aug 22, 2026
“Always something wrong — Now it’s unusable. Says to update but just goes back and forth between the App Store and the App. Honestly this app sucks. It takes forever for the purchases to populate. This is supposed to help us budget not cause a bunch of issues. Uninstalling and unsubscribing.”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 1star · Aug 22, 2026
“The app badge is screwed uo 👎🏻 — This app is mostly good. But the app badge is really screwed up. It shows that there are transactions to log when there are none or else the number is wrong. If there are any, after I log them, a couple minutes later the badge shows that there 3 new transactions, but there are always none. It does this consistently. If it shows a number of transactions to log at o”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 2star · Aug 15, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
46.5%
987 of 2,122
store-wide
32.1%
typical
breadth
100%
11 of 11 apps
05

Accuracy — unfixed in 11 of 11 apps

elevated · 13.3% of this shelf’s 2,122 negative reviews, against 11.5% typical store-wide, at 1.92star average anger.

What they said · 282 reviews
“Zero customer support — I’ve experienced many of the issues in this review - duplicate transactions, banks disconnecting, transactions not being cleared when deleted or categorized. I was willing to keep trying but I have created multiple support tickets and literally no one gets back to you. I like the UI but I am in the process of transitioning to another app. Edit: after nearly 2 weeks, still”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 2star · Aug 22, 2026
“Always something wrong — Now it’s unusable. Says to update but just goes back and forth between the App Store and the App. Honestly this app sucks. It takes forever for the purchases to populate. This is supposed to help us budget not cause a bunch of issues. Uninstalling and unsubscribing.”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 1star · Aug 22, 2026
“The app badge is screwed uo 👎🏻 — This app is mostly good. But the app badge is really screwed up. It shows that there are transactions to log when there are none or else the number is wrong. If there are any, after I log them, a couple minutes later the badge shows that there 3 new transactions, but there are always none. It does this consistently. If it shows a number of transactions to log at o”EveryDollar: Budget Management · 2star · Aug 15, 2026
How it compares
this shelf
13.3%
282 of 2,122
store-wide
11.5%
typical
breadth
100%
11 of 11 apps

Is there a market for a new budgeting app?

11 apps compete on this shelf, holding 4,997 App Store reviews — and the widest unfixed complaint, sync & data, runs in 9 of 11 of them at 6.5% of negative reviews against 2.2% typical. Those are counts, not a verdict — the page shows what is unfixed, not whether to build.

What do users complain about most in budgeting apps?

1. Sync & data — in 9 of 11 apps, 6.5% of negative reviews; 2. UX — in 11 of 11 apps, 7.7% of negative reviews; 3. Login & auth — in 11 of 11 apps, 29.2% of negative reviews; 4. Billing — in 11 of 11 apps, 46.5% of negative reviews; 5. Accuracy — in 11 of 11 apps, 13.3% of negative reviews.

How many budgeting app reviews did App Imp count?

4,997 US App Store reviews across 11 apps, 2,122 of them negative — counted on the 2026-08-24 snapshot, never estimated.

Searched on the App Store.

Apple’s own suggestions for budgeting apps terms, in their order.

budget managementbudget planner freebudgetingbudgeting app for couplesbudgeting app for teensbudgeting for teenssmart moneybudget planner

Searched, but no app on this shelf says it in its name.

Who’s in it

All 11 apps counted on this shelf · 2026-08-24.

App
Rocket Money - Bills & Budgets383,3651%3%29%74%
NerdWallet: Smart Money App124,7274%3%48%20%
Monarch: Budget & Track Money106,1148%3%35%51%
EveryDollar: Budget Management84,0256%1%25%44%
YNAB61,2925%19%25%36%
Copilot: Track & Budget Money30,0908%10%38%31%
Budget app - spending tracker15,54013%9%21%36%
Goodbudget Budget Planner13,40610%21%11%35%
Fleur - Budget Planner App12,644—14%14%57%
Buddy: Budget Planner App9,40823%9%24%44%
Budget Bestie3,097—5%13%66%

Each cell: that app’s share of its own negative reviews. Bold from 1.15 times the store’s typical rate for that complaint, and only where an app holds 20+ negative reviews. Click a column to sort.

What they charge, and what it costs them

Prices from Apple’s public pages; the share counts payment-mechanics language only.

AppMoney complaints
Monarch: Budget & Track Money$14.99–$199.99 · 5 tiers8.9% of 181
Rocket Money - Bills & Budgets$2.99–$9.99 · 6 tiers6.7% of 513
Buddy: Budget Planner App$4.99–$49.99 · 7 tiers6.6% of 180
YNAB$14.99–$109 · 2 tiers6% of 266
Budget Bestie$4.99–$69.99 · 6 tiers5.7% of 87
Copilot: Track & Budget Money$13–$95 · 3 tiers4.9% of 185
Goodbudget Budget Planner$5.99–$79.99 · 8 tiers4.5% of 156
EveryDollar: Budget Management$7.99–$129.99 · 7 tiers2.6% of 156
NerdWallet: Smart Money Appfree1.4% of 292
Budget app - spending tracker$2.99–$14.99 · 8 tiers0% of 85
Fleur - Budget Planner App$6.99–$39.99 · 6 tiers0% of 21

What each one owns, where each is exposed

Rocket Money - Bills & Budgets

367,314 ratings · 68% negative

Owns. Largest reach; bill-negotiation hook

Exposed. Billing fraud perception ('billing every three weeks'); inaccurate sync; no Zelle/CashApp

Intuit Credit Karma

7,662,704 ratings · 67% negative

Owns. Massive free-tier reach; credit-score anchor

Exposed. Feature removals without notice; AI answers users call 'entirely inaccurate'; no real budgeting depth

NerdWallet: Smart Money App

124,050 ratings · 69% negative

Owns. Brand trust; free entry

Exposed. Stripped 50/30/20 tracker and bill tracker; ad-heavy redesign; users explicitly say 'my bank app does this now'

YNAB

60,738 ratings · 49% negative

Owns. Methodology loyalty; $109 annual ceiling proves willingness to pay

Exposed. Monstrous learning curve; bank connections break setup; UI redesigns alienate existing subscribers

Monarch: Budget & Track Money

97,998 ratings · 36% negative

Owns. Cleanest negative rate among syncing apps; strong community

Exposed. Facebook tracker in paid app; promised features moved to higher paywall; money-back guarantee unenforceable

Copilot: Track & Budget Money

29,706 ratings · 39% negative

Owns. Premium aesthetic; $95 annual tier proves high-end segment

Exposed. Crashes adding accounts; duplicate transactions require manual cleanup; support unresponsive

EveryDollar: Budget Management

83,904 ratings · 38% negative

Owns. Dave Ramsey ecosystem distribution; $129.99 ceiling

Exposed. Foreign transaction delays; buggy goal editing; batch labeling absent

Goodbudget Budget Planner

13,319 ratings · 37% negative

Owns. Envelope method niche; long-term retention

Exposed. Silent data loss wipes years of envelopes with no recovery path

Browse the apps behind these counts

Every app we count, with the complaint it runs furthest above the store’s typical rate.

Open the app library
How this is counted

Every number is arithmetic over the reviews we hold, re-counted weekly — nothing modelled, nothing scored. Themes come from a frozen pattern classifier rather than a model reading reviews, so the same review always lands in the same bucket. A shelf rate is pooled across every app here; the store rate is the same count across 12,122 apps. A complaint is only called a gap when at least half the shelf carries it and at least 20 reviews are behind it — a problem concentrated in one app is that app’s bug.