Monarch Money

Monarch launched in 2021, not long before Intuit shut Mint down, and picked up a wave of people looking for somewhere to land. The app connects to US checking, savings, credit card, loan, and investment accounts through Plaid, then rolls the balances into one view that covers monthly spending, bills due, and a net-worth line that updates as accounts change. Budgets can follow a flexible category system or a stricter zero-based style, and goals (a house down payment, an emergency fund) sit alongside the regular budget rather than in a separate app.

Pricing runs around $14.99 a month or roughly $99 a year if you pay annually, with no permanent free tier beyond a trial. What sets Monarch apart from most competitors at this price is the collaborative mode: a second person gets their own login and full access to the same household budget, useful for couples who got tired of one partner owning the only account on Mint or YNAB. It fits people who want a full financial picture, not just a spending tracker, and who don’t mind paying for software that used to be free.