budgeting 14 min read

Mint Shutdown: The Best Alternatives in 2026

With Mint officially gone, millions are looking for replacements. We compare the top Mint alternatives and help you choose the right one for your needs.

S
Sarah Chen

Senior Finance Editor

Updated January 3, 2026

The End of an Era: What Happened to Mint

In January 2024, Intuit officially shut down Mint, the free budgeting app that introduced millions to personal finance tracking. After 17 years and over 3.6 million users, Mint redirected users to Credit Karma for basic features.

If you were a Mint user, you're not alone in searching for alternatives. The good news? Several excellent options have emerged, many offering features Mint never had.

Best Overall: Monarch Money

Monarch Money is widely considered the most direct Mint replacement. Founded by former Mint developers, it's what Mint should have become.

Why it's the best Mint alternative:

  • Clean, modern interface (better than Mint ever was)
  • Reliable bank connections (Plaid-powered)
  • Customizable categories and rollover budgets
  • Excellent customer support
  • Couples/family accounts with different views

Pricing: $14.99/month or $99/year (14-day free trial)

The cost is Monarch's only downside—Mint was free. But the reliability and features justify the price for serious budgeters.

Best Free Option: Rocket Money

Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) offers a capable free tier along with premium features for subscription management and bill negotiation.

Free tier includes:

  • Account linking and transaction tracking
  • Basic budgeting
  • Subscription detection
  • Net worth tracking

Premium adds ($4-12/month):

  • Bill negotiation (they negotiate, you save)
  • Subscription cancellation service
  • Smart savings features
  • Premium support

The free tier is more limited than Mint was, but the premium features are genuinely valuable.

Best for Serious Budgeters: YNAB

YNAB (You Need A Budget) takes a different approach—proactive budgeting vs. passive tracking. Every dollar gets a job before you spend it.

If Mint's casual tracking wasn't changing your financial behavior, YNAB's methodology might. Users report saving an average of $600 in their first two months and $6,000 in the first year.

Pricing: $14.99/month or $109/year (34-day free trial)

YNAB has a steeper learning curve than Mint, but their free educational resources (workshops, videos) help you master the method.

Best for Investors: Empower

Empower (formerly Personal Capital) shines for investment tracking and retirement planning. Its free tools rival what financial advisors charge for.

Free features include:

  • Investment portfolio analysis
  • Retirement planner
  • Fee analyzer (find hidden investment fees)
  • Net worth tracking
  • Basic budgeting

The budgeting features are more basic than Monarch or YNAB, but if investment tracking is your priority, Empower is hard to beat—and it's free.

How to Migrate from Mint

Before Mint shut down, Intuit offered data export. If you missed that window, here's how to start fresh:

  1. Choose your new app based on your priorities (budgeting depth, price, investment tracking)
  2. Link your accounts - Most apps use the same Plaid connection service
  3. Set up categories - Import Mint's categories or start fresh
  4. Review and categorize - Spend 30 minutes fixing auto-categorizations
  5. Set budgets - Use your historical Mint data as a guide

Allow 2-3 months for the new app to learn your patterns. Stick with it—the grass is actually greener here.

Frequently Asked Questions

mint alternatives budgeting apps
S

Written by Sarah Chen

Senior Finance Editor

Sarah Chen is a certified financial planner with over 10 years of experience helping individuals and families achieve their financial goals. She specializes in budgeting strategies and debt management.