Simplifi vs. EveryDollar: Which Is Simply the Best Budgeting App?
5 Min Read | Dec 1, 2023
When it comes to budgeting apps, you’ve never had more options. Which can be a good and a challenging thing. How can you pick which one is right for you? By putting them head-to-head in a cage match! Okay, not really. Instead, use this comparison of two contenders—Simplifi vs. EveryDollar.
Key Takeaways
- Simplifi by Quicken offers only a paid version of their budgeting app.
- EveryDollar offers a free and premium version of their budgeting app.
- Simplifi encourages a more hands-off approach to budgeting.
- EveryDollar encourages budgeters to create custom budgets that work for their lives and their goals.
- Simplifi is owned by Rocket Mortgage, who also owns Quicken Loans and another budgeting app, Rocket Money.
What Is Simplifi?
Simplifi by Quicken (related to Quicken Loans) was created to offer a more hands-off approach to budgeting. The app sets up a budget automatically based off your previous spending. (So they have to sort through your Amazon and Target purchases and make assumptions about that spending—when you know you bought toilet paper, snacks and cardigans in one single checkout. Good luck with that, Simplifi.) You can then add in other budget lines and projected spending for those lines.
Simplifi budgeting features are designed to help users:
- Save money
- Know what’s left to spend
- Plan ahead
- Grow their investments
How Much Does Simplifi Cost?
So how much is Simplifi by Quicken? They don’t have a free version of their budgeting features. The cost to budget with them is $3.99 per month.
What Are Simplifi’s Features?
Free Features Include
- None!
Paid Features Include
- Connect to multiple financial accounts in one app
- Get your budget set up for you
- Set and track goals
- See budget reports
- Get built-in tax reports
- Get cash-flow projections
- Have your transactions automatically categorized
- Get real-time spending alerts
What Is EveryDollar?
Money expert Dave Ramsey started giving financial advice on the radio over 30 years ago. Along the way, Ramsey Solutions decided to make an app to help people live one of the radio show’s biggest pieces of advice—create and live by a zero-based budget. As a result, the free and premium versions of EveryDollar launched in 2015.
EveryDollar's features are designed to help you (the budgeter):
- Make a customized budget that reflects your life and goals
- Clearly visualize what’s left to spend
- Simply adjust your budget whenever you need to
- Set and reach financial goals (such as saving, investing and paying off debt)
- Make sure your money habits line up with your money goals
- Connect with others and learn with live group coaching sessions, video tutorials, and customer support (because you don’t have to do this alone)
In the first two months of budgeting with EveryDollar, the average active user finds an extra $790 they were spending without even knowing it! That’s some excellent money saving right there.
How Much Does EveryDollar Cost?
EveryDollar offers a completely free version of the app! You also have the option to start a free trial of the premium version, which costs $79.99 per year.
What Are EveryDollar’s Features?
Free Features Include
- Create a monthly zero-based budget
- Access your budget on your computer, phone or tablet
- Customize budget categories and lines
- Create unlimited budget categories and lines
- Set up sinking funds and track savings goals
- Split transactions
- Set due dates for bills
- Talk to a live person for customer support
Paid Features Include
All the free budgeting features, plus:
- Connect to multiple financial accounts in one app
- Set and track money goals
- See custom budget reports
- Export transaction data
- Join live Q&A sessions with professional financial coaches
- Automatically stream your transactions into your budget
- Get tracking recommendations for your transactions
- Set due date reminders for your bills
- Calculate your current and projected net worth
- Plan your spending based on when you get paid and when things are due with paycheck planning
Simplifi vs. EveryDollar Comparison Chart
Simplifi |
EveryDollar |
|
Free version |
❌ |
✔️ |
Unlimited budget categories |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Secure bank connection |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Transactions automatically streamed into your budget |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Goal setting and tracking |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Budget reports |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Live customer support |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Live group Q&A sessions |
❌ |
✔️ |
Simplifi vs. EveryDollar: Which Should You Pick?
We see a couple red flags when it comes to Simplifi. First off, it took some fine print reading, but Simplifi is a registered trademark of Rocket Mortgage, who also owns Rocket Money. Why do they own two budgeting apps? Will they merge? Will one sunset? If you’re a former Mint user on the hunt for a new budgeting app, you might be nervous to step into this situation.
Start budgeting with EveryDollar today!
Secondly, Simplifi says their app helps you “Easily ignore any spending that you don't want to count toward your monthly budget.”1
Say what! Ignore your spending? Easily? That’s lying to yourself and cheating your money goals. It feels like a kid taking and hiding candy from their parents—except you’re hiding things from yourself and, ultimately, you’re the one who’s losing out by this self-trickery.
Listen: A monthly budget is a plan for your money—everything coming in and everything going out. You shouldn’t “ignore” any of it. You plan for every single dollar. That’s how you stop wondering where your money is going and start telling it where to go. That’s how you take true control of your money.
EveryDollar is all about that. You get in the driver’s seat, make the decisions, and hold yourself accountable to your money and your goals. That’s how you make progress, people! And you can get started with EveryDollar for free.
If you’re ready to stop the budgeting app search and start budgeting, download EveryDollar. Like, right now.
Save more. Spend better. Budget confidently.
Get EveryDollar: the free app that makes creating—and keeping—a budget simple. (Yes, please.)