The 18 Best Apps for Saving Money in College
- Saving money in college allows you to pay for big expenses and minimize debt.
- Money management apps teach you how to create and stick to a budget.
- With money-saving apps, you’ll find the best prices on groceries, gas, and airfare.
- You’ll also develop healthy financial habits, like setting goals and investing money.
College tuition in the U.S. continues to climb, but as costs rise, colleges and universities are making education more affordable for low- and middle-income students. As you go through college, you might be interested in saving money when you can, finding the best deals, and getting free stuff.
BestColleges found nine money management and nine budget apps to get you started on financial literacy in college, a valuable skill you can use to manage what you spend and earn and pay off student loan debt as efficiently as possible.
Or maybe you want to see the cheapest ways to go somewhere cool during spring break, save up for study abroad, find the best meal deals, get discounts on online shops, or finally find a “new” couch for the house. We have you covered with these apps to help you save.
Top Money Management and Budget Apps
Budgeting can be hard for anyone, especially a college student already working with limited funds and student loans. Luckily, there’s plenty of apps that link to your credit cards, checking, and savings accounts that monitor your incoming and outgoing cash. But it isn’t all automated — it’ll be on you to make sure you track things like paying your friend back on Venmo or that $30 you made selling your lamp on Facebook Marketplace.
That’s where learning financial literacy comes in. While it sounds daunting, a lot of apps have built in artificial intelligence assistants to answer your questions or videos to get you started.
1. Mint
Created by Intuit, Mint offers tools and advice to help you make smart, data-supported financial decisions. This app aggregates your credit card, checking, savings, and investment accounts, presenting all of this information on one page so you can get the full picture of your financial life.
Mint also provides free credit reports and tips on how to build a good score or recover from a bad one. Additionally, the app lets you compare credit cards, investment portfolios, and bank loans.
2. Empower
The Empower app enables you to monitor your banking accounts, credit card transactions, and investment returns in real time. You can also set reminders for upcoming bills and request reports of spending habits on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.
One of Personal Capital’s unique features is its retirement planner. This comprehensive calculator lets you run different life scenarios so you can create a personalized spending plan showing how much you can afford each month.
3. PocketGuard
Similar to the two apps above, PocketGuard allows you to connect your checking, savings, and credit card accounts. The more accounts you link, the more effective the app’s tools are. With this app, you can analyze your spending habits, identify areas where you can save money, and set reminders for upcoming bills.
The “In My Pocket” feature is what sets PocketGuard apart from its competitors. By using an innovative algorithm that considers factors like annual income, ongoing expenses, and savings contributions, the app can accurately calculate how much money you’ve got left for daily spending.
4. Acorns
A premier money budget app, Acorns makes the investing process so intuitive and convenient that it now boasts more than 7 million users. This app works by automatically rounding up the purchases you make through linked accounts. It then uses this spare change to grow optimized portfolios, which it monitors using modern investment theory.
Additional features include recurring deposits, special savings accounts, and a variety of articles on topics like high-demand jobs and the current state of mortgage rates. To use Acorns, you must sign up for a $3, $6, or $12 monthly product bundle.
5. You Need a Budget
You Need a Budget (YNAB) uses a proactive system that focuses on changing future spending through planning and prioritization. You’ll assign every dollar a job and identify all your expenses so you can figure out where you need to spend less, where to spend more, and how to accrue savings.
After trying YNAB for free for 34 days, you can sign up for either a $14.99/month or $109/year subscription.
6. Spendee
Spendee possesses all the conventional features of a money management app, letting you sync accounts to track your spending and set up bill reminders. The app also boasts some unique tools, including a real-time currency converter and an e-wallet that allows you to link digital payment methods and cryptocurrency investments.
You can stick with the free version or pay for either the Spendee Plus ($14.99/year) or Spendee Premium ($35.99/year) upgrades.
7. Dollarbird
Dollarbird eschews the automatic tracking feature of other money budget apps and instead requires you to manually add your transactions to a calendar so you can evaluate your spending on a daily, monthly, and even yearly basis.
As a cloud-based software, Dollarbird lets you share your financial calendar with colleagues and loved ones; however, the sharing feature is only available if you pay for a pro ($39.99/year), pro unlimited ($59.99/year), or business subscription (price varies).
8. EveryDollar
Created by personal finance expert Dave Ramsey, EveryDollar takes a baby-steps approach to tracking and saving money. Users assign each dollar to one of eight categories or a savings account to analyze their spending over time, and can make adjustments to keep themselves on track toward achieving their goals.
If you want EveryDollar to automatically input transactions through your bank accounts, you’ll have to pay $17.99/month or $79.99/12 months for EveryDollar Premium.
9. Qapital
In addition to helping you create a budget and track your spending habits, you can grow a goal-based investment portfolio, allowing you to save money for a big purchase or expense.
You can pay $3/month for the basic version of the app or opt for a premium subscription at $6/month or $12/month.
Best Money-Saving Apps
These apps help you discover the best deals in your area and online. Find ways to save on gas, furniture, food, and online shopping below.
1. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace allows community members to buy, sell, give, and trade goods. As a college student, you could find free or discounted furniture, college memorabilia, and almost anything secondhand. When you begin a conversation with a seller, always take safety precautions when giving out your personal information like an address to avoid any scams or unsafe people. A local police station is always the safest place to meet someone for a transaction.
2. GasBuddy
With this money-saving app, you can search for the best gas prices by location and by using additional criteria like fuel type, payment method, and station brand. GasBuddy also helps you plan road trips by calculating the total cost of fuel for your journey and tracking nearby stations for outages.
You can save a guaranteed three cents per gallon on every fuel purchase. The app also offers a GasBack rewards program that lets you earn points toward your next fill-up for everyday purchases.
3. Groupon
Launched as a website in 2008, Groupon also operates as a money-saving app that helps you pay up to 70% less on goods and services. With this app, you can search for coupons and promo codes by keyword and/or category.
Groupon also maintains a deal-of-the-day section, where you can find exceptional deals on electronics, airfare, and vacation packages. By being strategic with your purchases, you can earn cash back or Groupon Bucks — a points-based reward system — by spending money at specific retailers and local restaurants.
4. OfferUp
The OfferUp app enables you to buy from and sell to people in your community. You can browse by category or search for specific items using keywords before messaging the seller with an offer or any questions you may have.
OfferUp prioritizes trust and safety, requiring users to confirm their identity with an email, phone number, or Facebook account, as well as displaying transaction history, ratings, and reward badges on all users’ profiles. Designated meet-up spots allow you to meet other users in well-lit and surveilled locations.
5. Ibotta
Ibotta is a digital alternative to the paper coupon that lets you earn cash back and other rewards for purchases you make in stores and online at over 300 retailers, including Costco, Family Dollar, Amazon, Whole Foods, Gelson’s, and Walmart. After saving the offers to your phone and making the purchases, all you need to do is scan the receipt to earn your cash.
You can also link royalty programs from partnering retailers to the Ibotta app to automatically earn rewards without having to manually upload receipts.
6. Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping is a money-saving browser extension that monitors the prices of merchandise from over 25 retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and Home Depot. All you need to do is shop online as usual, and the app will notify you when the price of an item you bought drops.
7. Coupons.com
Initially launched as a website in 1998, Coupons.com is now a popular money-saving app that’s compatible with both Android and Apple devices. Staying true to its roots, Coupons.com offers printable discounts, which are searchable by item type (like pet care, household, and office and electronics) and brand. You can also access digital coupons for specific stores and cashback rewards.
Finally, this handy app lets you save money with coupon codes categorized by seasonal events that include Halloween, Black Friday, and winter holidays.
8. Most Fast Food and Fast Casual Apps
If you want a late night snack or something to grab and go in between classes, most food apps like McDonalds, Taco Bell, Chipotle, and lots of others have daily deals you can use to get more food for less than you would by just ordering in-store.
9. Most Corporate Grocery Stores and Retailers
Large grocery stores and retailers like Target, Walmart, and Food Lion have apps you can place mobile orders on and get select app-exclusive deals you wouldn’t find in store. These apps have free membership options or no membership requirement, so you don’t have to spend anything to get even better deals on food and other needs.
Additional Resources to Help You Save Money in College
Your financial plan is only useful if the knowledge and methods you wield evolve alongside your changing mindset, habits, and goals.
The resources below will help you understand the complex processes involved in taking out loans, using credit cards, and making investments. They’ll also provide guides on topics like finding cheap flights and accommodations and how to prepare tasty, budget-friendly meals.
Money Under 30
As the name suggests, Money Under 30 is a financial advice website that caters to young adults, particularly college students and recent graduates.
Content is divided into six categories, which include credit cards, banking, loans, investing, and insurance. The final section — personal finance — teaches you how to set up an emergency fund, consolidate debt, and get a free credit report.
The Points Guy
Founded in 2010 as a personal blog, The Points Guy now works with over 100 writers, editors, and reporters dedicated to offering practical advice and making travel more affordable.
In addition to travel tips and hotel reviews, the site offers comprehensive info on various kinds of credit cards. You’ll also find a beginner’s guide to points and miles and details about mileage programs like Chase and Amex Rewards.
Budget Bytes
This website focuses on helping visitors create delicious meals that fit their personal taste and — more importantly — their budget. You’ll find a gigantic library of recipes and guides on how to meal prep, whether you are a vegetarian or simply want convenient foods that don’t require reheating.
Budget Bytes also comes in the form of a mobile app for Android and Apple devices.
StudentUniverse
StudentUniverse is one of the most widely used travel websites among young adults in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By signing up for a free membership, you can search for exclusive flight discounts across more than 200 airlines.
Members also gain access to promo codes that make travel even more affordable.
DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute professional financial advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Readers of this website should contact a professional advisor before making decisions about financial issues.