The start of a new year is a great time to get your finances in order, and a good budgeting app can help with that. Instead of laboring over a spreadsheet, you can try one of the our favorite budgeting apps is less than usual. Monarch Money ran a sale that gave new users a 50 percent discount on a year of service, bringing the final cost down to just $50. Just use the code NEW YEAR2026 at checkout to get the discount.

Monarch Money makes for a capable and detailed budgeting companion. You can use the service through apps for iOS, Android, iPadOS or on the web, and Monarch also offers a Chrome extension that can sync your Amazon and Target transactions and automatically categorize them. Like other budgeting apps, Monarch Money lets you connect multiple financial accounts and track your money based on where you spend it over time. Monarch offers two different budgeting tracking methods (flexible and category budgeting) depending on what fits your life, and the ability to add a budget widget to your phone so you can see how you’re tracking that month.

Monarch Money

Use code NEWYEAR2026 to save 50 percent at checkout.

Save $50 with the code

NEW YEAR2026

How budgeting apps turn your raw transactions into visuals that you can understand at a glance is one of the big things that differentiates one app from another, and Monarch Money offers many graphs and charts to look at things like spending, investing or categories you choose based on how you label your expenses. The app can also keep track of your and your partner’s spending in one place, making it easier to plan together.

The main drawbacks Engadget found when testing Monarch Money were the app’s learning curve, and the differences in features (and bugginess) between Monarch’s web and mobile versions. However, for a 50 percent discount, Monarch Money is worth a try if you’re trying to save money in 2026, especially if you want to do it together with a partner.

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