Mint Shut Down: The Best Alternatives for 2026

What Happened to Mint?

In late 2023, Intuit pulled the plug on Mint — the free budgeting app that 3.6 million people relied on to manage their money. After 17 years, users were told to migrate to Credit Karma, a completely different product focused on credit scores and financial product ads. No real budgeting tools. No meaningful net worth tracking. Just... credit monitoring with your name on it.

For millions of people, this wasn't a smooth transition. It was a financial breakup.

What Mint Users Actually Lost

Mint wasn't perfect, but it did a few things really well:

• Automatic transaction categorization across all linked accounts
• Budget tracking with spending alerts and monthly summaries
• A snapshot of net worth (basic, but it existed)
• Bill reminders so nothing slipped through the cracks
• Free access — the whole thing was ad-supported

When Credit Karma absorbed Mint, most of these features either disappeared or got buried under a wall of credit card offers. The message was clear: Intuit didn't shut Mint down because it wasn't useful. They shut it down because selling financial products was more profitable than helping people budget.

The fallout pushed millions of users to search for something better. And honestly? Many of them found it.

The Best Mint Alternatives in 2026

After testing every major option, here's an honest look at the top five alternatives — what they do well, where they fall short, and who each one is best for.

1. [YNAB (You Need a Budget)][AFFILIATE_LINK_PLACEHOLDER:ynab] — Best for Disciplined Budgeters

Price: $14.99/month or $99/year | Free Trial: 34 days

YNAB revolutionizes budgeting with its "give every dollar a job" methodology. If your main frustration with Mint was that it tracked spending after the fact instead of helping you plan ahead, YNAB completely flips that approach.

What's great:

• Zero-based budgeting system that genuinely changes spending behavior
• Comprehensive educational content and active community support
• Real-time synchronization across all devices and platforms
• Strong goal-tracking capabilities for debt payoff and savings targets
• Detailed reporting and analysis of spending patterns
• Excellent customer support and training resources

What's not:

• Requires significant time investment to learn the methodology effectively
• Higher price point compared to some alternatives
• Net worth tracking is minimal and secondary to the budgeting focus
• Limited automated features compared to newer apps
• Can feel overwhelming for users who want simpler solutions

Best for: People who struggle with overspending and want a comprehensive system that requires active engagement with their budget.

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2. [Monarch Money][AFFILIATE_LINK_PLACEHOLDER:monarch] — Best Mint-Like Replacement

Price: $14.99/month or $99.99/year | Free Trial: 7 days

Monarch explicitly positioned itself as the Mint replacement, offering a comprehensive personal finance platform that combines budgeting, transaction tracking, net worth monitoring, and investment analysis.

What's great:

• Most similar feature set to what Mint originally offered
• Clean, intuitive interface with excellent data visualization
• Strong collaborative features for couples managing shared finances
• Comprehensive investment tracking integrated with budgeting tools
• Cross-platform availability (web, iOS, and Android)
• Good customer service and regular feature updates

What's not:

• Subscription cost where Mint was free
• Limited free trial period compared to some competitors
• Net worth analysis is broad rather than specialized
• Can feel overwhelming with features that some users don't need
• Account syncing occasionally experiences delays

Best for: Former Mint users who want the closest equivalent experience and are willing to pay for comprehensive financial management tools.

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3. [Empower (formerly Personal Capital)][AFFILIATE_LINK_PLACEHOLDER:empower] — Best for Investment Focus

Price: Free (core tools) | Wealth management fees for advisory services

Empower has been serving investors since 2009, offering comprehensive portfolio analysis and retirement planning tools. The platform provides substantial functionality for free while generating revenue through wealth management services.

What's great:

• Sophisticated investment analysis and portfolio performance tracking
• Comprehensive retirement planning tools with Monte Carlo simulations
• Strong net worth dashboard with detailed asset allocation views
• Investment fee analyzer that identifies high-cost holdings
• No subscription costs for core tracking functionality
• Established platform with years of data history

What's not:

• Business model involves promoting wealth management services
• Budgeting and cash management features are limited
• Interface design hasn't evolved significantly in recent years
• Some users report persistent marketing for advisory services
• Mobile app experience can be inconsistent

Best for: Investors with substantial portfolios who want detailed investment analysis and retirement planning tools without subscription fees.

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4. [Copilot Money][AFFILIATE_LINK_PLACEHOLDER:copilot] — Best iOS Experience

Price: $14.99/month or $95.88/year | Free Trial: 1 month

Copilot focuses exclusively on iOS users who prioritize design and user experience. The app combines budgeting, expense tracking, and basic net worth monitoring in a beautifully crafted native iOS interface.

What's great:

• Exceptional iOS-native design with smooth animations and interactions
• Intelligent transaction categorization that improves over time
• Built-in subscription tracking and management
• Real-time spending notifications and alerts
• Excellent customer support and regular feature updates
• Clean, intuitive interface that's easy to navigate

What's not:

• Platform limitation to iOS only — no Android or web access
• Limited net worth tracking compared to specialized tools
• Higher price point for what's essentially a mobile-focused solution
• Smaller user community and ecosystem compared to larger platforms
• Limited financial institution coverage compared to some competitors

Best for: iPhone and iPad users who want the most polished mobile financial app experience and don't need extensive cross-platform access.

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5. [Nova][AFFILIATE_LINK_PLACEHOLDER:nova] — Best for Net Worth Focus

Price: $9.99/month | Free Trial: 30 days

Nova specializes specifically in net worth tracking and wealth monitoring, offering AI-powered insights designed to help users understand their complete financial picture rather than focusing primarily on budgeting.

What's great:

• Purpose-built for net worth tracking and wealth analysis
• AI-powered insights and financial trajectory predictions
• Comprehensive account connectivity through Plaid integration
• Real-time balance updates and synchronization
• Focus on wealth building rather than expense management
• Competitive pricing compared to full-featured alternatives

What's not:

• No free tier available (offers 30-day trial)
• Limited budgeting features compared to comprehensive platforms
• Newer platform with smaller established user base
• Web-based mobile experience rather than native apps

Best for: Users who want to focus specifically on wealth tracking and building rather than detailed expense budgeting.

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Which Mint Alternative Should You Choose?

The best Mint replacement depends on what you valued most about the original app:

If you relied on detailed budgeting and spending categories → YNAB provides the most comprehensive budgeting system with strong educational support.

If you want the most similar overall experience → Monarch offers the closest equivalent to Mint's original feature set across budgeting and net worth tracking.

If you have significant investments and want free tools → Empower provides sophisticated portfolio analysis and retirement planning without subscription costs.

If you're an iOS user who values design → Copilot delivers the most polished mobile experience with strong budgeting features.

If you want to focus on wealth building → Nova provides specialized net worth tracking with AI-powered insights for understanding your financial trajectory.

Consider trying the free trials or free tiers of multiple options to see which approach best fits your financial management style. Many users find that different apps serve different purposes in their overall financial toolkit.

Mint's shutdown was disruptive, but it also opened opportunities to discover tools that might better serve your specific financial goals. The key is finding an approach you'll consistently use rather than the app with the most features.

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