One very important fact about the budget management app Mint is that it is no longer in service. This review is no longer meaningful.
With the Mint service ending in early 2024, developer Intuit introduced Credit Karma to millions of users. This was very unfortunate news for Mint users who had been tracking their spending and managing their budgets.
In my case as well, I was actually taken aback by the sudden news of the Mint service termination. I was very disappointed to hear that the budget management app I had been using for a long time was suddenly disappearing. Thoughts like, “How am I going to manage my budget now? Are there any other apps?” crossed my mind.
Here, we are going to take an honest look at what kind of app Mint was, why the service was discontinued, and, most importantly, what free budget management apps are actually worth using in 2026.
What Was the Mint Budgeting App?
Mint was a free personal finance app owned by Intuit — the same company behind TurboTax and QuickBooks. At its peak, it had over 3.6 million active users who used it to sync bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts all in one place.
What made it stand out was simple: it was completely free, and it did a lot. You could set monthly budgets, track your spending by category, monitor your credit score, and get bill reminders — without paying a dime.
In my case, I often forgot about the bills that arrived every month, so the bill notification feature was really useful as it helped me remember to pay them.
For a free tool, it was genuinely hard to beat. That’s exactly why its shutdown caught so many people off guard.
Why Did Intuit Shut Down Mint?
Intuit explained that it is revamping the Mint platform by integrating Mint services into Credit Karma, which it acquired in 2020. From Intuit’s perspective, this does not mean the termination of the Mint service, but rather an integration into the Credit Karma service, which can be considered a revamp of the Mint service in a broader sense.
However, most Mint users believe this is because Mint is not sufficiently profitable. Since Mint offers all features for free, Intuit had no choice but to generate revenue through advertising and affiliate product recommendations. Naturally, this revenue model for Intuit had its limitations.
From the perspective of Mint users, the Credit Karma service integrated with Mint could not perfectly replace the app. This is because Credit Karma is a credit management app, not a budget management app like Mint. Long-time Mint users primarily utilize features such as categorizing expenses, setting monthly budget limits, and tracking goals, but Credit Karma lacks these capabilities.
The millions of loyal users of Mint are valuable customers that most companies desperately need. Frankly, it is only natural to feel that the way things are unfolding is all the more regrettable. If Intuit had made a transparent and sufficient effort for the sake of these millions of users to gradually transition Mint to a paid model, the Mint service would still exist today. However, Intuit chose to integrate with Credit Karma and terminated the Mint service.
What Mint Got Right — And Where It Fell Short
Even though Mint is gone, understanding its strengths and weaknesses helps you pick the right replacement.
What Mint Did Well
- Completely free — no subscription, no trial period
- Automatic syncing — connected to most major US banks and credit cards
- Spending categories — transactions were auto-sorted, so you could see exactly where your money was going
- Free credit score — updated regularly without a hard inquiry
- Bill reminders — all tracked in one dashboard
- Goal tracking — set a savings target and Mint would show your progress
For a lot of people, especially those just starting to take budgeting seriously, Mint was the perfect entry point.
Where Mint Fell Short
No app is perfect, and Mint had real issues that users complained about for years:
- Syncing problems — accounts would randomly disconnect and need to be re-linked
- Intrusive ads — the free model meant constant product recommendations
- No joint accounts — couples couldn’t share one login
- No multi-currency support — useless if you had any overseas accounts
- Auto-categorization errors — Mint often miscategorized transactions, requiring manual fixes
The synchronization issue, in particular, was incredibly inconvenient, even in retrospect. I also had to re-enter my budget several times because the connection suddenly dropped while I was using it.
Is Mint Still Available in 2026?
No. Mint officially shut down in early 2024.
As of April 2026, visiting mint.intuit.com redirects you directly to the Credit Karma homepage.
If you had a Mint account, your transaction history is no longer accessible. Intuit gave users a limited window to download their data before the app went dark — but that window has long since closed.
Not sure which one is right for you? We also compared YNAB and Mint side by side — see our full breakdown: → YNAB vs Mint: Which One Should You Choose in 2026?
Best Free Budgeting App Alternatives in 2026
1. Monarch Money — Best Overall Replacement
Monarch Money is the closest thing to Mint available today. It offers automatic account syncing, spending categories, goal tracking, and investment monitoring — all in one clean dashboard. The main difference is that it’s not free.
- Price: $14.99/month or $99/year
- Best for: Anyone who wants a full Mint replacement and doesn’t mind paying for it
According to reviews from users who have used it firsthand, many say that it is convenient to use as it provides a clean dashboard and allows access to most of the features available in Mint.
2. YNAB — Best for Getting Serious About Your Budget
YNAB (You Need A Budget) takes a different approach from Mint. Instead of just tracking what you spent, it asks you to plan every dollar before you spend it — a method called zero-based budgeting.
It takes more effort than Mint, but that’s kind of the point. Users who stick with it tend to see real changes in their finances.
- Price: $14.99/month or $109/year (34-day free trial)
- Best for: People who want to actively change their spending habits, not just monitor them
→ Read our full YNAB Review 2026 for a detailed breakdown.
3. Empower — Best Free Option
Empower (formerly Personal Capital) is the best completely free alternative to Mint. It syncs your accounts, tracks spending, and shows your net worth in real time — all without a subscription.
The catch is that Empower’s core focus is investment management, not budgeting. The budgeting features are basic compared to Mint.
- Price: Free (investment advisory is paid)
- Best for: Users who want a free dashboard to track accounts and net worth
It is good that you can check your current asset status at a glance for free, but it is a bit disappointing that it only allows for basic management.
4. Simplifi by Quicken — Best Affordable Paid Option
Simplifi is a straightforward budgeting app that does what Mint used to do, without trying to be everything at once. It’s clean, easy to use, and one of the most affordable paid options on the market.
- Price: ~$2.99/month (billed annually, around $36/year)
- Best for: Users who want simple monthly budget tracking at a low cost
Quick Comparison: Best Mint Alternatives in 2026
| App | Price | Free Version | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monarch Money | $99/year | ❌ | Closest Mint replacement |
| YNAB | $109/year | ❌ (free trial) | Zero-based budgeting |
| Empower | Free | ✅ | Free spending + net worth tracking |
| Simplifi | ~$36/year | ❌ | Simple, affordable budgeting |
Final Verdict
Mint was one of the best free personal financial management apps used by millions of people. Although many users utilized the Mint service, it has already been discontinued, and Credit Karma, which nominally integrated Mint, failed to satisfy Mint users.
The good news is that two years later, there are solid alternatives. Here’s the short version:
- Want free? → Empower
- Want the closest Mint experience? → Monarch Money
- Want to actually change your finances? → YNAB
- Want cheap and simple? → Simplifi
If I had to choose a budget management app right now, I would choose Empower. All the core features are free, and that is enough for anyone who simply wants to clearly see where their money is going. Let’s start with the free version! The free features will probably be sufficient.
For a full side-by-side comparison of your top options, see: → Best Budgeting Apps for Beginners in 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mint still free in 2026? Intuit will terminate the Mint service in early 2024, so it is no longer available.
What happened to my Mint data? Intuit allowed Mint users to download their transaction history for a limited time, but that period has already expired, so the transaction history is no longer accessible.
What is the best free alternative to Mint in 2026? The best app among the free options is Empower. However, if you want the features provided by Mint, it is best to choose the paid version, Monarch Money.
Is Credit Karma a good replacement for Mint? No. It is Credit Karma’s credit management app, and unlike Mint, it does not have useful features for budget management, such as setting spending categories or monthly budget limits.
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