Personal Finance · head to head
Mint vs Apple Pay
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere; Apple Pay apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
- They diverge on capability: Mint covers Expense tracking, Apple Pay covers Digital wallet.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mint and Apple Pay actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Mint
- Expense tracking
- Budgets
- Bill tracking
- Credit score monitoring
- Financial insights
- Bank connections
- Bank-level encryption
- Verisign secured
Only in Apple Pay
- Digital wallet
- Secure payments
- Contactless transactions
- P2P money transfers
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Bank accounts
- IOS support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Mint
- Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Apple Pay
- Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot Apple Pay
Apple Pay
- Contactless in store payment from iPhone and Apple Watchnot Mint
- Paying in apps and on the web without entering card detailsnot Mint
- Sending money between Apple users with Apple Cash and Tap to Cashnot Mint
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mint
- Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
- Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported
Apple Pay
- Apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
- Apple Cash is available only in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
- Apple Cash Family accounts and Tap to Cash transactions are each capped at 2000 USD within a rolling seven day period
- Mac support requires a Touch ID equipped model
- A card works only if the issuing bank supports Apple Pay, and banks may charge their own overseas usage fees
Pricing, plan by plan
Mint
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mint review.
Apple Pay
Free- FreeFree
- Secure payments
- P2P transfers
- Transit passes
Which should you pick?
Choose Mint if
- You need expense tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want budgets.
Choose Apple Pay if
- You need digital wallet.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
- You also want secure payments.
Questions people ask
- Is Mint or Apple Pay better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mint starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mint or Apple Pay?
- Mint starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free.
- Does Mint or Apple Pay run on more platforms?
- Mint runs on Web, iOS, Android. Apple Pay runs on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
- Can I use Mint for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Mint best used for?
- Mint is most often used for legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connections, users transitioning to credit karma for continued money management features. Of those, legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connections and users transitioning to credit karma for continued money management features are not what Apple Pay is typically brought in for.
- What can Mint do that Apple Pay cannot?
- Mint covers Expense tracking, Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring. Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Secure payments, Contactless transactions, P2P money transfers.