Personal Finance · head to head
Mint vs Goodbudget
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere; Goodbudget free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
- They diverge on capability: Mint covers Budgets, Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mint and Goodbudget actually diverge.
| Attribute | Mint | Goodbudget |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Founded | 2006 | 2012 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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
- Budgets
- Bill tracking
- Credit score monitoring
- Financial insights
- Bank connections
- Bank-level encryption
- Verisign secured
- Ios support
Only in Goodbudget
- Envelope budgeting
- Shared budgets
- Receipt scanning
- Bank accounts
- IOS support
Both cover
- Expense tracking
- Web support
- Android 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 Goodbudget
- Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot Goodbudget
Goodbudget
- Envelope method budgetingnot Mint
- Sharing a household budget across a couple's devicesnot Mint
- Tracking debt payoff alongside envelopesnot 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
Goodbudget
- Free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
- Automatic bank sync is Premium only and works with US banks only
- Premium is limited to 5 devices and 7 years of history
- Free plan gets community support only; email support requires Premium
- Premium costs $10 per month or $80 per year
Pricing, plan by plan
Mint
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mint review.
Goodbudget
Free- FreeFree
- 10 envelopes
- Basic tracking
- Plus$5.99/month
- Unlimited envelopes
- Advanced reports
- Receipt capture
Which should you pick?
Choose Mint if
- You need budgets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want bill tracking.
Choose Goodbudget if
- You need envelope budgeting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want shared budgets.
Questions people ask
- Is Mint or Goodbudget better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mint starts at Free and Goodbudget at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mint or Goodbudget?
- Mint starts at Free and Goodbudget at Free.
- Does Mint or Goodbudget run on more platforms?
- Mint runs on Web, iOS, Android. Goodbudget runs on Web, IOS, Android.
- 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 Goodbudget is typically brought in for.
- What can Mint do that Goodbudget cannot?
- Mint covers Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring, Financial insights. Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Receipt scanning, Bank accounts. Both handle Expense tracking, Web support, Android support.