Financial Freedom on the Go: 7 iPhone Apps for Entrepreneurs
Developing and maintaining a monthly budget is a key pillar for achieving financial well-being. Gaining insight into your daily income and expenditure is a commendable practice, particularly crucial for those at the outset of managing their finances.
Like any good habit, having the right tools can make all the difference.
The optimal budgeting tool is one that you'll consistently use — whether it's a feature-rich app, a personalised spreadsheet, or a simple paper and pen method.
Here is our list of apps to keep track of money that will be useful to entrepreneurs of any level. A few of these are US-founded, so availability and features can vary in the UK — always check the App Store listing before you rely on one. For the fundamentals, it is also worth reading our smart tips for budgeting your money.
Digit
Experience the power of artificial intelligence with Digit, your personal savings guide. Every day, Digit puts you on the path to reaching your financial dreams, whether that's building a rainy day fund, saving for a dream getaway, gathering a nest egg for a new home, or eliminating debt.
Take the stress out of saving – Digit analyses your finances and discreetly moves funds to your savings or retirement account, ensuring the legwork of money management is done for you. Simply inform Digit of your desired savings amount and the timeline to hit your target. Within the app, tailor-make your savings plans to suit any ambition you're working towards.
CleanUp App
Among the business mobile apps there should be an application that is responsible for optimising the smartphone. Sooner or later, but you will want to boost your phone. With Phone Cleaner - CleanUp App you can free up more space and improve the performance of your device. CleanUp removes temporary files, various caches and duplicate files. This smart cleaning is completed in seconds. You no longer have to spend 20-30 minutes to clean up more memory on your device and fight the feeling of nostalgia when deleting personal photos.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks stands out in the realm of accounting and financial software for small businesses, offering essential budgeting features. Whether you're keen on maintaining simple budgets, FreshBooks could be worth considering. Its fundamental budgeting features encompass expenditure tracking, invoice generation, receipt scanning, and mobile access, all available with the base package. Additionally, FreshBooks offers indispensable guidance for small business entrepreneurs on formulating a budget and adhering to it.
Due
Due ranks among the top finance applications for entrepreneurs and SME owners, primarily due to its robust invoicing capabilities. Whether on a smartphone or tablet, users can effortlessly generate invoices that clients can settle through the app or website. Additionally, Due empowers users with features like client time tracking, sales tax computation, setting deadlines, applying late fees, and automating recurring bills for regular customers.
Starting with Due is cost-free, although a nominal monthly fee may apply depending on the volume of invoices you process. There’s also a 2.8% transaction fee for invoice payments processed through Due. The application is compatible with a broad spectrum of devices, encompassing both Android and iOS platforms.
Stripe
Streamline your financial tracking on-the-go with the robust app from our payment processing platform. With the convenience of this app, you're empowered to:
Effortlessly monitor your earnings and transactions over various periods, from a quick look at the past seven days to an in-depth analysis of the entire year.
Keep your pulse on your business's financial heartbeat by activating real-time push notifications for pivotal developments (like receiving new payments).
Engage with essential business functions directly within the app, whether it's reaching out to clients via email or processing refunds swiftly.
Goodbudget
Goodbudget focuses primarily on forward-looking financial management, as opposed to simply tracking past expenses. The tool operates on the envelope budgeting principle, urging users to allocate portions of their monthly income to predefined spending groups, or 'envelopes.'
Unlike other apps, Goodbudget forgoes automated bank syncing. Instead, users manually input their financial data - including bank balances (which can be obtained from the bank's website), cash on hand, debts, and earnings - and then apportion these funds across their various envelopes.
Personal Capital (now Empower)
Personal Capital, since rebranded as Empower, is not just an investment platform but also a versatile budgeting assistant. Its complimentary app comes with features that enable budgeters to monitor expenses closely.
The application allows integration with various financial accounts, including current and savings accounts, investment and credit card accounts, pensions, mortgages, and even lines of credit. With all your financial data in one place, tracking your spending becomes straightforward. The app categorises your recent transactions, giving you a clear picture of how you're using your money. This visuals aid in understanding the proportion of your spending habits across different categories each month.
Conclusion
Budget management can often present challenges. Without careful monitoring of income and expenditure, individuals may find themselves slipping into debt. Many aim to increase their savings, yet find that manual record-keeping is a time-consuming task. Lack of visibility over spending and saving habits can lead to financial shortfalls or overspending against one's budget. Once you have a clear picture of your money, you can start putting it to work — see our guides to investing for beginners in the UK and the FIRE approach to financial independence.
