Top 5 Personal Finance Apps Every Creator Should Use
Explore essential finance apps tailored for creators to effectively manage budgets, track income, and plan for taxes amid irregular earnings.
Managing finances as a creator with irregular income can be overwhelming. But the right apps can simplify budgeting, saving, and tax planning. Here are five tools designed to help creators stay organized and financially secure:
- Fundmates: Offers upfront funding for YouTubers in exchange for AdSense revenue sharing, plus analytics and growth resources.
- YNAB (You Need A Budget): Ideal for managing variable income with zero-based budgeting and separate personal/business budgets.
- EveryDollar: Uses zero-based budgeting and includes features like "Paycheck Planning" to help allocate income efficiently.
- PocketGuard: Tracks spending automatically and shows how much money is "In My Pocket" after expenses and savings.
- Empower: Consolidates all financial accounts, tracks investments, and simplifies long-term financial planning.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Fundmates | YNAB | EveryDollar | PocketGuard | Empower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expense Tracking | Automated & detailed | Real-time tracking | Manual & bank sync (Premium) | AI-organized categories | Comprehensive tracking |
| Income Management | AdSense-specific analytics | Variable income planning | Zero-based budgeting | Income forecasting | Multi-source tracking |
| Tax Planning | Built-in categorization | Custom categories | Basic categories | Expense flagging | Advanced reporting |
| Investment Tools | None | Goal tracking only | None | Net worth tracking | Full portfolio analysis |
| Cost | Custom | Subscription | Free/Premium | Free/Plus | Free/Premium |
These apps cater to creators’ unique financial needs, providing tools to track income, manage spending, and prepare for taxes. Choose the one that aligns with your goals and start taking control of your finances today.
Best Budgeting Apps of 2025 (Tested and Reviewed)
1. Fundmates
Fundmates is a financial management platform designed specifically for YouTube creators. It provides upfront funding in exchange for a share of AdSense revenue, while also offering tools and resources to support growth. By tracking YouTube income and delivering detailed monthly financial reports, Fundmates helps creators better manage their often unpredictable earnings. This combination of funding and analytics has made it a go-to partner for many content creators.
"They're not just helping you on the funding side, they're helping you as a PARTNER to legitimately help you succeed." – Nick Nimmin, Top YouTube Growth Expert with over a decade of experience
So far, Fundmates has provided more than $50 million in funding to over 100 YouTubers. Funding amounts range from $30,000 to $1 million, depending on the channel's performance. Unlike traditional financing methods, Fundmates evaluates a channel's historical data to predict future revenue over a period of 6 to 24 months.
Here’s a snapshot of the platform’s financial toolkit:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Revenue Analytics | Real-time tracking of AdSense earnings, supported by detailed reports. |
| Growth Resources | Access to video editors, thumbnail designers, and YouTube experts. |
| Content Distribution | Tools to optimize revenue across multiple platforms. |
| MCN Benefits | Free access to Multi-Channel Network services. |
| Channel Translation | Services to expand reach to international audiences. |
David Miano, a YouTube creator with 258,000 subscribers, shared how Fundmates made a difference in his journey:
"Meeting the people at Fundmates was a stroke of good fortune. They helped me at a time when I needed them most. If you are a content creator seeking a quick influx of funds that will help you take your business up to the next level, I cannot think of a better source than Fundmates."
One of the standout features of Fundmates is its exclusive focus on AdSense revenue sharing. Creators keep 100% of their earnings from brand deals, and the platform offers short-term, customized agreements (lasting 6 to 24 months) tailored to meet the unique goals of each channel.
2. YNAB (You Need A Budget)
YNAB is a budgeting tool built to handle the unpredictable income streams that creators often deal with, such as earnings from AdSense, brand partnerships, and sponsorships. Its zero-based budgeting approach focuses on managing the funds you currently have, making it ideal for creators with irregular income.
One standout feature of YNAB is its ability to separate personal and business budgets. For creators, this distinction is essential for keeping finances organized. Here’s how YNAB’s budget categories can simplify financial management and tax preparation:
| Business Budget Categories | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Income Tracking | Log revenue from AdSense, sponsorships, and merchandise sales |
| Operating Expenses | Keep track of costs like equipment, software, and marketing |
| Tax Savings | Allocate a portion of income for taxes |
| Business Growth | Save for new equipment or scaling efforts |
| Emergency Fund | Prepare for income dips with a financial buffer |
YNAB also helps creators manage cash flow by dividing larger payments into smaller allocations, ensuring they can cover expenses during slower months.
Beyond budgeting, YNAB offers powerful tracking and integration features, including:
- Automatically tracking new YouTube earnings
- Recording expenses across multiple platforms
- Monitoring overspending in real-time
- Syncing transactions with business tools
- Customizing revenue stream categories
- Setting spending targets for specific categories
- Automating tax savings
- Generating detailed tax and business reports
These tools make YNAB an excellent choice for creators looking to stay on top of their finances while managing the ups and downs of content creation income.
3. EveryDollar
EveryDollar is a budgeting tool designed for creators dealing with unpredictable income. Using a zero-based budgeting system, it ensures that every dollar you earn - whether from content creation, sponsorships, or other sources - has a specific purpose.
The Premium version includes a standout feature called "Paycheck Planning." This lets you schedule income and expenses based on their due dates and offers a "Safe to Spend" indicator, helping you avoid overspending during slower months. Many users swear by its effectiveness:
"Best budgeting tool out there...I'm controlling every aspect of my finances by budgeting. It's the foundation for everything I'm doing with my money".
On average, EveryDollar users identify up to $395 in monthly savings opportunities and cut their expenses by about 9%. To make the most of it, here’s how you can start:
- Build a baseline budget based on your lowest expected monthly income.
- Focus on covering essential expenses first.
- Adjust your budget with each paycheck to reflect your actual income.
- Link your bank account for automatic transaction tracking.
One user raved about this feature:
"Connect it with your bank, and all your transactions drop right in. Makes budgeting easy (and actually kind of fun!)".
EveryDollar also allows unlimited customization of budget categories, making it easy to manage multiple income streams and track business expenses. This comes in handy during tax season and when evaluating growth opportunities.
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4. PocketGuard
PocketGuard is a financial tracking app designed to help users keep their spending in check. With over 825,754 users as of February 2024 and an impressive 4.7/5 rating, its standout feature, "In My Pocket", calculates how much money you have left after factoring in bills, budgets, savings goals, and debts.
The app connects to more than 18,000 financial institutions, using AI to automatically organize transactions and recurring expenses. For creators, this means staying on top of business-related costs like subscriptions, equipment, and marketing without the hassle of manual tracking. Plus, its custom hashtag feature lets you tag and monitor expenses tied to specific projects or revenue streams.
PocketGuard also keeps you in check by sending alerts when spending in any category goes over the limits you've set, helping you avoid unnecessary overspending.
"PocketGuard has been a really helpful tool in understanding our family expenses. Syncing is smooth now and the categories and tracking are easy to manage. The extra functionality has been well worth it."
Here’s how to get the most out of PocketGuard for your creative business:
- Set up separate categories for your various income streams.
- Configure custom alerts for key business expenses.
- Use hashtags to track costs specific to individual projects.
- Regularly review monthly spending reports to uncover potential savings.
These features make it easier for creators to fine-tune their financial strategies and stay organized.
On top of that, PocketGuard offers visual tools like spending pie charts and detailed reports. These insights help you identify which tools or subscriptions are actually worth the money, enabling smarter, data-driven decisions.
For those transitioning from other platforms, PocketGuard proves to be a dependable alternative. As Kallsen C. shared:
"Was bummed when mint went to credit karma and lost most of the budgeting features. PocketGuard has been a perfect replacement and very fairly priced for a lifetime sub."
5. Empower
Empower goes beyond just managing daily cash flow - it provides a complete snapshot of your financial world. This free app brings together your checking, savings, and investment accounts into a single, easy-to-use dashboard. For creators juggling unpredictable income, this means having a clear, consolidated view of your finances at all times.
Tailored to the unique needs of creators, Empower simplifies tracking your portfolio and planning for retirement. It’s designed to ensure your long-term financial goals align with your creative pursuits. By offering a straightforward way to monitor both your current finances and future plans, Empower helps you maintain stability while chasing your creative dreams. It’s a practical tool for keeping your financial health on track as you grow your career.
App Features at a Glance
Here’s a quick look at the core features of some popular financial tools to help you find the best fit for your needs.
| Feature Category | Fundmates | YNAB | EveryDollar | PocketGuard | Empower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expense Tracking | Automated categorization & receipt scanning | Real-time tracking | Manual & bank sync (Plus) | Automated tracking | Comprehensive tracking |
| Income Management | Multiple revenue streams | Variable income planning | Zero-based budgeting | Income forecasting | Multi-source tracking |
| Tax Planning | Built-in categorization | Custom categories | Basic categories | Business expense flagging | Advanced reporting |
| Investment Tools | Basic tracking | Goal tracking only | None | Net worth tracking | Full portfolio analysis |
| Bank Syncing | Real-time | Yes | Premium only | Yes | Real-time |
| Cost | Custom | Subscription | Free/Premium | Free/Plus | Free/Premium |
Now, let’s break down what makes each app stand out and how they can support your financial goals:
- YNAB is perfect for building a financial buffer with its "aging your money" feature. This tool is especially useful for managing variable income streams.
- Empower goes beyond basic tracking by offering robust portfolio analysis and retirement planning tools. It’s particularly helpful for creators juggling multiple income sources.
- PocketGuard simplifies cost management with its automated system that flags recurring charges, making it easier to cut unnecessary expenses.
- EveryDollar focuses on zero-based budgeting, ensuring every dollar you earn has a purpose. Its premium version adds bank-syncing for seamless tracking.
Each app offers unique strengths tailored to specific financial needs. Whether you’re looking to streamline expense tracking, plan for retirement, or optimize your income, this table and breakdown can help you pick the tool that aligns with your goals and sets you up for success.
Next Steps
Ready to take charge of your finances as a creator? Here’s how you can start making smarter money moves:
Assess Your Income Pattern
Begin by analyzing where your money comes from and how it flows throughout the year. Look for tools or apps that can automatically track and categorize income from multiple sources. This will save time and give you a clear picture of your earnings.
Focus on Key Financial Goals
Here are four critical areas to prioritize:
- Track Your Income: Keep tabs on what you’re earning across various platforms.
- Plan for Taxes: Organize your expenses and deductions to avoid surprises during tax season.
- Separate and Monitor Expenses: Clearly distinguish between business and personal costs.
- Think Long-Term with Investments: Explore ways to grow and secure your wealth over time.
These goals will shape the next steps in creating a solid financial plan.
Put Your Plan into Action
Once you’ve identified your goals, it’s time to align your strategies to achieve financial clarity and stability:
-
Smooth Out Income Fluctuations
Keep an eye on your revenue patterns and implement strategies to even out income highs and lows. -
Fine-Tune Tax Planning
Timing is everything when it comes to taxes. Strategically plan your income and deductions to minimize what you owe.
"Income tax planning is about looking at taxes not just annually, but over time by playing the long game."
"Income Smoothing Strategies are an effective method of tax bracket arbitrage and can significantly help reduce your taxable income."
– James L. Cunningham Jr., Esq., Founder, CunninghamLegal
- Commit to Regular Financial Check-Ins
Make it a habit to review your finances every month. Focus on:- Revenue trends
- Spending habits
- Opportunities for tax deductions
- How your investments are performing
Taking these steps consistently can help you stay ahead and build a more secure financial future.
FAQs
How does Fundmates help YouTube creators manage their unpredictable income?
Fundmates offers tools tailored to help YouTube creators navigate the ups and downs of irregular income. With features like income tracking, budgeting support, and tax planning, it empowers creators to take control of their finances and plan ahead with confidence.
Through Fundmates, creators can monitor earnings from various revenue streams, set practical financial goals, and earmark funds for essential expenses or savings. This approach helps maintain financial stability, even when income varies from month to month.
Why is YNAB a great budgeting app for creators with unpredictable income?
YNAB is a powerful budgeting app designed to help creators manage their finances, even when income varies from month to month. By encouraging you to give every dollar a specific job, it helps you stay prepared during both lucrative times and leaner stretches.
With its emphasis on forward-thinking financial planning, YNAB makes it easier to prioritize savings, handle expenses, and create a safety net for the future. This approach allows you to concentrate on your creative projects without the constant stress of financial uncertainty.
How can creators use PocketGuard to manage expenses and stay within their budget?
PocketGuard is a handy app for creators who want to stay on top of their finances and avoid overspending. It gives you a clear picture of your available funds by factoring in your bills, savings goals, and other financial commitments. This makes budgeting and planning your spending much simpler.
The app’s user-friendly interface organizes your expenses into categories, points out where you might be spending too much, and even offers suggestions to cut costs. For creators with unpredictable income, this feature is especially useful, helping you manage your money and prepare for those months when cash flow isn’t steady. With PocketGuard, you can keep your finances in check and focus more on your creative projects.