15 Money-Saving Apps for People Tired of Being Nickle-and-Dimed A service fee here, a late fee there, unless we get some help it adds up faster than we can keep track.
By Renzo Costarella Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Whether you are a small business owner or a consumer, saving more money is always a good thing. It means you have that you will have that much more money to put into other important things which will create more value with what you have.
The extra money you save from one place can also be tucked away in an emergency fund or retirement account to build and actually buy yourself a better future. This includes greater financial freedom and more opportunities to grow your business.
The problem is that the decision can be challenging to know where to start making changes that will save you money. The answer will be to get help from apps that are designed to help you make better decisions about your professional and personal finances -- like these 15 money saving apps:
1. Chime
Chime is an Android and iOS mobile banking app. It includes a spending account and debit card that is FDIC-insured so you can safely deposit funds, see transactions instantly and track spending on the go.
The mobile banking app also offers an automatic savings account, which allows you to start saving money without thinking about it by automatically setting aside 10 percent of every paycheck you deposit into Chime. You can also enable rounding-up on your purchases and have the difference transferred to your savings every time you use the Chime debit card.
The banking app helps you both save money fast and stash it away in a savings account so you are not tempted to spend it on trivial things. They do not charge overdraft fees, foreign transaction fees or fees for monthly minimums and ATM use.
Related: 10 Creative Money-Saving Tactics for Small-Business Owners
2. Digit
Digit does the thinking and acting on saving money for you. It may even do a better job plus it takes the effort off your shoulders. This app looks at your current income and expenditures. It then calculates what you can save and puts that amount aside in an FDIC-insured Digit account.
Typically, the app goes through and does this analysis between two and three times a week. It gives you the ability to earn a one percent savings bonus that is paid every three months. What you get is based on the average daily balance in your Digit account during that same three-month period. There is a monthly fee that kicks in to use Digit after the 100-day free trial period runs out.
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3. Clarity Money
Clarity Money clarifies wise spending from wasteful spending. The free app does this by cancelling subscriptions you are not using or just don't need. It also looks for ways to negotiate your bills down to a lower rate.
The money saving app also tracks what you spent to ensure you stay on budget. Plus, it recommends certain credit cards that may fit your lifestyle and credit needs, allowing you to learn how to use credit in a smart way. Additionally, you can create a savings account with Clarity Money because you'll need a place to put all the money you can save.
4. Qapital
Qapital adds a learning component to the idea of saving money. It provides lessons on goal-setting and the value of even small amounts going toward achieving a much larger goal. Each purchase you make is typically an uneven amount.
Qapital rounds that transaction up to the nearest dollar and then puts it in an FDIC-insured account. You'll just need to connect a checking account to the app. You'll also be able to automate other savings strategies, including a lump sum amount at regular intervals.
The Qapital accounts also earn a small amount of interest and does not charge you any fees.
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5. Mint
Mint helps you stay on top of your bills so you aren't late and end up costing yourself more money than you need to spend on late fees and penalties. This money-saving app also helps you develop a budget to ensure you maximize what you can do with your money and allocate money for savings, an emergency fund, and retirement while covering all your other obligations.
You'll also be able to get a free credit score to monitor how your savings and good money habits are giving you an opportunity to get a better loan rate should you want to buy a home or vehicle down the line.
6. Acorns
Acorns rounds up your purchases on the credit and debit cards you link to the app. The difference is automatically transferred to an Acorns account. This account is part of Acorns' investing platform. Your money savings are then invested in exchange-traded funds. You get the option to invest in conservative or aggressive funds based on what you feel comfortable doing.
College students get to use Acorns for free for up to four years. Everyone else has to pay a monthly fee if your account is under $5,000 or a percentage fee on anything above that amount in your account.
The company partners with brands like Airbnb and Blue Apron, which means those companies give back a percentage of your purchase and place that in your Acorns savings account.
7. You Need a Budget
You Need a Budget is an app that helps you create an easy-to-use budget interface that teaches you more about the value of money.
As a result, you'll learn to prioritize certain expenses, find ways to save more money for retirement and emergencies, handle unexpected costs, and live within your means rather than using credit.
The company offers the app and software that works on your Windows or Mac computer. It works for all mobile devices for iOS and Android as well as Apple Watch and Amazon's Alexa.
Related: 4 Smart Money Habits to Help You Earn Your First Million Dollars
8. Walla.by
Wallaby helps you think more intelligently about credit cards and how to get the most out of them rather than them taking away your money. With a mobile device app, browser extension, website and wearable device app, you can stay on top of what credit cards you should get, how to use them, and how to maximize any of the rewards that come with the credit cards you use.
This savings app tells you which credit card and at what retailer gets you the most rewards that you can turn into free money for products, services, travel and more. Also, Walla.by tracks how much of your credit limit has been used.
9. Honey
Honey takes the hassle out of looking for coupon codes that will save you money. Working as a browser extension on all of your devices, Honey is always working to uncover those sweet deals you need to spend less on anything you buy online.
The savings will appear as you go to check out for something you have been looking for online, including automatically applying the savings so you don't have to. It works with an incredible number of brands and sites you most likely are already using so you'll never miss saving money again when shopping.
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10. Scoutmob
Scoutmob is available as an iOS and Android app, offering local and regional deals for some major cities across the country. The company continues to expand beyond the major U.S. urban hubs to deliver discounts at many local stores, restaurants and events venues.
It's a competitor to other sites you may already use like Groupon, Amazon Local and Livingsocial. However, it goes beyond the typical deals and uncovers more valuable information in a much more user-friendly way on its app.
11. Viggle
Viggle is a way to actually make money while you spend time on the sofa in front of the television. This clever app lets you check in to a show that you are watching and then earn points for watching it.
You can also get additional points for playing games and testing your television IQ. In return, those points that you earn can be used at places like Starbucks and Barnes &; Noble. That means you won't be spending $5 a pop on a coffee or magazine, so essentially watching television and using this app will entertain you while you save money.
12. FeeX
FeeX knows that a lot of people lose considerable money because they don't regularly monitor their brokerage fees that comes with having an investment portfolio and broker to manage it.
This app links to your investment accounts like your 401K and analyze what you are paying for fees and costs associated with individual investments, such as a mutual fund. FeeX suggests lower-cost alternatives or make recommendations on how to make changes that will save you more money in this area of your life. This checkup app is free.
However, it is important to note that the app does receive referral fees when it makes suggested changes to another company and you switch.
Related: 15 Ways Millionaires Manage Their Money That Make Them Richer
13. Military Cost Cutters
Military Cost Cutters realize that you still need to save money even if much of a military move is covered. Owned by veterans turned entrepreneurs, the app provides access to discounts and military-friendly businesses. The Loyalty Rewards Program extends the number of discounts you can receive. When you have to move as much as military families do, this app is worth its weight in gold.
14. HoneyFi
HoneyFi is a free money-saving app that helps couples work together to make the most of their money. Since couples tend to argue the most about money and how it should be spent, it makes sense that an app that was developed to take the animosity out of finances.
The money app simplifies how finances are organized and tracked to minimize those misunderstandings and eliminate mistrust. For example, you can create a household budget, label and comment on transactions, and share information on all accounts and statements.
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15. Trim
Trim is a money-saving app that works like your very own personal financial assistant. You can link all your accounts securely so the app can analyze each transaction and suggest areas to cut back like subscriptions or all those trips to the coffee shop.
Then, the machine-enabled app goes to work on finding you more affordable service providers like cable, car insurance, and the internet. It will even cancel subscriptions for you. You'll be able to get text updates on how your accounts are doing and immediately see any automated changes that have been made. This is a great option for most self-employed people looking for a personalized financial assistant.
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Many of the apps offer incremental changes that add up to large savings over time. Plus, these apps help change your mindset about money and provide valuable ongoing lessons about fiscal wellness that can keep you out of debt and on the road to saving more money for today and tomorrow.