Mobile app for budgeting money

Rebecca_Palmer

Hi, I'm a developer and I want to create an app that will help people budget their money wisely, be reminded of bills and deadlines, etc. I know such apps are already existent today, and I wanted to ask if any of you have used them? Can you suggest features that those apps lack, that I may incorporate in my new app? Thanks so much!

bridgedino

Ability to select a start and end date for the budgeting period.

Simple view of remaining balance and spenditure

Keep it simple

lovinituk

Linsay_Maci wrote: »

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Yet another foreign spammer!

Celine_Sison

Hello! I like your idea Rebecca with your plan apps regarding budgeting our money. I hope you would be able to implement it soon:) Anyway, there are many choices of platform apps that could help you do it. Just choose what works fine.

Rebecca_Palmer

bridgedino wrote: »

Ability to select a start and end date for the budgeting period.

Simple view of remaining balance and spenditure

Keep it simple

Hello, thanks for the input, that's really a useful feature. I've recently just purchased my subscription of Xamarin and will be able to start development probably after the holidays. I don't think I can concentrate properly with all the celebrations.

I'll be updating this thread or create a new one when I'm done and give you all the download link. I'll be focusing on Android devices first.

Syman

Rebecca_Palmer wrote: »

Hello, thanks for the input, that's really a useful feature. I've recently just purchased my subscription of Xamarin and will be able to start development probably after the holidays. I don't think I can concentrate properly with all the celebrations.

I'll be updating this thread or create a new one when I'm done and give you all the download link. I'll be focusing on Android devices first.

please just update this thread. I would be interested in your progress.


As an idea, there is a bit emphasis at the moment towards teaching younger children how to budget. so maybe a educational app along those line.

moneyspider

Hi Rebecca. I used an app called mibudget for years on Blackberry and I still haven't found anything to match it. I'd recommend taking a look at that first, if you have access to a Blackberry (no affiliation on my part). I've since switched away from Blackberry to an Android and then more recently an iPhone so I can no longer use it unfortunately. My tips are:

- Ability to create a template budget then apply that to individual months, where it can then be tweaked. It's astonishing how many apps either (a) make you set beginning and end dates for every single budget category, every month - this is hugely time consuming if your budget fluctuates - OR (b) they allow only one default budget category amount, so that when you make changes to a future month (planning your Dec budgeting for Christmas say) it alters your current month's budget. Duh.
- Show expenses and budget on same page. Mibudget did this, in that you clicked into the budget category e.g. gifts, to enter your expense. I have found no other budget app that lets me do this - they all seem to keep the budget page and the expense entry separate. When I record an expense, I want to be able to see the budget there and then, to see how much I have left - and maybe have second thoughts! Instead I now have to check the budget first, try to remember my balance and then go to the expense entry page.
- Visual representation of balances as well as detailed figures is nice - a lot of apps offer this via a simple red/green progress bar to show your relative under or overspend against a budget category.
- Ability to edit and rearrange default budget categories. Again, amazing how many apps don't allow to to do this.
- Ability to assign category icons for ease of quick recognition.
- Export function to export data in Excel etc. Very important, especially if you don't offer cloud backup.
- Website/cloud backup - the Toshl app has flaws but one thing I liked was that I could enter data on the web, as well as on my phone.
- Easy entry of recurring expenses. Mibudget let you enter an expense as normal then flag it as recurring, at which point extra options appeared.
- Show an overall balance at the bottom of the page, taking all the spend balances to date into account. (This was one thing my beloved Mibudget didn't even do!)
- Many apps offer countless pie chart views etc, but in my experience, these are generally visual fluff and not that useful. Maybe a trending graph might be useful - how has my spend on fuel varied over the year for instance - but this stuff is mainly decorative.

Good luck with your app - I'd be interested in getting updates too. I've tried dozens of apps since using Mibudget and not used any for more than a few weeks as they've all had limitations to more or less of a degree. Which is frustrating as it takes quite a lot of time to reinput all one's budget data each time!

forgotmyname

Have you tested all the other budgeting apps? There maybe one that does everything you plan to implement already.

Or take the best features off many and implement into yours.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/548-best-budget-expense-apps.html

moneyspider

Just an update to my earlier post for Rebecca and anyone else looking for budgeting software/apps. I have since started a trial of You Need A Budget, which is desktop software with a complementary mobile app. The desktop version is looking really good so far, nicely integrated, and well thought out. It synchs with the app via Dropbox. The app is free but the desktop software costs £38-odd (and you do need both); however I've been impressed so far and I think I will buy it once the month's trial is over. The price allows you to download the software to several computers.

Aspects I like so far are:

Ability to add pop up notes next to budgeted amounts, for more detail or even just comments about why you overspent or whatever;
Ability to juggle several accounts including credit cards
Videos and tutorials including live casts
All your data is backed up in the cloud - which was not the case with MiBudget

Not so good:

The mobile app is of necessity far simpler than the desktop version, and as far as I can see, doesn't allow you to look ahead to future months - I think the philosophy of the designer is that you shouldn't be living pay check to pay check so one's salary date shouldn't affect your budget; however I'd have liked the ability to see into future months by setting a new start date for each month's budget if I want to.
The notes don't show in the mobile app, and it would be useful to be able to remind oneself on the hoof exactly what that £150 in the clothes budget was intended for this month.

Link: youneedabudgetdotcom.

bod1467

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=money%20budgeting%20app&c=apps&docType=1&sp=CAFiFQoTbW9uZXkgYnVkZ2V0aW5nIGFwcHoCGACKAQIIAQ%3D%3D&hl=en

That's what a search for Money Budgeting App yields on the Play store. This one appears to be one of the highest rated ones.