Which Budgeting Site Is Best for You?

BANK OF AMERICA

ASSETS • Easy to set up, with intuitive spending categories and easy-to-customize transaction descriptions. • It also tracks reward programs for airlines and hotels.

LIABILITIES • You have to be a Bank of America customer to use it. • Powered by Yodlee technology, but it’s not as customizable as Yodlee’s MoneyCenter.

NET WORTH • A user-friendly tracking tool, but financial-product recommendations are all Bank of America products. Why limit your options?

GEEZEO

ASSETS • Simple interface gives users a clear view of transactions. • Calendar tool makes it easy to plan and track payments.

LIABILITIES • Available only through credit unions and smaller banks. • Product recommendations are limited to your institution.

NET WORTH • A solid money tracker without bells and whistles. But not your top choice if you’re looking for money-saving picks.

HELLOWALLET

ASSETS • Great tools to divvy up your paycheck and track cash transactions. • Huge database of bank products, which it touts as completely independent. • Forecasting tools are available.

LIABILITIES • Beta version is free for 60 days, but after that it costs $5 a month. • User interface is clunkier than those of other budgeting sites.

NET WORTH • The tools and huge database of products set this site apart. Try the free version and see how you like it, then decide if it’s worth the monthly fee.

MINT

ASSETS • Clean and simple design makes it the biggest player on the block, with more than four million users. • Just added a “Goals” feature to motivate users to plan for big expenses or savings.

LIABILITIES • Auto-categorization sometimes mislabels expenses. • Navigation of the site is not always intuitive. • Lacks a tool to project cash flow.

NET WORTH • Ease of setup and range of product recommendations make Mint our favorite budgeting site.

MONEYRIGHT

ASSETS • Estimates your credit score, gives you advice on how to improve your finances and predicts how long you could make ends meet if you lost your job.

LIABILITIES • Also based on the Yodlee platform, but it doesn’t track as many financial accounts as Yodlee MoneyCenter or easily show you your net worth.

NET WORTH • A decent alternative to Mint or Yodlee, especially if you are interested in borrowing money and keeping tabs on your credit score.

MONEYSTRANDS

ASSETS • Customizable, useful tools predict how your spending will look in the future. • Online community allows you to compare your spending with that of similar users.

LIABILITIES • Have to manually download accounts from many financial institutions.

NET WORTH • Easy-to-use, attractive interface, financial tips and online community make this a good site for budgeting beginners.

YODLEE

ASSETS • Easy to customize and provides more details on financial transactions and a bigger variety of reports than Mint. • Lets you track reward programs. • Has tighter security than competitors.

LIABILITIES • Takes you longer to set up an account than with Mint. • Doesn’t provide advice or product picks to improve your finances.

NET WORTH • Excellent way to get a snapshot of all your accounts, but be prepared for data overload.