[pjbster]

Have you considered getting by without a budgeting app? I used to go through exactly this sort of mental exercise that evaluating and selecting the perfect personal finance app would bring. It's like I could solve my financial problems forever through the power of thought. That my ability to see where the money was being spent was somehow impeded because I lacked the right software.

In the end, there's only one rule that counts: spend less than you earn (or earn more than you spend - either way, you need to have control over at least one of these variables or you're totally fucked anyway).

Sorry to be so blunt. Of course, some people like the process of keeping on top of statement reconciliation - hell, I used to be one of them. And there's no doubt that watching your net worth increase will bring pleasure to your day.

But it's easy to become obsessed. It's only now that I've surrendered the "comfort" of knowing where my money went that I realise I was actually stressed out all the time. These days, I'm a little more relaxed about things - so long as we stick to normal spending patterns and don't splurge on spontaneous things, we'll probably be ok.

In my case, I can live with this level of uncertainty. Ignorance is bliss, and all that.

(I'll echo the other sentiments around here: YNAB was my favourite. I never tried Mint.)