If you're trying to pick a personal finance app in 2026, the four most-compared options are Empower, Mint (now sunset), Rocket Money, and Monarch. Each excels at something different — Empower for investments, Rocket Money for subscriptions, Monarch for couples and household budgeting, and Mint for the basics (when it was around). This guide explains who each is for, head-to-head feature comparison, and which one fits your specific needs.
For broader Empower context, see Is Empower Worth It?.
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What's in this guide
- Verdict at a glance
- What happened to Mint
- Empower — the investment specialist
- Rocket Money — the subscription killer
- Monarch — the couples-and-households app
- Pricing comparison
- Feature deep-dive
- Best app by primary need
- Can you use multiple apps together
- FAQ
Verdict at a glance
| Empower | Mint (sunset 2024) | Rocket Money | Monarch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Investments, net worth | Was: basic tracking | Subscriptions, bill negotiation | Couples, households |
| Free tier | Full dashboard | Was free | Yes (basic) | None |
| Paid tier | Advisory (~0.89% AUM) | Was free | Premium $7-14/mo (sliding scale) | $14.99/mo |
| Investment depth | Best | Basic | Basic | Basic |
| Subscription tracker | None | Yes | Best | Yes |
| Bill negotiation | None | None | Yes | None |
| Couples view | Limited | Limited | Limited | Best |
| Mobile app | Excellent | Was good | Good | Excellent |
| Bank link method | Yodlee | Was Plaid | Plaid | Plaid |
Quick recommendations: - Investment-focused → Empower.
- Subscription cleanup + bill negotiation → Rocket Money.
- Couples / shared household budget → Monarch.
- Most users want some combination — see "Can You Use Multiple Apps" below.
What happened to Mint
For years, Mint was the default personal finance app — free, simple, owned by Intuit (TurboTax parent).
In November 2023, Intuit announced Mint would shut down. By March 2024, Mint was gone. Intuit pushed users to its Credit Karma platform.
This left a vacuum that Rocket Money, Monarch, and YNAB filled. Empower (which had been around since 2009 as Personal Capital) saw a surge of refugees from Mint as well.
Don't sign up for Mint — it doesn't exist anymore. The choice is between Empower, Rocket Money, Monarch, and Credit Karma (which is more credit-focused than personal-finance).
Empower — the investment specialist
Empower is best when: - You have $50K+ across multiple accounts. - Investment tracking and allocation matter to you. - You want a free retirement planner. - You want hidden fees in 401(k)s exposed. - You don't need subscription tracking.
Empower's strengths over the others: - Asset allocation deep-dive — sector breakdowns, US vs international, concentration risk. - Retirement planner — far more sophisticated than competitors. - Investment Checkup — compares your portfolio to a recommended allocation. - Fee Analyzer — calculates total fees across all your funds.
Where Empower is weaker: - No subscription tracking. - No bill negotiation. - Basic budgeting tools.
For broader Empower context: Is Empower Worth It?.
Rocket Money — the subscription killer
Rocket Money is best when: - You have lots of subscriptions and want to find/cancel forgotten ones. - You want hands-off bill negotiation (major wireless carriers, major cable providers, etc.). - You want a clean app with reactive subscription tracking. - Smart Savings appeals to you.
Rocket Money's strengths: - Subscription detection — best in class. - Bill negotiation service — they call providers on your behalf. - One-click cancellation for many services. - Smart Savings — FDIC-insured savings via UMB. - Free tier exists — basic features are genuinely free.
Where Rocket Money is weaker: - Investment depth — basic vs. Empower. - Couples / household features — limited. - Goal-based budgeting — adequate but not best.
See Is Rocket Money Worth It?.
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Monarch — the couples-and-households app
Monarch is best when: - You're managing money with a partner. - You want to coordinate multiple household members. - You want premium budgeting tools. - You don't mind paying $14.99/month.
Monarch's strengths: - Couples / household view — built for shared finances. - Per-account permission controls — you can limit what your partner sees. - Strong custom categorization. - Goal tracking — solid. - No bank-affiliated bias — independently owned, no Rocket Money-style upsells.
Where Monarch is weaker: - No free tier — $14.99/month from day 1, but a 7-day free trial covers the test. - Investment depth — improving rapidly with the new Plus tier (Morningstar-powered analysis), still slightly behind Empower for pure investment focus. - Younger product — fewer years of refinement than Empower (founded 2009 as Personal Capital).
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For comparison with Rocket Money: Rocket Money vs Monarch Money.
Monarch's 2026 product changes (what's new)
The Monarch coverage in this article needs an update — the product changed materially in 2026:
New Monarch Plus tier (April 2026): - $299/year for new members ($199/year for existing Monarch users — $100 off your first year of Plus) - Adds advanced cash-flow forecasting, business and rental income tracking, Morningstar-powered investment analysis, and an estate-planning perk through Trust & Will - Designed for users with rental properties, business income, or complex investment portfolios - Most personal users still belong on Core ($99.99/year)
Monarch AI suite (December 2025 - 2026): - AI Assistant — chat-style natural-language queries grounded in your real account data ("how much did we spend on dining out last month?") - AI-Powered Insights — sparkle-icon callouts on the dashboard explaining what changed week-over-week - Weekly Recap — automated email summary of spending, cash flow, and net worth changes - Receipt scanning — attach photos to transactions for tax-deductible expense documentation
The AI Assistant is included on Core ($99.99/year) — Monarch hasn't gated it behind Plus. This is a meaningful product gap vs Rocket Money (no chat AI) and Empower (rule-based, no chat AI).
Shared Views (2025): - "Mine / theirs / ours" toggle for couples - Per-account visibility settings (joint accounts visible to both, individual accounts visible per partner choice) - Cleaner couples-collaboration model than Empower or Rocket Money
Empower's net worth + investment depth (the strongest moat)
Empower's edge over both Rocket Money and Monarch is investment-tracking depth. Worth detailing:
- Holdings-level allocation analysis — Empower shows your actual fund-by-fund holdings, not just account-level rollups. Concentration risk callouts when you're over-weighted in any single position.
- Sector breakdown across all accounts — see your tech vs healthcare vs financials exposure across your 401(k), IRA, and brokerage combined.
- Allocation drift alerts — when your target allocation drifts (e.g., stocks ran up and you're now 80% equity instead of target 70%), Empower flags it.
- Fee analyzer — finds hidden expense ratios in your 401(k) that may be costing you 0.5-1.5% annually.
- Retirement Planner with Monte Carlo simulation — runs thousands of scenarios to estimate your retirement success probability.
For users with $100K+ in investable assets, this depth materially exceeds Monarch's account-level rollup or Rocket Money's balance-only tracking. Trade-off: you'll get phone outreach from Empower's wealth advisors, which you can decline politely.
Migrating from Mint: which app fits you?
Two years after Mint's March 2024 shutdown, the migration is still happening. Here's a decision tree for former Mint users:
| Your Mint use case | Best replacement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Daily transaction visibility + simple budget | Monarch Money | Closest spiritual successor; same dashboard layout; more features Mint never had |
| Subscription audit + bill negotiation | Rocket Money free tier | Better at this single job than Mint ever was; the free tier is genuinely free |
| Investment tracking + net worth (Mint's secondary use) | Empower Personal Dashboard | Stronger investment depth than Mint had; free permanently |
| Couples merging finances | Monarch | Best couples collaboration in the category — a job Mint didn't even attempt |
| All three at once | Stack: Monarch + Rocket Money free tier | Most-recommended setup for ex-Mint users |
| Free-only (refuse to pay for budgeting) | Empower + Rocket Money free tier | Closest you can get to Mint without paying |
For the full step-by-step Mint → Monarch migration walkthrough including CSV import, see Best Mint Alternatives in 2026.
Persona segmentation (which app for which life stage)
| Persona | Asset level | Recommended app | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-something, paycheck-to-paycheck | <$10K | Rocket Money free + EveryDollar | Free + Ramsey methodology if debt is the issue |
| 30-something professional, building | $50K-$250K | Monarch Core | All-in-one budget + goals + investments + AI |
| 40-50s, family + house | $250K-$1M | Monarch Core or Plus | Add Plus if rental property or business income |
| HNW pre-retirement | $1M+ | Empower Personal Dashboard + Monarch | Empower for investment depth + retirement planning; Monarch for active spending |
| Retired, fixed income | varies | Empower free | Net worth + retirement projection focus |
The right tool changes as your finances evolve. A 25-year-old on Rocket Money's free tier might graduate to Monarch in their 30s and add Empower in their 50s. None of these are permanent commitments.
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Pricing comparison
| App | Free tier | Paid tier (monthly) | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empower | Free dashboard | 0.89% AUM (advisory) | $0-thousands depending on assets |
| Rocket Money | Yes (basic) | $7-$14/month sliding scale | $84-$168 |
| Monarch | None | $14.99/month or $99.99/year (Core tier); Plus tier at $199/year adds advanced features | $149.99 or $179.88 |
| YNAB | None | $14.99/month or $109/year | $109-179.88 |
| Credit Karma | Free | None | $0 |
Cheapest paid option: Rocket Money Premium at $84/year on the low end of the sliding scale (user picks $7-$14/month). Most expensive standard option: Monarch at $149.99-$179.88/year. Most expensive scalable option: Empower advisory (depends on assets).
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Feature deep-dive
| Feature | Empower | Rocket Money | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net worth tracking | ✅ Best | ✅ Good | ✅ Good |
| Investment dashboard | ✅ Best | Basic | Decent |
| Subscription detection | None | ✅ Best | ✅ |
| Bill negotiation | None | ✅ | None |
| Budgeting | Basic | Decent | ✅ Best |
| Household / couples | Limited | Limited | ✅ Best |
| Retirement planner | ✅ Best | None | Limited |
| Asset allocation | ✅ Best | None | Limited |
| Fee analyzer | ✅ Unique | None | None |
| Goal tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Best |
| Smart Savings (FDIC) | None | ✅ | None |
| Tax-loss harvesting | Advisory only | None | None |
| Cash flow analysis | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
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Best app by primary need
"I have lots of investment accounts and want a unified view" → Empower.
"I have too many subscriptions" → Rocket Money.
"My partner and I share finances" → Monarch.
"I want simple net worth tracking" → Empower (free).
"I want hands-off bill negotiation" → Rocket Money.
"I want strict zero-based budgeting" → YNAB or Monarch.
"I'm investing through Fidelity / Vanguard / Schwab and want one place to see it all" → Empower.
"I want to find subscriptions I forgot about" → Rocket Money.
Can you use multiple apps together
Yes — and many people do. They're complementary:
Common combo: Empower + Rocket Money - Empower handles investments and net worth. - Rocket Money handles subscriptions and bill negotiation. - Cost: $0-14/month (Rocket Money basic free, Premium $7-$14 sliding scale). - Both link to your bank accounts via separate aggregators (Yodlee for Empower, Plaid for Rocket Money). No conflict.
Combo for couples: Monarch + Empower - Monarch as the household budget tool. - Empower as the investment dashboard.
- Cost: $14.99/month for Monarch, $0 for Empower.
Solo investor combo: Empower only - Free, comprehensive, all-in-one for investment-focused users.
Try Empower → Try Rocket Money →
FAQ
Is Empower really better than Mint was?
For investments — yes, by a wide margin. For basic budget tracking — Mint was simpler. For subscription tracking — Mint was decent; Empower has none.
Why does Monarch cost so much more?
Monarch's positioning is premium. They don't have a free tier and don't run the Rocket Money-style bill-negotiation up-sells. The $14.99/month covers their team's salaries directly.
Can I switch between apps?
Yes. They're independent; switching doesn't lock you out. Just disconnect bank accounts from one and connect to the other.
Is YNAB a good alternative?
For strict zero-based budgeters, YNAB is excellent ($14.99/mo). For the autopilot crowd that just wants tracking, Rocket Money or Empower fit better.
What about Quicken Simplifi?
Simplifi ($5.99/mo) is a budget-focused alternative to Mint. Decent for basic tracking, but lacks Empower's investment depth or Rocket Money's bill-negotiation.
Can I use Credit Karma instead?
Credit Karma is more credit-focused (credit score, credit cards). It has tracking but isn't designed for the depth Empower or Rocket Money offer.
Should I share my Monarch login with my spouse?
Monarch has multi-user support — each person has their own login but views shared finances. Don't share passwords; use the official multi-user feature.
Will my data sync between apps?
No. Each app is independent. Linking your bank to Empower and Rocket Money are separate authorizations.
Which is best for retirees?
Empower's retirement planner and tax optimization advisory make it the strongest for retirees with $250K+. Younger retirees with simpler portfolios may be fine with the free dashboard.
Will any of these go away like Mint did?
Mint's shutdown was a strategic decision by Intuit. Rocket Money is owned by Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT). Empower is owned by Empower Retirement (a $2T+ assets-under-administration company). Monarch is private. Risk varies; Empower has the strongest financial backing.
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Related reading:
- Is Empower (Personal Capital) Worth It?
- Empower vs Fidelity vs Vanguard vs Schwab
- Rocket Money vs Empower
- Rocket Money vs Monarch Money
- Is Rocket Money Worth It?
- Empower Fees Explained
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