Mint app shut down, here's where users went next

• Intuit shut down the popular free budgeting app Mint in early 2024, affecting millions of users.
• Users were directed to Credit Karma, but many found it lacked the budgeting features they relied on.
• Former Mint users have migrated to various paid apps, free tools, or manual spreadsheets.

For years, Mint was one of the most widely used free budgeting tools in the United States, with a reported user base of 20 million at its peak in 2016. When Intuit announced in late 2023 that it was shutting the app down, millions of then-current users were left looking for somewhere else to help manage their personal finances. 

For many users, the transition wasn't easy. Mint more or less automatically did several jobs at once, including tracking spending, budgeting, monitoring bills, and pulling in credit scores. And it did these things at no cost to the user. Even now, very few single apps are as complete as Mint.  

This guide explains what happened to Mint, where former users have gone, and how to choose the replacement that best fits your budgeting and tracking needs. 

What happened to Mint?

Mint became available in 2006 and saw early success in 2007. 

Sebastian Fidilio, founder and CEO at sebCFO, states, "Mint originally became widely used because it solved a simple, but painful problem: people wanted a consolidated view of their finances, without the need to manually create a spreadsheet. The product was free, easy to use, and helped users identify trends/ insights into their spending."

The budgeting app introduced something new to users. They could manage their entire budgets in one place for free, using automation and connected accounts for simplicity. It earned revenue from referral fees, data sales, and targeted advertising, instead of relying on customer membership fees.

Intuit purchased the app in 2009, and its popularity grew. However, changes in Intuit's product lineup and in the industry itself led the company to announce that it would shut the app down in early 2024. On March 23 of that year, roughly 3.6 million current Mint users were forced to find an alternative. 

Where Mint users were told to go: Credit Karma

When Intuit shut down Mint, the company directed users to Credit Karma, another Intuit-owned platform that focuses primarily on credit monitoring and financial product recommendations. Credit Karma allows users to view credit scores, monitor linked accounts and receive personalized offers for loans, credit cards and refinancing products. The move would also allow users to integrate their Credit Karma account with the company's other products, including TurboTax.

However, for many Mint users, the transition didn't meet their needs. While Credit Karma offered account tracking and credit tools, it lacked many of the budgeting features that made Mint popular in the first place, including customizable spending categories, budgeting goals and planning tools. Many users who relied on Mint to actively manage their budgets found Credit Karma lacking because it focused more on financial monitoring than on everyday budgeting.

As a result, not all Mint users followed Intuit's plan to simply switch over to Credit Karma. Instead, they scattered across different types of platforms depending on how they had used Mint in the past. They moved to a mix of paid budgeting apps, free tracking tools, niche budgeting systems and even manual spreadsheets.

Where Mint users actually went

Former Mint users didn’t migrate to a single replacement app after the shutdown. Instead, they split into several different groups. 

1. Paid Mint replacements

Many former Mint users chose existing paid budgeting apps to get as close to Mint’s all-in-one experience as possible. Some of the platforms they chose included: 

• Monarch Money
• Quicken Simplifi
• Origin
• YNAB
• Copilot Money

While these apps resembled Mint, there were important trade-offs. First, users now had to pay, often around $99 annually, for subscription fees. Second, while many of these tools were more polished than Mint, they were different and required habit changes to maintain them successfully. 

2. Free budgeting and tracking apps

Other Mint users chose free tracking apps, such as Rocket Money and Empower. These platforms recreate some of Mint's functionality by also allowing users to link accounts, monitor spending and track recurring charges, without a subscription fee.

However, most of these free options focus more on tracking than making a detailed budget. Rocket Money emphasizes subscriptions and bill management, while Empower leans more heavily into investment and wealth tracking. 

While most free budgeting apps lack some functionality, many also offer paid versions that provide expanded financial tools.

3. Simpler or niche tools

Still, other former Mint users, especially those who had never used the app to its full capacity, chose simpler apps that worked better for their specific budgeting styles. Goodbudget focuses on the envelope budgeting method, while PocketGuard helps users understand how much money is safe to spend after accounting for bills and savings goals.

These niche tools generally offer fewer automation features and fewer financial institution integrations than more powerful budgeting platforms. However, many found that their relative simplicity fit their needs just fine, and in some cases, better. Many of these apps offer both free and paid versions, depending on functionality. 

4. Spreadsheet and manual budgeting users

Privacy, subscription fatigue, and sensitive information data sharing concerns led some former Mint users to abandon budgeting apps entirely and return to or begin to use spreadsheets, paper tracking systems and manual budgeting methods.

Operating a manual versus an automated budgeting system reduces exposure, which is appealing to some. Others simply chose to take more direct control over their finances after the shutdown made it clear that relying on a single app can have undesirable consequences. 

Why there’s no true 'Mint replacement'

Mint stood out because it combined several financial tools in one free platform, including:

• Spending and transaction tracking
• Budgeting tools
• Savings goals
• Bill monitoring
• Credit score tracking and alerts

Most modern budgeting apps specialize in one area rather than trying to do everything at once. While Monarch Money leans toward household budgeting and planning, Rocket Money focuses on tracking subscriptions and managing bills. Credit Karma primarily focuses on credit monitoring and financial product recommendations, with only some budgeting features. 

As a result, there isn’t a single, one-for-one successor to Mint. Former users now have to choose their budgeting app based on the features they need or use most, whether that’s spending tracking, bill paying, or credit monitoring.

Pros and cons of today’s Mint alternatives

Mint app alternatives generally offer more specialized tools and different user experiences. They also come with some trade-offs. Budgeting app users now have to choose between cost, convenience, privacy and desired features rather than getting everything they want in one free platform.

Pros

• Newer budgeting apps tend to feature more advanced budgeting and financial planning tools.
• Modern app interfaces are often cleaner and more user-friendly.
• Some offer specialized features such as subscription tracking or investment monitoring.
• Having more and different choices allows users to find tools that better match their budgeting habits. 

Cons

• Many leading apps require monthly or annual subscription fees.
• Free apps tend to rely on ads, upselling or affiliate partnerships.
• The best features of free apps require choosing a paid subscription version.
• Manual spreadsheets provide more privacy, but require significantly more work.

How to choose where to go next

Mint is gone. However, the budgeting challenges that made the app popular still exist. If you're looking to start budgeting, track spending, or better manage your finances overall, today’s apps offer more specialized options depending on your goals and habits. Learning how to choose a budgeting app can help you identify the best choice before signing up.

Elias Friedman, CFP, Founder and Senior Wealth Advisor of Kadima Wealth, explains, "In my opinion, a possible replacement is not an app with the best features. It is the one a client would actually keep using consistently… A good budgeting tool should reduce stress, increase awareness, and make it easier to build better habits over time, not overwhelm users with data they’ll ignore after two weeks."

Users who mainly want to monitor spending and account activity may find that free tools such as Rocket Money or Empower provide enough functionality. Those who'd like more emphasis on budgeting, setting savings goals and managing long-term financial planning may prefer paid platforms such as Monarch Money, Quicken Simplifi or Origin. Meanwhile, users who mainly care about credit monitoring may still find value in Credit Karma, even though it functions differently than Mint once did.

Bottom line

Mint’s shutdown was frustrating for many who had relied on the app for years to manage their budgets and perform other functions in one place. However, the shutdown also provided an opportunity for some to find solutions that better matched their budgeting needs and priorities. 

Today’s budgeting apps offer either a wider range of features and approaches or specialized versions that meet specific user needs. Instead of searching for a perfect replacement for Mint, many former users are finding that choosing a tool more aligned with how they manage money leads to a better long-term fit.

FAQs

What replaced Mint?

When the app shut down, Intuit directed Mint users to Credit Karma and hoped they would follow. However, most decided that Credit Karma didn't provide what they needed, and users who wanted budgeting functionality moved to apps like Monarch Money, Quicken Simplifi, Origin, Rocket Money, or YNAB, depending on their needs.

Is there a free alternative to Mint?

Rocket Money and Empower offer free apps that can mimic or match much of Mint's tracking functionality. However, only the paid versions of apps like these tend to provide deeper planning features and functions. Credit Karma is free for credit monitoring, but lacks true budgeting tools.

What is the closest app to Mint?

Quicken Simplifi and Monarch Money are often cited as the closest functional replacements for Mint. Both offer many of the same ideas, including linked accounts, customizable categories, budgets, and goal tracking. However, most of those features require signing up for paid subscription services. 

Why did Mint shut down?

Mint shut down after Intuit decided to consolidate its personal finance products into Credit Karma. Mint’s free-app business model relied heavily on advertising and referral fees, which became less financially viable as the industry changed, leading Intuit to shift its resources toward Credit Karma instead.

Are Mint alternatives better?

Budgeting app technology and tools continue to improve. Newer apps generally have better budgeting features, cleaner user interfaces, and stronger customer support. However, in exchange, most of them charge a subscription fee, where Mint did not.