What is Mint App? Everything You Need To Know [PROS & CONS]

Richard Goodwin

11/23/23 •  9 min read

Pin

What is Mint App?

Pin

Mint is an innovative online and mobile personal finance management app. Launched in 2006 and later acquired by Intuit in 2009, Mint has evolved significantly under Intuit’s stewardship, adding in more features, better tools, and even a paid-for version called Mint Premium.

I’ve been a long-time user of this app, so I’m pretty well placed to give you a 30,000 foot overview of how Mint works (and why nearly everybody could benefit from using it). 

Stick around until the end as well because we’ll be covering off everything from Mint’s security, how it compares to the competition, and whether or not Mint Premium is worth it. 

Let’s dig in…

How Does Mint Work?

Pin

Here’s the thing: staying on top of your finances, especially if you run a business and/or busy home, is very tricky. 

Things get out of hand quickly. You sign up for this service or that service, do a bit of shopping for the holidays, and before you know it your finances and cashflow are a mess. 

The smartest people, when it comes to finances, are those that are most organised. Spreadsheets, budgets, accounting software – these are all great for tracking your expenses. 

But they’re complicated, and – let’s be real – a bit too much like hard work to run and maintain in the long run. 

Here’s some good news: Mint is here to make you life a whole lot easier. 

How do I know? I signed up for Mint last year and it has actually been something of a revelation. 

I’ve cut plenty of superfluous costs (streaming platforms I wasn’t using, subscription boxes) and I now understand WAY MORE about how my cash flows on a monthly basis. 

How did it do all of this? Mint aggregates and categorizes information from various sources, including your bank accounts, credit cards, and investments, into a single, intuitive dashboard.

With all of this data organized inside a single dashboard, you know EXACTLY what is coming and going each month.

User Experience and Availability

Pin

The big idea with Mint is threefold: 1) make it easy to use, 2) make it free to use, and 3) allow users to get a better handle on their finances. 

After using the platform for many, many months and feeding it plenty of data about my spending habits, it has become a huge part of my weekly schedule. Next to Acorns and Coinbase, it is easily one of my most-used FinTech apps.

I check in with Mint once a week to see what’s been going on, to see if anything has changed (and if it has, why), and to find areas inside my budget where I can make cuts. 

Is it easy to use? Impossibly easy. You just set up and account, add the accounts that you want tracked, and Mint does the rest. It literally couldn’t be simpler to use. 

Here’s a quick overview of how I use it.

Once you link your financial accounts to Mint, it simplifies your financial management by tracking and categorizing your transactions. 

While Mint provides default categories, you have the flexibility to create custom categories that align with your unique financial habits.

Further enhancing its customization, Mint allows you to add tags and rearrange transactions for more precise tracking of your expenses. 

This is particularly useful for transactions that don’t neatly fit into a single category. Mint enables you to split a transaction across multiple categories, including any associated fees.

While Mint is tailored for individual use and doesn’t support joint account creation, there’s a workaround for couples with joint finances. 

Both partners can set up separate Mint accounts and link the same financial accounts, ensuring they both have access to shared financial data.

Mint vs. Competitors

Pin

• Mint vs. YNAB: While YNAB (You Need a Budget) focuses more on structured budgeting and debt management with a subscription fee, Mint offers a broader range of features for free, including investment tracking and credit monitoring.
• Mint vs. PocketGuard: PocketGuard emphasizes savings and bill negotiation, but Mint offers a more comprehensive suite of features, including investment tracking and a larger user base.
• Mint vs. QuickBooks: QuickBooks caters more to small business accounting with a higher price point. In contrast, Mint is a free, all-encompassing solution for personal finance management.

Mint Premium vs. Mint’s Free Service

Pin

• Mint Free: Offers expense tracking, budget setting, and credit score monitoring, along with financial insights.
• Mint Premium ($4.99/month): Includes an ad-free experience, priority support, and advanced budgeting tools.

Mint offers two versions of its app: the standard Mint, which is free, and Mint Premium, available exclusively on iOS devices for a monthly fee of $4.99.

The primary difference between the two lies in the user experience and additional features.

• Mint’s free version provides all the basic functionalities needed for personal finance management, but it does come with advertisements.
• Mint Premium offers an ad-free experience, making it more streamlined and less cluttered.

Mint Premium also steps up its game with advanced analytics. These tools provide deeper insights into your financial habits, allowing for more informed and strategic financial planning.

Additionally, the ability to export your financial data is a feature unique to Mint Premium, offering greater flexibility in how you manage and review your financial information.

Another significant addition in Mint Premium is access to Billshark. This service is particularly useful for managing subscriptions, as it can identify and help cancel any unwanted subscriptions, potentially saving you money.

For those interested in a comparative perspective, Mint Premium allows users to benchmark their spending habits against other Mint users. This feature can offer a broader understanding of where you stand financially in comparison to a larger community.

Finally, Mint Premium includes two exclusive games designed to educate users about saving and spending. These interactive elements add an engaging twist to financial learning, making the process of understanding finances more enjoyable.

In summary, while the free version of Mint covers all the essentials of personal finance management, Mint Premium enhances the experience with ad-free usage, advanced tools, and exclusive features that cater to users seeking a more in-depth and interactive approach to managing their finances.

If you want to get REALLY deep into your spending habits and patterns, I’d thoroughly recommend Mint Premium – it’ll pay for itself in a matter of weeks. You can sign up for an account here.

Mint App FAQs

Pin

What are Mint App’s Advantages?

Mint app provides a comprehensive view of your finances, including transaction tracking, budget setting, and financial health insights, all for free.

Key Budgeting Features of Mint App?

Mint offers budget tracking, spending categorization, and alerts for budget overruns, along with personalized financial insights.

How Does Mint App Ensure Security?

Mint employs bank-level encryption, PIN or fingerprint access, and two-factor authentication to safeguard your financial information.

Requirements for Using Mint App?

An email address, a U.S. phone number, and accounts with supported financial institutions are required to use Mint.

Does Mint App Charge Fees?

Mint is free for basic features, with optional partner offers for additional savings or rewards.

Richard Goodwin

Richard Goodwin is a leading UK technology journalist with a focus on consumer tech trends and data security. Renowned for his insightful analysis, Richard has contributed to Sky News, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, and CNBC, making complex tech issues accessible to a broad audience.