- Most people use Rocket Money for subscription tracking — a feature that's available free elsewhere.
- SubPlus is the focused alternative for subscription tracking: free, no bank access required, renewal alerts.
- For full budgeting, YNAB and Monarch Money are stronger than Rocket Money at roughly the same price.
- Mint shut down in March 2024 — former Mint users have several good options depending on their needs.
What People Actually Use Rocket Money For
Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) markets itself as a full personal finance platform, but surveys consistently show most users subscribe for one feature: subscription detection. Rocket Money links to your bank account, scans transactions, and surfaces recurring charges automatically.
The problem: Rocket Money's premium plan costs $6–$12/month — a subscription to manage your subscriptions. For many people, that's unnecessary. The same goal can be achieved for free with the right tool.
SubPlus — Free, No Bank Access Required
SubPlus is built specifically for subscription tracking. You add your subscriptions manually — Netflix, Spotify, gym, iCloud, whatever you pay for — and SubPlus shows you your full monthly recurring cost, organizes everything in one view, and sends you a customizable reminder before each renewal.
There's no bank linking, no account scanning, and no $12/month fee. For people who want clarity on their subscriptions without handing over bank credentials, it's the most focused option available.
Best for: People who want subscription tracking only, privacy-conscious users, anyone who finds Rocket Money overkill.
Empower Personal Dashboard — Free
Empower (formerly Personal Capital) is a free budgeting and net worth tracker that links to bank accounts, investment accounts, and credit cards. It automatically categorizes transactions and surfaces recurring charges. The core dashboard is free; Empower makes money through its wealth management services, which you can ignore.
Best for: People who want automatic transaction sync plus investment tracking in one place. More complex than SubPlus but more comprehensive.
YNAB (You Need A Budget) — $14.99/month or $99/year
YNAB is more expensive than Rocket Money but built around a genuinely different philosophy: zero-based budgeting, where every dollar gets assigned a job before you spend it. It requires more active engagement than Rocket Money — you can't just link and forget — but users who stick with it consistently report transformative changes to their financial habits.
YNAB has subscription tracking but it's not the focus. If you want deep budget control and are willing to invest 15 minutes per week, it's the best financial app available at any price.
Best for: People who want to overhaul their budgeting, not just track subscriptions.
Monarch Money — $14.99/month or $99/year
Monarch Money is the closest direct replacement for Mint and Rocket Money. It links to bank accounts, auto-categorizes transactions, tracks subscriptions, and provides budget tools — all in a cleaner interface than Rocket Money. It's slightly more expensive but widely regarded as better-built.
Best for: Former Mint users, people who want automatic bank sync with better UX than Rocket Money.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| App | Price | Bank Link Required | Subscription Tracking | Full Budgeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SubPlus | Free | No | ✓ Focused | ✗ |
| Empower | Free | Yes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rocket Money | $6–12/mo | Yes | ✓ Auto-detect | ✓ |
| Monarch Money | $14.99/mo | Yes | ✓ | ✓ |
| YNAB | $14.99/mo | Optional | ✓ | ✓✓ Deep |
| Copilot | $13/mo | Yes | ✓ | ✓ |
Which One to Choose
If you just want to know what subscriptions you're paying for: SubPlus. Free, takes 10 minutes to set up, no bank access needed. You get a clear monthly total and renewal alerts. That's it.
If you want automatic detection and don't mind bank linking: Empower (free) or Rocket Money ($6–12/mo). Empower does more for free; Rocket Money has a cleaner subscription-specific UI.
If you want full budgeting and are ready to commit: YNAB or Monarch Money. Both cost around $100/year but deliver meaningfully more than Rocket Money.
The focused alternative — just subscriptions, totally free
SubPlus tracks every subscription you pay for, alerts you before renewals on your schedule, and shows your monthly total. No bank access, no monthly fee, no upsells.