The best FREE money saving apps

This is our pick of the best money saving apps for 2018. With the cost of living ever rising, are you doing everything you can to make your money go further? Four out of five adults in the UK now own a smartphone, there are apps available for everything from checking the weather to getting travel directions.

But are you making the most of the plethora of apps that are out there that are designed to save us money? Have a read of our money saving app roundup to find out which free app downloads will make the biggest difference to your finances this year.

1. Chip

Many of us are guilty of failing to save money - but Chip makes it easy. The app (available on both Apple and Android devices) needs read-only access to your current account, giving it the ability to automatically calculate what you can afford to save based on your current spending habits. The interest rate on these savings is 1% as standard - but get friends to sign up with your referral code, and you could boost this up to 5%.

2. Squirrel

Find yourself overspending and struggling to pay bills? Squirrel can help. The app requires you to put your salary into an account and splits the money into three categories - bills, savings and spending money. The money for bills is only returned to your account the day before it's due to be taken out, meaning you avoid the temptation to spend it.

3. vouchercloud

A Voucher website and app vouchercloud is a must for discount code fans. Whether you're an Apple or Android user, the app uses your location to show you the best voucher deals near you. From restaurant chains to high street shops, vouchercloud users have easy access to all the best offers in one handy place.

4. Monzo

Monzo started life offering a prepaid Mastercard - but became a fully fledged bank in 2017. Its nifty app gives you instant notifications whenever you spend money using your Monzo account and divides this spend into various categories, meaning you can see where your money is going. You can even set limits for each category - if you go over this limit, you'll get an alert. It's a great way of making sure you stay on track with your spending.

5. Mint

The Mint app allows you to manage all of your financial accounts in a single place, with the app letting you track spending, set up reminders to pay bills, create budgets and even get tips.