As the cost of living rises, saving enough for your first home can feel like a daunting—even unobtainable—milestone. So, how can you do it? One strategy is to create and maintain a budget, which allows for greater control over spending and serves as a visual habit tracker. By knowing where your money goes every day and setting limits, you can work toward building financial security and long-term wealth. Fortunately, there are great digital tools to help you manage finances and move closer to your goal of becoming a homeowner. Here are five top-rated budgeting apps to jumpstart your savings account.

1. NerdWallet

NerdWallet is ideal for learning plenty about budgeting before diving in so that you can make informed financial decisions. The app offers a range of financial advice, with articles and guides covering topics like mortgages and insurance. Likewise, it features comparison tools to help with selecting credit cards, loans, and investments. Beyond that, NerdWallet does more than budgeting. It offers free credit score tracking, has a new platform to keep you aware of economic and financial trends, and includes various income and expense calculators.

2. PocketGuard

PocketGuard offers bill organization, customizable budgets, and debt management, which makes it great for those focusing on reducing bills. The app simplifies goals, providing a comprehensive overview of income and expenses. With its features, you get personalized recommendations to help with spending and saving. Beyond that, you can set specific goals and it provides suggestions on how to achieve them quickly.

3. You Need a Budget (YNAB)

You Need a Budget (YNAB) emphasizes a proactive approach to personal finance for anyone interested in strict budgeting. YNAB follows a zero-based budgeting method where every dollar is assigned a specific job, whether for bills, savings, or expenses. This way, you spend with a purpose. Packed with features, YNAB monitors spending patterns, creates detailed finance reports, offers financial literacy workshops and videos, and allocates money to specific goals.

4. Honeydue

The budgeting app for couples, Honeydue, enables partners to manage their finances together, allowing couples to create joint budgets, track expenses, and set spending limits. They can also link their financial information. The free app supports over 20,000 financial institutions across five countries. Plus, Honeydue includes features like chat, which lets couples discuss specific transactions or financial goals within the app.

5. Simplifi by Quicken

Simplifi by Quicken is best for anyone looking for a simple yet detailed approach to budgeting. With Simplifi, you can track expenses across multiple accounts, including bank accounts, credit cards, and investments. Even better, the app gives you an insight into spending patterns and alerts you when you’re climbing over budget. Additionally, it provides a clear overview of debt and offers strategies to help you pay it off more efficiently. Finally, you can set short and long-term goals and see how your daily spending habits impact them.

Each of these budgeting apps syncs to your bank account so you can finally have peace of mind about your finances and feel in control. It may feel challenging to start cutting back on expenses, but with these tools, you’ll be closing the deal on your first home in no time.