Ainsley BiltonIn a recent announcement Clearscore, which acquired Money Dashboard in early 2022, has decided to shut down the budgeting app.
If you have been a long-time user of the MoneyDashboard product for budgeting you may find yourself asking … what now? Luckily with multiple different budgeting and money management apps on the market, there are several alternatives. So many that it may seem overwhelming to find the right MoneyDashboard alternative for your needs.
So what can you do?
News of MoneyDashboard closing came rather suddenly and for many users may be quite a shock. Although all of the details of why ClearScore has decided to close the app are not disclosed, for now, the app remains open which allows users to save data and download their history so those valuable insights they have gained are not entirely lost.
Once you have done this it is time to find a replacement to MoneyDashboard before it closes on the 31st of October.
What is the best MoneyDashboard Alternative?
On the downside, there is no such thing as a seamless switch between budgeting apps without starting from scratch. On the upside, however, some alternatives offer all of the same great tools and insights (plus additional features) that can fill the void MoneyDashboard has left.
The largest selling point of MoneyDashboard for consumers was its ability to connect multiple accounts in one place, manage bills and subscriptions, use the app’s analytics to gain insights across multiple categories and timeframes, as well as set budgets that fit your lifestyle.
The app also allowed users to split transactions, transfer between accounts, create custom categories, get notifications about your balance and see your spending history. All of these features are important to managing your finances effectively which is why finding a MoneyDashBoard alternative that offers the same features is important.
Emma is another money management app with very similar capabilities to MoneyDashboard. It offers all of the features discussed above as well as a handful of other tools to help you reach your financial goals. To see if Emma is the right MoneyDashboard alternative for you we have compiled an in-depth comparison of the two to help you make an informed decision.
Budgeting Capabilities
Smart budgeting is a core focus for both Money Dashboard and Emma. The apps both utilise Open Banking technologies to connect multiple accounts in one central hub for easy management. Once you have connected your accounts you can track spending either categorically or by merchant and set up a custom budget that works for you.
Money Dashboard offered 54 bank connections and Emma currently offers 53 in the app and is consistently adding new connections. With Emma, users can also add offline accounts to manually track within the app as well as connect investments and assets. With Emma, you even can create custom categories to ensure your budget is fully tailored to your lifestyle.
Insights & Analytics
Another way Money Dashboard and Emma are similar is the personalised insights and analytics that each provides. Users can view the trends of their income, spending, and savings each month. You have the ability to compare this against previous months or select custom time frames to view.
With Emma, you can view this information based on your budget categories or for different merchants to know not only how much money went towards groceries but how much was spent at Sainsbury’s specifically.
One of Money Dashboard’s most well-loved features was the custom spending plan it could create for users based on their balance, scheduled spend, and budget. This was able to help shape consumer decisions by informing them when they were going over budget or coming in under budget.
This feature is very similar to Emma’s true balance technology which helps users to know their true spending power. Emma’s true balance shows the balance after bills so users can make smart decisions. This true balance technology in tandem with Emma’s personalised budget recommendations based on your past spending history, although not the exact same as Money Dashboard’s spending plan, are quite similar. With Emma, you also can track the progress of your spending within your budget and receive real-time notifications when you are spending too much too soon, or enable rolling budgets to transfer any leftover balance from one month to the next.
Save Features
Both apps aim to help users manage their money more effectively to enable them to save more each month. By compiling the data from past months and creating analytics on spending habits from one month to the next, as well as, the ability to set and monitor a budget and recurring charges, Money Dashboard and Emma both help you save money. Emma also has a designated save section in the app that features the ability to create savings pots and earn high interest paid daily so users can grow their savings right in the app.
What’s different between Emma & MoneyDashboard?
Price
Money Dashboard offered only one standard free plan for their users. This is different from Emma’s tiered subscription system. With Emma, users can use the free plan or pay a monthly subscription fee to unlock additional benefits. Emma users can elect to use the free plan or upgrade to Emma Plus, Pro or Ultimate for ÂŁ4.99, ÂŁ9.99 or ÂŁ14.00 per month respectively. To figure out which Emma plan is right for you check out our comparison table so you can find what suits your needs best.
Invest
Money Dashboard had no capabilities to allow users to Invest directly in the app. With Emma, you can invest in more than 2,000+ international stocks! Whether you are an experienced trader or not Emma you can get started investing with Emma with as little as ÂŁ1. Whether you want to make a one-off purchase or set a recurring order you can find the investments that work for you and start building your portfolio right in the Emma app! Remember, when investing, your capital is at risk.
Cashback
Emma is all about helping you save more, whether that be from our high-interest savings pots, or from cancelling a forgotten subscription Emma wants to help you on your quest to save. This is why we offer exclusive cashback offers within the app so you can earn money while shopping or save more with exclusive deals and discounts!
Rent reporting
One of our newer features in the app rent reporting allows users to build their credit history with their rent payments! Rent reporting allows you to improve your credit position by simply reporting your rent payments to major credit bureaus. Simply turn on rent reporting in the app directly from your feed, select your rent payment from your transactions and Emma will start reporting your rent payment to the 3 major credit bureaus- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion every month.
Fraud protection
With Emma, you can protect your online identity. Emma diligently scans the web for any data breaches and shares your personal information so you can protect yourself from fraud! Emma will cross-check the email address and phone number you have provided with a comprehensive database of previously reported data breaches.
If there is a match found, the details of the breach will be displayed under the corresponding phone number or email address, so that you can take necessary actions to secure your account.
Shared accounts with Emma Spaces
Emma Spaces feature allows you to group your accounts together to help you organise your financial life in a way that works best for your unique needs. With Emma Spaces you can create different budgets and see analytics for different accounts connected in Emma as opposed to the standard format where they are shown together. With Spaces, you can create a separate budget and category budgets for each Space you create. Spaces is perfect for those users who have a joint account with a partner, to keep track of your family’s spending or your business accounts.Â
Networth
Monitor your net worth by connecting your accounts to Emma and adding in any unlisted assets, savings, or loans like your home or car. From here Emma tracks and updates your net worth so you can have a full overview of your financial health.
It is important to track your net worth to make informed financial decisions, set & achieve financial goals and have a better understanding of your financial health.Â
Ready to make the switch?
If you are ready to make the switch to Emma from MoneyDashboard you can take advantage of our 7-day free Emma Pro trial to make the most of all of Emma’s features and access higher savings rates and lower FX trading fees. See for yourself why Emma is loved by over 1.6 million users!
