There are new smart apps coming out every day to help you stay abreast of your finances. In fact, there’s so many, it can seem like an overwhelming sea to wade through. All of them have different features and offer unique services. Deciding which one to use will depend on your individual financial situation and whether you’re willing to dip your toes into investing.
This article will tell you all about the 12 top FinTech apps in 2023. These include things like Venmo, Credit Karma, PayPal, Robinhood Investing, Fidelity Investments, Coinbase, Affirm, Acorns, Mint, Chime and Zelle, along with a few others.
Defining FinTech
FinTech is an abbreviated way of referring to financial technology, like computer programs and smart device apps. These allow individuals and businesses to track, manage and save their money along with budget development, credit score checks and investments.
You can use these on a wide array of smart devices such as phones, tablets and laptop computers. These are improving all the time along with fresh arrays to make financing, banking and investing more manageable. But, deciding which one to use will be dependent on individual needs and special fiscal circumstances.
12 Best FinTech Apps in 2023
1. Venmo
Venmo is a peer-to-peer payment system that offers credit cards, shareable payments with other users and managing direct deposits. They promote being a stress-free way to handle, manage and budget spending too. They also make it easy for businesses and individuals to accept payments and make purchases, pay bills and so much more. People can share bills with roommates or split the cost of a party with friends through it.
Since they have tens of millions of users, it’s easy to see why so many people are flocking to this app. They make security and privacy a top priority, ensuring customer information stays safe and hidden from nefarious hackers.
Pros | Cons |
Topnotch security, privacy and safety features | Requires extensive documentation to open an account or change address |
Links directly to a bank account | |
Many users swear by it | |
2. Intuit Credit Karma
Credit Karma allows people to see their financial data and credit information for free. Prior to that, checking on your credit score meant you’d receive a tick against you, which lowered your standing. But, Credit Karma removes that hindrance and helps people take control of their lives via their credit. This, in turn, provides a way for people to achieve their financial goals like buying a car or house.
Being an app with happy users by the millions, people not only check their credit score but also receive ways to improve a bad credit score. This includes recommending ways to improve their standing by displaying past due bills, medical payments and etc.
Pros | Cons |
Multiple login options | Credit scores take two to three months to update |
Shows the likelihood of approval for financial products | Some problems signing in efficiently and effectively |
Actively helps improve a user’s credit score | |
3. PayPal
PayPal has been a popular peer-to-peer payment platform for decades and their app makes it even easier to accept payments and pay for purchases. With millions of avid users worldwide, they offer credit cards, credit card readers and invoices. This makes it ideal for small businesses as well as for personal use.
You can get a debit card, make payment installments, track orders to your doorstep and find deals all in one app. PayPal has also recently added the ability to accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. This makes moving money between bank accounts, crypto accounts and other financial products simple, easy and fast.
Pros | Cons |
Easy to setup, navigate and use | Security and privacy aren’t as good as others |
Good and fast for direct deposits | The company may cancel accounts for political opinions |
Faster sending of credit card reissues | |
4. Robinhood Investing
For those who want to play around with investments, the Robinhood Investing app is ideal. You can trade ETFs, stock and other options along with Robinhood having its own cryptocurrency. You can use all of these services and features without having to pay a commission fee. They even feature advanced trend charts so you can develop investing strategies on your own terms.
Robinhood also offers 1% matching toward your IRA, which means you keep more of what you save. Plus, your earnings can have tax-free or tax-deferred growth potential. They even offer a cash card, which allows you to get paid two days before the direct deposit is due.
Pros | Cons |
Makes it easy for newbies to get into trading | Many hidden fees and charges for certain services |
Very rewarding service for stock investments | Difficult to sort stocks and options for clarity |
Place orders quickly and clearly | Not the best customer support |
5. Fidelity Investments
Another investment app, Fidelity Investments, is award-winning and easy to use. They pride themselves on prime security features like two-factor authentication, security text alerts, money transfer lockdowns and voice biometrics, among others. This gives you access to a wide range of investments with their state-of-the-art tools and insights.
You can trade cryptocurrency, ETFs, mutual funds and stocks using research and market analysis incomparable in the industry. You can also pay bills, deposit paychecks, schedule transfers and automate your investments. You simply sync everything up, sit back and let the dollars roll in.
Pros | Cons |
Accurate and powerful trading tools and resources | Difficult user interface |
Quality financial learning to build confidence | No outside hours quoting in the app |
Customer support is available 24/7 | The trading charts are difficult to decipher |
6. Coinbase
As the world’s most trusted cryptocurrency exchange app, Coinbase offers a way for people to securely sell, buy, store, trade and stake their crypto. They are the only company that publicly trades on the exchange in the US with over 108 million users all over the globe.
They offer support for most cryptocurrencies. These include Polygon, Polkadot, Uniswap, Tether, USD Coin, Ethereum and, of course, Bitcoin. But they accept hundreds of others as well. They also have a host of powerful tools to help you make the best trading decisions.
Pros | Cons |
Easy to setup, use and trade | Customer support is less than desirable |
Plenty of useful information for better understanding of crypto and how trading works | App doesn’t work with older smartphone models |
Immediate transactions | Some reports of people losing money unprovoked |
7. Affirm
Affirm is a payment app that allows people to shop stress-free along with offering the option to pay over time at any store with flexible payments. Users get access to exclusive rates and deals as low as 0% APR too. The Affirm card can go anywhere, whether using it online or in person.
To use it, you simply browse your favorite places to shop, choose payment terms that work best for your budget and complete your purchase. You can do this right at the checkout or via your Affirm account. This is a Visa-based card connected to Evolve Bank & Trust.
Pros | Cons |
Pay over time plans | Some clients complain about the app security |
Loan options with affordable monthly payments | Customer support is difficult to locate and reach |
Very user friendly and easy to apply |
8. Acorns
For those on a tight budget, the Acorns app allows you to invest, learn, grow and save within your current financial means. This truly is the ultimate investing and money-saving FinTech that continues to grow worldwide with a myriad of satisfied users.
You can have your money automatically invested in any one of their many portfolios, which their experts help personalize just for you. You can round up when you spend, which helps invest spare change. You can invest money in the background with recurring investments too. But, you can also look to the future by investing for your children or for your retirement.
Pros | Cons |
Simple to use and setup; friendly interface | Spending with the app can be frustrating |
Good for blue collar workers looking to build a nest egg | Tends to be unnecessarily complicated |
Great customer support |
9. Mint
Mint is a new app on the block of FinTech and it’s popularity is growing by rapid leaps and bounds. This is because it offers a fresh way to manage money, pay bills, customize budgets, track spending and so much more. You can monitor subscriptions and receive personalized insights too. All this harmonizes to give control over your finances.
Mint even gives you a way to track and file your IRS tax refunds by linking up with TurboTax. The manner in which this all works means you can focus on your financial goals, manage your spending and save the most money possible for your future. They also offer credit scores and reports with fraud and identity alerts.
Pros | Cons |
Noticeable and quick credit score improvements | Problems syncing outside bank accounts |
Cohesive view of finances with easy user interface | Ad free plan still displays ads on the app |
Real-time view of expenses, earnings and spendings |
10. Chime
Chime is the FinTech app to take banking to the next level. While they do connect to banking services provided by Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank along with Visa credit cards, they allow users the ability to keep their money safe. What makes them unique is the fact that there are no minimum monthly or overdraft fees.
This means that people who often have a difficult time making ends meet can get a little peace of mind while not being nickeled-and-dimed to death. They even offer a way for people to get paid two days before payday, which helps cover immediate and unforeseen daily expenses.
Pros | Cons |
Overdraft protection up to $200 | App tends to be slow and glitchy |
Credit Builder feature means you can improve credit score with typical daily purchases | Support often denies disputes when users claim fraud |
Simple to use and hassle-free |
11. Zelle
If you need to transfer money quickly and painlessly, Zelle is your go-to app. In fact, they partner with leading banks and credit unions across the United States, which makes transactions nearly instantaneous. It’s a great way to forward money to friends, put down a deposit for an apartment or quickly pay off an old debt.
It’s such a trusted app that most major banks have it installed within their own apps. This means peace of mind while keeping your money safe, secure and protected.
Pros | Cons |
Removes the five to seven-day waiting period for most transactions | Can only transfer $500 per transaction |
Super fast transfers between people | Not compatible with newer versions of smart devices |
No transfer fees | Poor customer service |
12. Credit Sesame
Another credit management app, Credit Sesame is there for all your financial needs. They have a “Sesame Ring,” where you can have a complete look at your credit, what affects it and the actions you can take to improve it. They help users access, protect and understand their credit all in one place.
Their tools and information help you achieve financial goals faster. They do this by offering alerts, monitoring and tips to ensure you get the most out of the app while managing your credit score.
Pros | Cons |
So helpful and easy to use | Difficult to close/terminate your account |
Makes financial info easy to track and understand | Poor customer service and support |
Many users report how much they love it | |
Conclusion
The FinTech companies in the list have made a significant contribution to making financial services more innovative, transparent and accessible. However, the market is still very early and there is a lot of room for other companies to make their contribution. Most of FinTech startups are facing the same problems such as
High technology costs. The cost of developing and maintaining technology is high, which can put a strain on fintechs' finances.
Short product life cycles. The pace of innovation in the financial technology industry is rapid, which means that fintechs need to constantly update their technology in order to stay competitive.
Regulation. FinTechs are subject to a variety of regulations, which can make it difficult to develop and launch new products and services.
Velmie is a fintech software provider that helps innovative companies go live faster and reduce the costs of owning the technology. Our modular cloud-native digital banking platform allows businesses to build unique fintech solutions at 6x speed. Get in touch to see how we can help your company to start and thrive.
About the author
Paul Shumsky, CMO
Paul Shumsky is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Velmie, a leading fintech and banking technology solutions provider. With a passion for driving innovation and customer-centric strategies, Paul brings over two decades of expertise in the realm of marketing and technology.
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