# The best budgeting apps for students in Saudi Arabia: six options, their prices and who each one suits

> **The short answer**: The best budgeting apps for students in Saudi Arabia are Drahim and Malaa, because both link your bank accounts through open banking licensed by the Saudi Central Bank and both are free to download. If you log spending by hand, Wallet or Money Manager is enough, and university students get YNAB free for a full year.
>
> tiswa lists the current student offers in Saudi Arabia for [Notion](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/notion/) and [WPS Office](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/wps-office/).

**Key takeaways**

- Drahim and Malaa are free and read your accounts through open banking.
- SAMA licensed Malaa to provide account information services.
- Bank sync in Wallet is a Premium feature; manual logging is free.
- YNAB is free for a year with proof of enrolment, and the year does not repeat.
- Never give any app your one-time code or bank password.

![Budgeting apps for students: which way of tracking suits you?](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/budgeting-apps/budgeting-apps-cover-en.webp)

> Budget splitter: Type your monthly income and what you spend on each area, and see your split next to the suggested 50/20/20/10. https://tiswa.app/en/tools/budget-splitter/

## What are the best budgeting apps for uni students in Saudi Arabia?

These six come from their official pages and their Saudi App Store listings. Prices are as each page shows them, in dollars where a page gives no riyal price:

| App | Price | Bank linking | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drahim | Free; Drahim Plus is SAR 29.99 in-app[^2] | Yes, through open banking[^2] | Card spenders with more than one bank |
| Malaa | Free; investing carries a 0.35% yearly management fee[^3] | Yes, licensed by SAMA[^1] | Category budgets with saving on the side |
| Wallet | Free for manual logging; bank sync on Premium[^5] | Premium only[^5] | Cash spenders and several currencies |
| Money Manager | Free with ads; Premium is a one-time purchase[^6] | No, manual | A quick logbook with no subscription |
| YNAB | Free for a year for students, then $14.99 a month or $109 a year[^7][^8] | Check inside the app | A strict budgeting system |
| Google Sheets | Free | No | People who want to see the formula |

![Comparison card of the guide table](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/budgeting-apps/budgeting-apps-inline-2-en.webp)


## How we compared the budgeting apps

Three questions. Does the app read your transactions from the bank, or do you type them? What does it cost after the free period? And what can it see of your data? Every price and feature comes from the company's page or its Saudi App Store listing. We did not link real student accounts ourselves, so the official pages are the reference. Bank apps are left out of the table because they differ from bank to bank; they get their own section below.

## Which app suits you?

1. **Drahim**: A Saudi app that brings your bank accounts into one place, links them through open banking licensed by the Saudi Central Bank, and sorts purchases, transfers and commitments automatically after each transaction.[^2] It also offers an investment wallet authorised by the Capital Market Authority.[^2] Best for a student with one account for the stipend and another for family money, paying by card.
2. **Malaa**: Brings your accounts together, categorises transactions and lets you set a budget per category, such as groceries, transport and entertainment.[^3] SAMA licensed it to provide account information services.[^1] Investing through Malaa carries a 0.35% yearly management fee with a SAR 1,000 minimum first deposit,[^3] so keep the free app and the paid portfolio apart in your head.
3. **Wallet**: From BudgetBakers, with a completely free tier for people who log by hand.[^4] Bank syncing is a Premium feature,[^5] and the company says it reaches over 15,000 financial institutions worldwide,[^4] so check that your bank is one of them before you pay. It handles multiple currencies,[^4] which helps scholarship students abroad and expat students.
4. **Money Manager**: A fast spending logbook from Realbyte. The paid version is a one-time purchase for lifetime use, not a monthly subscription,[^6] which is rare among budgeting apps. Good if you want to type the amount in three seconds at the till.
5. **YNAB**: Free for a full year for enrolled college students, including graduate, international and part-time students, with proof such as a student ID or transcript showing your name, school and the date.[^7] The free year does not repeat even if you are still studying,[^7] and after it the price is $14.99 a month or $109 a year.[^8] Strong if you want every riyal to have a job before you spend it.
6. **Google Sheets**: Four columns: date, amount, category, note. Then a total for each category divided by your income. Free, and it works on any phone. If spreadsheets are new to you, start with [Excel for students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/excel-for-students/).

## Is your bank app enough to track spending?

Yes, if most of your spending is by card from one account. If your bank app shows spending by category, that is the easiest start, because it asks nothing of you. It cannot see cash, a second bank or your STC Pay wallet, though. If you do not have an account yet, read [student bank account in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/student-bank-account/) before any app.

## What are the best apps for budgeting free, without paying later?

Drahim and Malaa are free to download, Wallet is free for manual logging, Money Manager is free with ads, and a Google Sheet costs nothing at all. YNAB is the one to watch: it is free for a student year, then it bills unless you cancel. Put a reminder in your calendar a week before the year ends.

## How do I set up a student budget in an app in 15 minutes?

1. **Pick one app**: Drahim or Malaa if you pay by card, Money Manager or a sheet if you pay cash.
2. **Link or type**: Link your accounts from the add-account screen, or type in your current balance.
3. **Create four categories only**: Essentials, savings, fun, study. Too many categories and you quit in week two.
4. **Set a weekly fun limit**: Divide your fun share by the weeks in the month and enter the number.
5. **Fix a review time**: Five minutes every Thursday, as a repeating reminder on your phone.
6. **Judge it after a month**: If you opened it fewer than twice, it does not suit you. Try the simpler option.

![5-step flow: Pick one method / Use four categories only / Write down your weekly limit / Set a fixed review time / Judge it after a month](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/budgeting-apps/budgeting-apps-inline-1-en.webp)


Which percentage goes in each category is set out in [student budget in Saudi Arabia](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/student-budget/).

## Is it safe to link my bank to a budgeting app?

It is when the app links through licensed open banking, because you give consent inside your own bank's app and never hand over your bank password. Any app that asks for your one-time code or bank password on its own screen should be deleted at once. Account safety habits are in [protect your university accounts](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/account-security-students/).

> **tiswa's take**: Our view at tiswa: pick Drahim or Malaa if you have more than one bank account and pay by card, because linking removes the chore that kills manual apps. Pick Money Manager if you mostly pay cash. Pick YNAB if you want a strict system and can try it during your free student year. The mistake we see most often is downloading three apps in one day and abandoning all three.

## What mistakes ruin a budgeting app in the first month?

- Paying for a yearly plan before trying the free tier for two weeks.
- Mixing the investment wallet with the budget, so every market move shows up as "spending".
- Never checking the automatic categories: groceries filed as restaurants, a transfer to your brother filed as fun.
- Forgetting small subscriptions, the easiest line to cut because many have a student price.

Tracking saves nothing on its own; it shows you where to start. The steps are in [how to save money as a student](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/save-money-students/).

Once you see where the money goes, make subscriptions and devices cheaper. tiswa collects student discounts in Saudi Arabia as percentages under [study tools](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/study/). [Join tiswa](https://tiswa.app/en/join/)

## Questions

### What are the best apps for budgeting free in Saudi Arabia?

Drahim and Malaa for card spenders: both are free and link your accounts through open banking. For cash, the free versions of Wallet or Money Manager are enough.

### Is YNAB free for students?

Yes, for one year with proof of enrolment such as a student ID or transcript. The free year does not repeat.

### Is Malaa licensed in Saudi Arabia?

Yes. SAMA licensed Malaa Company for Information Technology to provide account information services under open banking.

### What are the best apps for students to save money?

A budgeting app that shows your spending by category, such as Drahim or Malaa, plus student discounts on the subscriptions it reveals.

### Can I use ChatGPT for budgeting?

Yes, for sorting an exported statement into categories, as long as you delete your name, account number and card number first. It does not replace an app that tracks every week.


## Sources

[^1]: Saudi Central Bank (SAMA): SAMA licenses Malaa Company for Information Technology to provide open banking services, https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/MediaCenter/News/Pages/news-1161.aspx
[^2]: App Store Saudi Arabia: Drahim, Manage & Grow Finances, https://apps.apple.com/sa/app/drahim-manage-grow-finances/id1591612912
[^3]: App Store Saudi Arabia: Malaa, Track, Save & Invest, https://apps.apple.com/sa/app/malaa-track-save-invest/id1491121903
[^4]: BudgetBakers: Wallet, personal and family finance manager, https://budgetbakers.com/en/products/wallet/
[^5]: BudgetBakers Help Center: Connect, disconnect or reconnect your bank, https://support.budgetbakers.com/hc/en-us/articles/7076796545554-Connect-disconnect-or-reconnect-your-bank
[^6]: Realbyte Help Center: Is the paid Money Manager app a one-time payment or a subscription?, https://help.realbyteapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/10669850586649-Is-the-paid-app-an-one-time-payment-or-a-subscription-service
[^7]: YNAB: Free YNAB for college students, https://www.ynab.com/college
[^8]: YNAB: Pricing, https://www.ynab.com/pricing