If you’re going to get serious about money management then it’s a good idea to explore the best budgeting apps and personal finance software. However, if you’re after a free quick fix for your finances then NerdWallet is well worth investigating.
This is a quirky little package that works best in its app incarnation for both iOS and Android, allowing quick and easy access to lots of features and functions on the move. However, the desktop website edition offers another useful perspective on your finances, so to get the best from the NerdWallet arsenal of money tools, it’s probably best to use both from time to time.
This convenience aspect is a big pull factor for NerdWallet users, who once they’ve imported all their financial transactions into the software, can check income and expenditure in one fell swoop.
Of course, being free means that NerdWallet does have to raise revenue in other ways, which largely revolves around offering financial products and services from within the software itself. If you can live with that aspect, rather than spending money on more complex and ad-free personal finance software, it makes a lot of sense.
NerdWallet: Pricing
NerdWallet is currently free to use, both in its desktop guise and also as the app edition, which is available for both iOS and Android. While there is no fee to pay for enjoying NerdWallet, there is a focus on the software offering finance-related deals and offers, which isn’t at all unreasonable given the overall appeal of the package.
NerdWallet: Features
One of the most appealing features of NerdWallet is its capacity for giving you access to your credit score. This can be incredibly useful for checking its current status, but also for learning about how to improve it and, also, for spotting anything that might not be right. Nestling within NerdWallet are nudges towards financial products, but that’s still worth living with for the valuable insight the software gives about your financial wellbeing.
The credit score information is dynamic too, so is useful for getting an up-to-date overview of your current financial situation as well as piecing together a more historical picture. There’s also a neat credit simulator that can help give users an idea of what would happen if a new credit card is applied for and so on. This all works nicely alongside allowing users to keep a close eye on incomings and outgoings from their bank accounts and other financial interests.
NerdWallet rounds out the appeal with a comprehensive helping of advice shop features, which can help shine the light on any aspects of personal finance that you’re not really sure about. Used regularly, the package really can help with becoming more knowledgeable about money matters.
NerdWallet: Performance
There’s a lot to like about NerdWallet and one of its most appealing aspects is the slick and simple interface of both the app editions and the desktop website. It all runs very well and, while there are financial deals and offers present on that journey, this is never enough to make you feel like going elsewhere to one of the rivals.
NerdWallet: Ease of use
As you’d expect from a quick and easy app, NerdWallet is equally straightforward to get to grips with. There’s a short sign-up process, which requires users to input personal information including a social security number, along with any relevant bank account details where the system pulls in transactional records from. It’s all well laid-out and NerdWallet follows all the same security protocols as other competitors in the personal finance space.
The app is also wonderfully simple to operate and, unlike some rival products, is easy to pick up and get the hang off. Rather than giving the user too much information, the NerdWallet approach is more minimalist and tailored. This is another aspect that makes NerdWallet useful for anyone who’s time poor and frequently checks their finances while they’re on the go, or in transit.
Meanwhile, the desktop experience is similarly slick, although it’s interesting to note that neither have exactly the same level of features and functions. It therefore makes sense to use the two in tandem where possible, though you don’t need to do this at the same time, obviously.
NerdWallet: Support
A big part of the appeal of NerdWallet is the wealth of help that’s on tap, with lots of guides and advice available for no cost at all. Using the app edition, or even the desktop incarnation for that matter, is also very straightforward, so there’s really not too much that can go wrong. Setup is a no-nonsense affair, but if you do run into problems there is plenty of guidance on offer to help get you back on track, plus a support email address for registered users.
NerdWallet: Final verdict
NerdWallet has to make money somehow, so this app and website combination does present users with deals and offers along the way. However, there’s no escaping the usefulness of NerdWallet, both for getting an overview of personal finances but also for getting monetary matters into better shape. Anyone looking for a quick and easy way to do this should investigate it, although there are rivals out there that offer similarly useful options, albeit for a fee.
