On October 16, 2026, 19 of the top 20 free finance apps in the US sell nothing on the App Store, these are banks and payment services. Subscriptions for budgeting, trading and credit protection hold the grossing chart. The biggest earner by our estimate is Rocket Money at $1.1–4.6M a month, and ranks 51–100 make $22–93K, not Apple data.
Budgets, markets, credit
MileIQ, a trip log for tax deductions, holds rank 1. We show no range for it, TradingView and other old services and brands, our method runs low for them. The biggest earner by our estimate is Rocket Money at rank 3, $1.1–4.6M. Then come four shelves. Budgets and spending (Rocket Money, YNAB, Copilot, Monarch, EveryDollar), markets and market news (TradingView, Seeking Alpha, Webull, Kraken), credit and identity protection (Dovly, LifeLock, Aura) and mileage (MileIQ, Everlance).
The leaders have few ratings, a median of 85,333. Breakout at rank 15 came out in 2026 and has 10 ratings. It sells paid challenges for traders, and our estimate for it is rough, there are too few ratings.
| Rank | App | How it charges | US ratings | Released | Our monthly estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MileIQ: Mileage Tracker & Log | subscription | 114,713 | 2013 | long-running, method runs low |
| 2 | TradingView: Track All Markets | subscription | 418,523 | 2017 | major brand, method runs low |
| 3 | Rocket Money - Bills & Budgets | subscription | 399,303 | 2016 | $1.1–4.6M |
| 4 | Build Credit & Money: Dovly AI | subscription | 86,524 | 2022 | $697K–2.8M |
| 5 | YNAB | subscription | 61,885 | 2015 | major brand, method runs low |
| 6 | Copilot: Track & Budget Money | subscription | 30,645 | 2019 | $78–313K |
| 7 | Seeking Alpha: News & Analysis | subscription | 126,462 | 2012 | long-running, method runs low |
| 8 | EveryDollar: Budget Management | subscription | 84,142 | 2015 | major brand, method runs low |
| 9 | Monarch: Budget & Track Money | subscription | 114,030 | 2020 | $623K–2.5M |
| 10 | LifeLock Identity | subscription | 196,208 | 2018 | major brand, method runs low |
Apple, US top grossing chart, Oct 16, 2026. Ratings and release years from iTunes Lookup. Monthly range by our estimate for Sep 16, 2026–Oct 16, 2026, not Apple data.
How these apps charge
18 of the 20 top grossing apps sell a subscription, and none has a weekly price. Two show no subscription in their purchase lists, Breakout and Ditch. The free chart sells almost nothing on the App Store. 19 of its top 20 are banks like Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citi, payments like PayPal, Venmo and Cash App, insurers and the prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket. Only Rocket Money sells a subscription in that top 20.
Finance sells the yearly plan. The median month is $13.99 and the median year $95.00, the price of about 6.8 months. That is one of the smallest yearly discounts, among the 26 categories we checked only Entertainment discounts a year less. No app in the top 20 sells a week. Calculators and checkbooks hold the paid chart, 10bii Financial Calculator leads at $5.99, and the top 20 median is $4.49.
| What is sold | Median | Range | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $13.99 | $1.99–$49.00 | 11 |
| Yearly subscription | $95.00 | $9.99–$299.00 | 11 |
| Paid upfront, top 20 | $4.49 | $0.99–$12.99 | 20 |
In-app purchase lists on the app pages, US App Store, Oct 16, 2026.
What a chart rank is worth
The finance grossing chart has less money than the banks suggest. Of 65 estimated apps in the top 100, without old large services and brands, only 13 have their whole range above $100K a month. The top 10 median is $660K–2.6M, ranks 26–50 $59–252K.
The lower half is modest, ranks 51–100 make $22–93K. A place in the top 100 is reachable with small revenue here, while earning like the leaders takes a climb above rank 25.
How newcomers get in
The finance top 100 turns over fast, among the 23 app categories we checked only Developer Tools and Shopping turn over faster. 23 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026. In the 23 days from September 24, 2026 to October 16, 2026, 170 different apps passed through the top 100, and 13 of today's top 100 entered it in that time.
A visible wave of newcomers finds money people are already owed. Settlemate at rank 17 finds class action payouts and price drop refunds, with Collect, ClaimHunt, Payout, PayMe and GetPaid nearby. Another wave cancels unwanted subscriptions, Subpilot and SubSeek.
Niches inside the category
A small team can't build a bank or a broker, but money has many narrow jobs around it. Mileage for deductions, a budget without a bank link, splitting shared costs, finding settlement payouts, cancelling subscriptions. Three finance niches are in the book.
Related articles and breakdowns
- How much Splitwise makes, and whether a new bill splitting app has room
- How much invoice and estimate apps make, and whether you should build one
- 16 iPhone app ideas with too little money in them
Niches of this category in the book
- Envelope budget without a bank, leader not tracked yet
- Splitting shared expenses, Splitwise, $300K–1M
- Mileage log for tax deductions, leader MileIQ
Niche leader and its monthly range by our estimate. Book 50 iPhone app niches, Oct 16, 2026.
Before you start in Finance, Appto checks the niche on fresh App Store data and shows who makes money in it and how much. Appto draws the screens, writes the code without access to your bank and prepares the App Store page in every language.
Where the numbers come from
The US App Store snapshot was taken on October 16, 2026. Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of rating growth in six countries. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. More on the method and on niches by category.
Questions
How much do finance apps make on the App Store?
By our estimate on October 16, 2026, the US top 10 grossing have a median of $660K–2.6M a month and ranks 51–100 $22–93K. Rocket Money makes $1.1–4.6M. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
Why aren't banks in the grossing chart?
Banks, payments and insurers sell nothing on the App Store, they earn on their own services. On October 16, 2026 19 of the top 20 free finance apps are like that.
What does a budgeting app subscription cost?
The category leaders charge a median $13.99 a month and $95.00 a year (US App Store, October 16, 2026). None of the top 20 has a weekly price.
Can a newcomer reach the finance grossing chart?
Yes. 23 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026, and Settlemate sits at rank 17. Ranks 51–100 make about $22–93K a month by our estimate (October 16, 2026).
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