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FIYR vs Mint: Which Budgeting Style Fits You Best in 2026?

Updated December 9, 20255 min readUncategorized

Most ex‑Mint users are asking the wrong question. It is not which app should replace Mint, it is which budgeting style will stop your money from ghosting you in 2026.

Here is the uncomfortable truth. If your budget never matched how you actually earn and spend, any app would have failed you. Mint shut down, but for many people, their system was already wobbly.

A forked road sign labeled Mint on one path and FIYR on the other, set in a modern cityscape with icons for budgets, categories, rules, subscriptions, and FIRE in the sky, representing a choice between old and new budgeting approaches.

Quick story. Casey, a designer with feast or famine income, used Mint for years. Every month she would watch her budget go red in week two, panic, and then ignore it. When Mint closed in 2024 and pushed users toward Credit Karma, she switched tools. Same result. Different logo. After we rebuilt her plan around an irregular income style and transaction rules that fit her spending, her budget finally stuck.

Data punch. According to CNBC, about 60 percent of Americans still live paycheck to paycheck, and money stress remains sky high. The lesson is not that people are bad at money. The lesson is most systems are not built for real life.

This guide will help you choose a budgeting style that actually fits you, show how FIYR differs from Mint in customization and tracking, and give you a migration plan you can finish in a weekend.

What really happened to Mint, and why it matters for your system

Mint was discontinued in 2024 as Intuit moved users to Credit Karma. You can read Intuit’s announcement and FAQs on their site for the blow‑by‑blow. The headline for you is simple. Your data and habits had to migrate, and many users discovered the style they were using in Mint did not port cleanly elsewhere.

Here is the part nobody talks about. Mint had a perfectly fine monthly budget with categories, but it nudged everyone into a single cadence and a single style. If your life is biweekly, irregular, goal based, or FIRE focused, one size was never going to fit.

Budgeting styles, in plain English

You do not need an MBA in personal finance. Pick a style that matches how money actually flows for you, and then pick a tool that bends around that style.

Zero based budgeting, every dollar has a job before the month starts. Best for structure lovers and debt payoff seasons. Watch out for decision fatigue if you have 80 categories.
Envelope or category caps, set weekly or monthly caps by category and keep a running safe to spend per envelope. Best for households that overspend in a few problem areas.
Pay yourself first, automate saving and investing at the top, then live on the rest. Best for high earners and people with decent habits who want to accelerate FIRE.
Irregular income buffer, budget last month’s income for this month, keep a cash buffer, and only allocate money you already have. Best for freelancers, creators, and sales roles.
Goal based rolling budgets, tie categories to specific goals, allow rollovers to smooth lumpy months. Best for families and travel planners.

Quote this to yourself next time your budget breaks. Your budget is not broken, your style is.

FIYR vs Mint, through the lens of style fit

Mint had a straightforward monthly budget and auto categorization, plus some rules and goals. It was a great on ramp, then it ended. FIYR is designed to be flexible, transparent, and FIRE friendly. Here is how that plays out for real life use cases.

Area	Mint, shut down in 2024	FIYR
Status	Discontinued and directed users to Credit Karma	Actively developed, FIRE focused insights built in
Budgeting cadence	Classic monthly budgets with simple category caps	Dynamic budgets with caps, goal based allocations, and a safe to spend balance that updates in real time
Categories	Custom categories and subcategories were supported	Custom categories and category groups, plus optional labels for trips or projects like “New York Trip 2025” to see full cost
Transaction rules	Basic renaming and categorization rules	Automatic transaction rules that make your categories and labels consistent without manual cleanup
Subscription tracking	Basic recurring charge identification in later years	Dedicated subscription tracking across accounts so you can see, sort, and cancel waste quickly
Net worth	Tracked connected accounts and balances	Net worth tracking across assets and liabilities in one place
Savings rate and FIRE	No native savings rate or FIRE date projections	Savings rate calculator and FIRE date estimator based on your actual numbers
Goals	Goals existed but were not tightly integrated with dynamic safe to spend	Goal tracking that ties to budgets and shows what is safe to spend without raiding your future

None of this matters if it does not fit your style. So let’s map styles to FIYR setups you can copy in under an hour.

Style blueprints you can steal

1) Envelope caps for spenders

Setup, Choose 5 to 7 volatile categories, for example dining out, groceries, rideshare, fun money, kids. Set weekly caps. In FIYR, turn on safe to spend so you can watch the envelope level in real time.
Rules to add, Create transaction rules for common merchants like DoorDash, Uber, Trader Joe’s. Clean data equals cleaner envelopes.
Habit cue, Move leftover envelope money on Sundays to a vacation goal. Rewards beat willpower.

2) Zero based for debt payoff

Setup, List fixed bills first, then allocate to high interest debt, then essentials, then everything else. Give every dollar a job.
Rules to add, Create rules for each lender so every payment hits the correct category. Track your payoff plan with FIYR’s goal tracking and use our debt frameworks from the post on snowball vs avalanche for your attack plan.
Habit cue, Celebrate every principal milestone. Motivation compounds faster than interest.

3) Irregular income for freelancers

Setup, Build a one month buffer category, budget this month using last month’s income only, and protect taxes as a separate category group.
Rules to add, Create rules per client or platform so you can see gross income and set aside taxes automatically when deposits hit.
Habit cue, Review safe to spend after each deposit, then allocate, never the other way around.

4) Pay yourself first for FIRE

Setup, Automate transfers to brokerage, 401(k), IRA, and high yield savings on payday, then cap lifestyle categories. Use FIYR’s savings rate calculator to see the real number.
Rules to add, Rules for brokerages and payroll so FIYR tags contributions correctly. Use a label like “FIRE 2026 Boost” to track one time accelerators like bonuses or side gigs.
Habit cue, Link goals to a simple FIRE projection. Small increases in savings rate can shave years off your timeline. Our deep dive on the 4 percent rule and the FIRE basics can help you calibrate expectations.

And yes, you can blend styles. The best budgets are hybrids that reflect your life, not a template that looks great on Instagram.

Personas, pick your fighter

The Family CFO, two incomes, two kids, twelve subscriptions, and a calendar that laughs at free time. They tried Mint’s monthly budget, it yelled at them by day 10. FIYR fit, envelope caps on groceries and dining, goal based rollovers for kids activities and travel, subscription tracking to kill unused trials. Result, fewer fights about money, more clarity about what is safe to spend.

The Freelancer, income swings like a crypto chart, expenses spike with projects. Mint’s monthly plan struggled when three clients paid on the same day. FIYR fit, irregular income buffer, budget last month’s money, tax set aside category group, rules by client so every deposit is clean. Result, stress goes down because spending is based on cash in hand, not hope.

The FIRE Couple, high savings potential, wants to see their savings rate and FIRE date move every quarter. Mint never showed them the full picture. FIYR fit, pay yourself first automation, savings rate tracking, FIRE date calculator, plus labeled projects like “Kitchen Reno” so lifestyle upgrades do not sabotage the plan. Result, the FIRE timeline becomes a scoreboard, not a mystery.

The migration plan ex‑Mint users actually finish

Do not try to be perfect. Try to be done.

Step 1, Sketch your style on paper. Zero based, envelopes, irregular income, or a hybrid. Circle the 5 categories that cause most trouble.
Step 2, Build your category groups in FIYR. Keep it tight. Essentials, Debts, Goals, Flex. Add custom categories inside each.
Step 3, Add 10 to 20 transaction rules. Start with payroll, rent or mortgage, utilities, your 5 top merchants, your recurring subscriptions. Rules are how you buy back your time.
Step 4, Turn on safe to spend and set caps. If you are irregular income, budget this month using last month’s money and create a buffer goal. If you are pay yourself first, automate savings before caps.
Step 5, Run a subscription audit. Use FIYR’s subscription tracking to list every recurring charge, then kill the zombies. Keep the ones that are used weekly, cancel the rest.
Step 6, Measure what matters. Check savings rate monthly and net worth quarterly. If you are on a FIRE path, review your plan twice a year using our 4 percent rule guide and FIRE overview so you do not drift.

Pro tip, labels make projects visible. Tag all travel, home upgrades, or events so you can see the true all in cost. Projects produce surprise expenses, labels delete the surprises.

Subscription creep, the silent budget killer

You are not weak, you are outnumbered. Auto renew is a business model. Surveys consistently show households underestimate their subscription spend by a lot. A simple pass can free up real money for your goals.

Find, In FIYR, open Subscriptions and sort by price, then by last used. You want to catch duplicates, old trials, and stealth price hikes.
Decide, Keep if used often and meaningful, downgrade or cancel the rest. Set a yearly calendar reminder to renew with intent.
Reallocate, Move the freed up cash to a goal you actually care about. A canceled 15 dollar subscription is boring. A faster vacation fund is not.

Common mistakes that make budgets fail

Too many categories. If you cannot remember them in the checkout line, you will not follow them at home.
Ignoring timing. If you budget future money, your stress will spike. Budget only money you have.
Random goals. Goals without caps become wish lists. Tie goals to category limits and safe to spend.
No rules. Manually fixing transactions is a hobby, not a system. Rules are force multipliers.

Write this on your fridge. Fewer decisions, more rules, better results.

FIYR vs Mint, the TL,DR

Mint was a great on ramp, then it ended. If you miss the simplicity, FIYR keeps budgeting simple while giving you more control. Custom categories and groups, automatic transaction rules, safe to spend with dynamic caps, subscription tracking, a savings rate calculator, and a FIRE date estimator based on your numbers. It is a modern alternative to Mint, Monarch Money, Copilot, Rocket Money, and Quicken for people who want mastery, not just a monthly report.

And by the way, if you want to go deeper on FIRE math, our guides on the 4 percent rule, boosting your savings rate, and building an emergency fund are ready when you are.

A desk scene with a laptop showing a clean budgeting dashboard, sticky notes labeled Groceries, Rent, Taxes, and FIRE Date, and a coffee mug that says Pay Yourself First, capturing a practical workflow for setting up rules and caps.

FAQ

Why did Mint shut down and where did it go? Intuit discontinued Mint in 2024 and encouraged users to move to Credit Karma. If your data is gone or incomplete, do not stress. Rebuilding a clean system in FIYR is faster than trying to fix years of messy categories. How does FIYR handle irregular income better than Mint did? You can budget this month using last month’s income, keep a buffer, and watch a real time safe to spend balance. Pair that with rules per client, and your plan no longer depends on guessing future cash flow. Can I create my own categories and groups in FIYR? Yes. Build custom categories and category groups, then automate consistency with transaction rules. Add labels when you want to see a project’s true cost across categories. Does FIYR track subscriptions automatically? FIYR groups recurring charges so you can see them in one place. Sort by price or last charge date, then cancel the waste and reassign the money to a goal. How do I track my savings rate and FIRE date in FIYR? Connect accounts, categorize contributions correctly with rules, then use the savings rate calculator and FIRE date estimator. For context on drawdown assumptions, check our guide to the 4 percent rule. I like zero based budgeting. Can FIYR do that? Yes. You can allocate every dollar, set caps per category, and tie goals to your allocations so your safe to spend reflects reality.

Ready to find your fit

Here is the bottom line. The best budgeting app is the one that bends to your life and makes it easier to do the right thing on autopilot. If you want a modern, customizable Mint replacement that is built for real world budgeting and FIRE clarity, FIYR is designed for that job. Start with one style, add rules, and let your system get boring. Boring money wins.