If you’re often surprised by how little money you have left at the end of the month, you need to start budgeting as soon as possible. Without realizing, you may be spending too much on nights out, expensive food, games or who knows what else. While they may not stand out right away, these expenses add up.

Actual is a great app for people who want to start managing their finances but worry that budgeting software will be far too confusing. It features a very intuitive UI, and it guides you through the initial steps to help you get going.

If you’ve decided to take the first step, go ahead and launch the app. The tutorial is remarkably helpful, especially if you have little experience with similar software, so following it is definitely a good idea.

You can add an account, set a budget and import some transactions in just a few minutes, and you should be able to figure things out quite easily from there. It is truly that simple.

Each month you will set a budget, which determines how your income should be distributed. Money will be added or removed from your balance via transactions, which can be imported or introduced manually.

When you’re done with the current month, you have the option of using the same budget for the next one, which can speed things up considerably. Of course, you can fine-tune everything later on.

As expected, your financial status can be tracked using monthly reports. Only a couple can be generated at present, but even these are very helpful.

While the app is still fairly limited when it comes to features, it has all the essentials covered. You probably aren’t looking for a very complex application if you’re just getting started anyway.

Of note is the fact that you have the option of synchronizing your financial data between multiple devices. Dedicated apps are available for Windows and iOS, though Android is not yet supported.

In a nutshell, Actual is an excellent choice for people who want to start managing their finances, as well as those who prefer a simpler alternative to the budgeting software they are using at present. You can get the hang of it in just a few minutes, and the features it offers should be enough for most users.