YNAB (You Need A Budget)
You Need A Budget LLC
Subscription envelope-budgeting app built around the zero-based method. Web-first with iOS and Android companions. Mature ecosystem and large community; no permanent free tier.
Last updated: May 3, 2026
Best for
- Users who want a polished, mature envelope-budgeting platform
- Users who value YNAB's educational content and community
- Power users who want web, iOS, and Android in sync
Not ideal for
- Users looking for a free option
- Users who want their data outside a vendor cloud
- Users unwilling to pay $109/year for envelope-style budgeting
Pricing
$14.99/month · $109/year
$14.99/month or $109/year. 34-day free trial with no credit card required. Subscription includes shared access for up to six people at no additional cost.
Platforms
| Web | Yes |
|---|---|
| iOS | Yes |
| Android | Yes |
| Desktop | No |
Features
| Bank sync | Yes |
|---|---|
| Plaid support | Unknown |
| Manual transactions | Yes |
| Envelope budgeting | Yes |
| Zero-based budgeting | Yes |
| Couples / shared budget | Yes |
| Google Sheets integration | No |
| CSV import | Yes |
| CSV export | Yes |
| Recurring transactions | Yes |
| Bill calendar | Unknown |
| Net worth tracking | Unknown |
Privacy
Budget and transaction data is stored on YNAB's servers. The privacy policy explicitly states YNAB does not sell or share Financial Data for targeted advertising. Revenue comes from subscriptions, not advertising.
Direct quote from policy: 'We do not sell your Financial Data or any other information you provide through the Product.' Deletion via Data Subject Rights Request form or privacy@ynab.com.
Pros
- Mature, polished envelope-budgeting workflow
- Cross-platform sync between web and mobile
- Strong educational content and community
Cons
- No permanent free tier
- Annual subscription is one of the most expensive in the category
- Data lives in YNAB's cloud
Compared head-to-head
- Okane vs YNAB — Okane vs YNAB compared on pricing, privacy, features, bank sync, and data ownership. Both use zero-based envelope budgeting; pricing and data philosophy differ sharply.
- YNAB vs Actual Budget — YNAB vs Actual Budget: same envelope method, opposite product philosophy. YNAB is a polished $109/year hosted app; Actual is free, open source, and self-hostable.
- YNAB vs Goodbudget — YNAB vs Goodbudget: both are envelope budgeting apps but with different price tags. YNAB is $109/year and polished. Goodbudget has a real free tier capped at 20 envelopes, with a $80/year unlimited tier.
Featured in
Alternatives
- Okane Budgeting — Mobile envelope budgeting app whose backing store is a Google Sheet on the user's own Drive. Free tier with unlimited envelopes; $5/month Premium adds Plaid bank sync and on-device AI categorization.
- Actual Budget — Open-source local-first envelope budgeting app. Free if you self-host on a server, Pi, or your own machine; the project also offers a paid hosted sync service.
- Goodbudget — Manual envelope-budgeting app with shared partner access. Free tier exists with envelope and account caps; the Plus tier raises the limits and adds bank import.
- Monarch Money — All-in-one personal finance app focused on net worth tracking, account aggregation, and household budgeting. Web and mobile, with a household plan that includes partner access.
Sources
- YNAB official site — You Need A Budget LLC. Accessed May 2, 2026.
- YNAB pricing page — You Need A Budget LLC. Accessed May 2, 2026.
- YNAB privacy policy — You Need A Budget LLC. Accessed May 3, 2026.