What is YNAB used for?

YNAB (You Need A Budget) is a zero-based budgeting app where users give every dollar a job to plan and track their spending. It is a good fit for getting out of paycheck-to-paycheck budgeting, couples planning household spending and saving toward goals with a clear plan.

How much does YNAB cost?

Paid plans for YNAB start at $14.99 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.

No. YNAB is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to YNAB include Actual Budget, Firefly III and Sure.

What are some alternatives to YNAB?

YNAB competes with Monarch, Copilot Money and Quicken. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source YNAB alternatives.

YNAB: features, pricing and alternatives

About YNAB

YNAB is a paid personal budgeting app built on zero-based budgeting, in which each dollar of income is assigned to a category before it is spent. The aim is to change how people think about money, with the vendor describing budgeting as a skill that can be learned rather than a character trait.

Users connect accounts or enter transactions, assign money to categories, and adjust the plan as spending happens. The company supports this with a get-started guide, a help center, a blog and live hangouts where people can learn the method. It also offers ways to share, such as referrals, gifted subscriptions and subscription sharing.

YNAB is proprietary software delivered as a web service with mobile apps. The vendor advertises a 34-day free trial that needs no credit card, and then charges a subscription. It suits people who want a deliberate, hands-on budgeting method more than automated spending tracking.

Key features

Zero-based budgeting by category
Account connection and transaction import
Goal tracking for savings and bills
Mobile apps and web access
Learning resources and live workshops
Subscription sharing with family

Good fit for

→Getting out of paycheck-to-paycheck budgeting
→Couples planning household spending
→Saving toward goals with a clear plan

Tags: budgeting; zero-based-budgeting; personal-finance; money-management; savings; mobile-app

YNAB: questions and answers

What is YNAB used for?: YNAB (You Need A Budget) is a zero-based budgeting app where users give every dollar a job to plan and track their spending. It is a good fit for getting out of paycheck-to-paycheck budgeting, couples planning household spending and saving toward goals with a clear plan.
How much does YNAB cost?: Paid plans for YNAB start at $14.99 per month, and there is no free plan. A free trial is available.
Is YNAB open source?: No. YNAB is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to YNAB include Actual Budget, Firefly III and Sure.
What are some alternatives to YNAB?: YNAB competes with Monarch, Copilot Money and Quicken. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source YNAB alternatives.