- YNAB Pros and Cons
- YNAB Review
- What is YNAB?
- Is YNAB Trustworthy?
- How YNAB Compares
- FAQs
- Why You Should Trust Us
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The bottom line: YNAB is a budgeting app best used by consumers looking for a hands-on budgeting experience. It costs more than other budgeting options on the market and has fewer features.
YNAB App Get started Compare apps
Insider’s Rating A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Fees34-day free trial; Then $14.99 per month or $99 per year
Pros- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Link bank accounts
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Create a budget
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Available on computer, phone, or tablet
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Reports for spending and net worth
- Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Track individual savings goals
- con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No free plan
YNAB may be a good option if you are interested in using the zero-sum budget strategy. It also may be worthwhile if you want to use a platform that's available through a computer, phone, or tablet. You'll want to consider other options if you do not want to pay a subscription fee, though.
YNAB App chevron down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down.YNAB Pros and Cons
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Pros
One big advantage of YNAB is that it connects with your banks and credit cards, automatically importing your account info and transactions. This data syncs across all devices you've installed the app on, too — tablets, Apple watches, phones, and even Alexa devices.
Another perk is that you can also share your subscription with up to five people. This makes it easy for your whole household to stay on track and participate in the budgeting experience.
Finally, the app comes with lots of handy visuals that make it easy to see where your money's going and how much room you have left in each spending category. There are also clear alerts when you're on track to exceed your budget in any area, and you can even generate reports and charts that detail your spending and net worth trends over time.
Cons
The biggest drawback to YNAB is that you'll need to do some manual work. This might include entering transactions (if you don't link your accounts or you pay in cash), categorizing transactions, and assigning funds to each budget throughout the month. This can be time-consuming and may not be a good option if you're looking for a set-it-and-forget-it type of tool.
YNAB's price is another downside. At $14.99 per month or $99 per year, it's one of the most expensive budgeting apps on the market (rivaled only by Monarch). The app does offer a 34-day free trial, though, so you can see if it's a good fit before committing for the long haul.
The last drawback is that YNAB only allows you to use the zero-based budgeting method, which allocates all of the money you make, down to the last dollar. While this might work for some consumers, others may prefer additional options — such as the 70-20-10 budgeting method or a pay-yourself-first budget.
YNAB Review
Why it stands out: YNAB is a handy tool if you want a good visual picture of your financial health and budget. You'll set monthly budgets for individual expenses, savings goals, and debts, and the app shows an easy-to-understand tracking bar for each. As you assign money toward each item, its bar fills up, remaining yellow until you've fully met the estimated costs for that month. (Then it turns green.) If it goes red, that means you've overspent and will need to pull funds from another budget item to cover the shortage.
YNAB's reporting feature is also a standout. With this, you can see how your spending habits change — overall or in specific categories — over time. You can also produce graphs and charts tracking your net worth.
Pricing: YNAB costs $14.99 per month or $99 per year (which breaks down to $8.25 per month). While this is high compared to most budgeting apps, the company does offer a 34-day trial. You can also cancel your subscription and receive a prorated refund should you decide to stop using it.
Look out for: YNAB's app requires quite a bit of manual work. You will likely need to manually categorize some transactions that come in, and you'll need to monitor and assign funds as you get paid throughout the month, too. (There is an auto-assign feature, but you'll still need to check in regularly to ensure you're on track.) There's also no over-the-phone customer service.
What is YNAB?
YNAB stands for "You Need a Budget" and uses the zero-based budgeting method, which has you allocate every dollar earned to an expense, savings goal, or debt. The app divides your money into three buckets — bills, wants, and needs, and then lets you assign budgets for individual line items within those, like your mortgage, your retirement goals, an upcoming vacation, or your kids' back-to-school clothes. You can then track and adjust your spending throughout the month to stay on budget.
YNAB's app is best for consumers looking to do a deep dive into their budget and really get involved in its management. The tool requires you to regularly check your expenditures, categorize your transactions, and assign funds where needed. It's not ideal for someone wanting a fully hands-off budgeting solution.
YNAB users who need assistance can visit the company's online help center, which offers frequently asked questions, guides, video walkthroughs, and more. You can also chat with a support team member directly through the app, which is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars in the Apple store and 4.6 out of 5 stars in the Google Play store, or email help@YNAB.com. There is no phone support.
Is YNAB Trustworthy?
We consider ratings from the Better Business Bureau to evaluate how companies address customer issues and handle transparency. Currently, YNAB has a B- rating, as it failed to respond to one customer complaint lodged through the bureau. (An important note: The company has had just three customer complaints in the last three years.)
YNAB hasn't been involved in any recent public controversies or scandals.
How YNAB Compares
YNAB vs. Rocket Money
Both YNAB and Rocket Money allow you to sync your bank accounts and credit cards, track your spending, and build a budget. With Rocket Money, though, you get bill negotiation and subscription cancellation services, too. It also has autosavings features that identify savings opportunities based on your financial habits, and you can track your credit score through the app.
Another big difference between YNAB and Rocket Money is the price tag. While YNAB costs $14.99 per month (or $99 per year), Rocket Money is free for the most basic version. For premium features, the cost is $4 to $12 per month. (You pay the price you think is fair within this range.)
Read our Rocket Money review
YNAB vs. Monarch Money
While these two apps cost the same, Monarch Money doesn't require the same manual management as YNAB. Instead, the app leverages AI and user-set transaction rules to categorize your transactions and other incoming bank data. You can also use the app to track investments, and there's even a handy calendar that shows you what bills are due and when.
Like YNAB, Monarch also offers helpful charts, reports, and graphs to help you track your financial habits.
YNAB Frequently Asked Questions
What are the drawbacks of YNAB? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.The main drawbacks of the YNAB app are that it requires regular, hands-on management, and its price is high among the biggest budgeting apps.
Can I use YNAB for free? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.You can use YNAB for free for 34 days during the initial trial period, but you'll need to pay for a subscription after that. You can pay monthly or annually.
Why is YNAB so popular?
YNAB is popular due to its high customer ratings (4.8 stars on the Apple store) and handy visualization tools that help you better manage your money, budget for expenses, and save for financial goals.
Does YNAB access your bank account? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.YNAB syncs with your bank accounts and credit cards, allowing it to import transactions and bill totals automatically. You cannot, however, pay bills or transfer funds to and from your bank using the app.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed YNAB
To review YNAB, we considered pricing, features, customer support, and app and trustworthiness ratings, among other factors, as well as how the app compares to others on the market. We also used our bank account-rating methodology as a guideline.
Aly J. Yale Aly J. Yale is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience covering personal finance topics including mortgages and real estate. She contributes to Personal Finance Insider’s mortgages and loans coverage.ExperienceAly began her journalism career as reporter, and later an editor, for several neighborhood sections of the Dallas Morning News.Her work has been published in several national publications, including Bankrate, CBS, Forbes, Fortune, Money, Newsweek, US News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo Finance. She’s also contributed to a variety of mortgage and real-estate publications, such as The Balance, Builder Magazine, Housingwire, MReport, and The Mortgage Reports. Her favorite personal finance tip is to schedule regular check-ins to make sure your credit cards, savings accounts, and other financial vehicles still align with your budget and financial goals. She is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE).ExpertiseAly’s areas of personal finance expertise include:- Mortgages
- Loans
- Real estate
- Insurance
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