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YNAB

Subscription budgeting app built around giving every dollar a job before you spend it.

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Our verdict

YNAB suits people who want a guided, hands-on budgeting method and are happy to pay a subscription for it. Skip it if you want a free or self-hosted budgeting tool.

What it does well

  • 34-day free trial with no credit card required when signing up directly
  • Free 365-day trial for college students with proof of enrollment
  • Apps for iOS, Android and the web, with account connections via Plaid

Where it falls short

  • No free plan after the trial ends
  • $14.99 per month if you pay monthly instead of annually
  • Budget data is held in YNAB's cloud service, not self-hosted
The YNAB website
The official YNAB website, 17 October 2026.

YNAB (You Need A Budget) is a budgeting app whose core idea, per its site, is deciding what your money is for before you spend it. It lets you build a plan for your money, see all accounts at once, set goals, add photos and memos to transactions, and share a subscription with family. The site says it works with Plaid Financial Ltd. to connect accounts.

Pricing is a single subscription: $14.99 per month billed monthly, or $109 per year (shown as $9.08 per month), plus tax where applicable. New users get a 34-day free trial with no credit card required when signing up directly through YNAB, and college students can get a free 365-day trial after submitting proof of enrollment.

The site's structured data lists iOS, Android, web and watchOS as platforms. There is no free plan once the trial ends.

YNAB compared

Open source alternatives to YNAB

Free to use, with code anyone can inspect.

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Last updated 17 October 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 16 October 2026. How we make money