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

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
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Free, open-source, local-first envelope budgeting app you can self-host or run on your computer.
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What users say
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Last updated 17 October 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 16 October 2026. How we make money