YNAB vs BetterBudgets
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
YNAB
This app helps users gain control of their finances by creating flexible spending plans, tracking expenses, and managing debt. It aims to reduce financial stress and empower users to reach their goals. Features include account linking, manual transaction entry, and collaborative planning for multiple users.
- Create and share unlimited spending plans
- Automatically import transactions
- Manually add transactions
- Loan Planner for debt paydown
- Visualize progress towards goals
- Real-time updates for shared plans
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Have you ever worried about money? You are not alone. Download YNAB, get good at money, and never worry about money again. “We started YNAB January 1st with $37 saved and ended the year with $42,000. Plus we paid $14,000 cash for a new roof.” -Kyle, YNAB user since 2020 Start your free 30-day trial and stop feeling like you’re bad at money. “YNAB has removed the stress of money from my life and in doing so has helped make me a better husband. It's like I got to remove a personal flaw I had never been able to fix." -Kyle, again. We didn’t even pay him to say this, but maybe we should. Why YNAB? -92% of YNAB users report feeling less stressed about money since starting. -The average user saves $600 in the first month, and $6,000 in the first year. “A year of YNAB costs less than a massage and is a heck of a lot better for reducing stress.” -Kat, YNAB user since 2016 Benefits and Features STOP ARGUING ABOUT MONEY …and start planning your life, together -Create and share unlimited plans with up to six people with one subscription -Real time updates between devices make it easy to keep everyone informed -Cheaper than couples counseling STOP DROWNING IN DEBT …and start seeing progress with your paydown -Make a plan to pay down debt by calculating time and interest saved with the Loan Planner -Avoid new credit card debt with YNAB’s clever built-in spending categorization feature STOP FEELING DISORGANIZED …and start feeling totally in control -Securely link financial accounts to automatically import transactions -Easily add transactions manually, if you prefer -Ask Siri to update your plan or provide expense category balances on the go START REACHING MORE GOALS …and stop thinking your future is limited -Keep your priorities and goals in focus -Visualize progress as you go -Watch your net worth climb START SPENDING CONFIDENTLY …and stop feeling guilt, doubt, and regret -Calculate your “Cost to Be Me” -Make a flexible, proactive spending plan -Always know how much you have to spend START FEELING SUPPORTED …and stop feeling like you’re alone in this -Talk to our “freakishly nice” award-winning support team (don’t tell them we called them freakish) -Become part of our community of genuine, amazingly supportive people who get it -Attend one of our live events to learn, share, play, and grow with like-minded getting-good-at-money people The first step of never worrying about money again is starting a free 30-day trial. Are you ready to get good at money? (You seem ready! And we already really like you, so please join us.) Free for 30 Days, then Monthly/Annual Subscriptions Available Subscription Details -YNAB is a one-year auto-renewable subscription, billed monthly or annually. -Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. -Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. -Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. -Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. -Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. YNAB is an agent of Plaid Financial Ltd., an authorised payment institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (Firm Reference Number: 804718). Plaid provides you with regulated account information services through YNAB as its agent. Terms of Use: https://www.ynab.com/terms/?isolated Privacy Policy: https://www.ynab.com/privacy-policy/?isolated U.S. State Privacy Notice: https://www.ynab.com/privacy-policy/state-privacy-notice?isolated
BetterBudgets
This personal finance app helps you plan for the future by creating up to 5 personalized debt payoff plans. It projects your financial future up to 10 years out based on your income, bills, and debts, without needing bank account access. Stop reacting to your finances and start planning toward your goals.
- Personalized debt payoff plans
- Future financial projection
- Paycheck-by-paycheck breakdowns
- Debt payoff timelines
- Financial calculators
- Budget archive
- Community tips and guides
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Budget for Tomorrow, Today. BetterBudgets is a personal finance app built around one idea: your budget should work toward your future, not just track your past. Most budgeting apps connect to your bank and show you what you've already spent. BetterBudgets is different. You enter your income, bills, and debts, and our algorithm builds up to 5 personalized budget plans, projecting your financial future up to 10 years out, in under 10 seconds. No bank account access. No syncing. No privacy risks. HOW IT WORKS Our hand-built algorithm uses your real numbers to generate multiple payoff scenarios side by side. See exactly how much sooner you could be debt-free if you redirect just a little more each month. Pick the plan that fits your life and follow it paycheck by paycheck. This is Future-Based Budgeting: a method designed to help you stop reacting to your finances and start planning toward a goal. WHAT YOU GET • Up to 5 personalized budget plans, generated in seconds • Paycheck-by-paycheck breakdowns: tick off bills as they land • Coming Up: the next bills across the checks ahead, so nothing lands by surprise • Debt payoff timelines up to 10 years out • An Analyze dashboard: income, expenses, net worth and savings over time • Every financial calculator you need: early mortgage, auto loan, student loan, debt payoff, consolidation, 401K, emergency fund, and more • Canvas: freehand your financial ideas, with a calculator built in • A Budget Archive that keeps every plan you've ever built • A Library of guides, articles, and video series KNOW BEFORE YOU COMMIT Thinking about a big purchase? Add it to your budget and see exactly what it does to your plan before you sign anything. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS BetterBudgets never asks for your bank login, SSN, or credit card. We collect only what you enter manually. Your financial data is not sold, shared, or used for advertising. FREE TO START Download free and build your first budget today. The Free plan includes the Budget Builder, paycheck-by-paycheck tracking, core dashboard tiles and charts, every calculator, and the Library. Upgrade to Thrive for every plan the Builder generates, the reasoning behind your recommended plan, the full Analyze dashboard, editing amounts as you go, your whole Archive with restore, and Canvas. BetterBudgets. Built for where you want to go. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.betterbudgets.io/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BetterBudgets at 100% against YNAB's 51%. BetterBudgets also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). YNAB's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (62K vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. YNAB sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and BetterBudgets sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
BetterBudgets holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: YNAB has 62K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of YNAB's written reviews are positive against 100% of BetterBudgets's.
YNAB ships an update weekly, BetterBudgets every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | YNAB | BetterBudgets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (62K ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 62K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Best chart rank | #4 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 156 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | You Need A Budget LLC | Tinstac LLC |
Customer experience
YNAB
BetterBudgets
Bugs and requests
YNAB
Reported bugs
2 issues- Frequent disconnections from bank accounts
- Syncing issues between mobile and web versions
Requested features
5 requests- Fortnightly budgeting options
- Improved reporting and analytics
- Ability to upload files/documents
- Undo/redo functionality
- Biometric login for mobile app
BetterBudgets
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
YNAB
- YNAB Subscription1 Month trial$14.991 Month
- YNAB Subscription$14.991 Month
- YNAB Subscription1 Month trial$109.001 Year
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- YNAB Subscription$109.001 Year
BetterBudgets
- Thrive Monthly$9.991 Month
- Thrive Annual$99.991 Year









