Comparison

YNAB vs ImpulseLog

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

About

ImpulseLog

This app helps you curb impulse spending by logging potential purchases before they happen. Understand your spending triggers, build self-control with gamified features, and save money without shame or guilt.

Highlights
  • Log resisted impulse purchases
  • Connect urges to mood and context
  • Use wait timers for purchases
  • Gamified saving with streaks and achievements
  • Daily check-in ritual
  • Offline functionality
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

A little space before checkout. ImpulseLog is an ADHD-friendly companion for the moment you almost buy. Save the item, take a pause, and choose what feels right. Record bought and skipped purchases honestly, without a complicated budget or a missed-day catch-up. PAUSE IN THE MOMENT Use Help me decide for a short reset, set a wait timer, or send a product link to ImpulseLog with Share to Pause. Bring a reusable shopping list into the store to keep your plan visible. MAKE YOUR CHOICES VISIBLE Log saved, bought, and pending decisions. Add mood, category, notes, or optional place context when it helps. See recorded avoided spending, goals, milestones, XP, and achievements. TRY ONE USEFUL NEXT STEP Free starter guidance is available immediately. After 3 completed decisions, try one personalized Coach sample. Choose a practical next step and check in after trying it. You can revisit your sample without subscribing. GO DEEPER WITH PREMIUM Premium adds fresh weekly Coach reviews, saved review and check-in history, deeper context patterns, 6-month and all-time Insights, and up to one year of mood history. A USEFUL FREE APP Core logging, pause tools, wait timers, shopping lists and sessions, goals, daily challenges, 7-day and 4-week Insights, 14-day mood history, and CSV/JSON data export remain free. Premium is optional. YOUR CHOICES, YOUR DATA No ads in the app. Place context is optional; ImpulseLog does not use background location tracking. Export or delete your data in Settings. Recorded avoided spending is money you chose not to spend, not proof that money moved into a savings account. Premium subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled through Apple. Review the current price and billing terms before subscribing. ImpulseLog is a self-reflection tool, not medical treatment or personalized financial advice. Privacy: https://www.impulselog.com/privacy Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: support@impulselog.com

Screenshots

YNAB4 screens
ImpulseLog4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: YNAB at 4.8 against ImpulseLog's 4.0. YNAB also leads on ratings volume (62K vs 4) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). ImpulseLog's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and review sentiment (75% vs 51%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. YNAB sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and ImpulseLog sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

YNAB holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: YNAB has 62K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of YNAB's written reviews are positive against 75% of ImpulseLog's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

YNAB ships an update weekly, ImpulseLog every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
YNAB versus ImpulseLog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYNABImpulseLog
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (62K ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews50.9% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings62K — better4
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size156 MB26 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperYou Need A Budget LLCBradley Scott, Munn

Customer experience

YNAB

All ratings61,872 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews1,671 reviews
Positive50.9%
Neutral9.5%
Negative39.7%

ImpulseLog

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

ImpulseLog

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

YNAB

Subscriptions4
  • YNAB Subscription1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • YNAB Subscription$14.991 Month
  • YNAB Subscription1 Month trial$109.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • YNAB Subscription$109.001 Year
2 purchases

ImpulseLog

Subscriptions2
  • ImpulseLog Premium$4.991 Month
  • Premium Insights Annual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is YNAB free?
YNAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ImpulseLog free?
ImpulseLog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, YNAB or ImpulseLog?
YNAB is rated higher. YNAB averages 4.8 out of 5 from 62K ratings, while ImpulseLog averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do YNAB or ImpulseLog have ads?
Neither YNAB nor ImpulseLog shows ads.
Which is updated more often, YNAB or ImpulseLog?
YNAB ships an update weekly, and ImpulseLog every 3 days. Most recently, YNAB was updated on October 18, 2026 and ImpulseLog on October 5, 2026.

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