Comparison

YNAB vs Budget Planner App

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 one-month 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 -Enjoy the benefits of a debt-paying community and resources 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 even get tattooed with like-minded getting-good-at-money people. (Seriously.) The first step of never worrying about money again is starting a free one-month 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 iTunes 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. You Need A Budget UK Limited is acting as an agent of TrueLayer, who is providing the regulated Account Information Service, and is authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (Firm Reference Number: 901096) Terms of Use: https://www.ynab.com/terms/?isolated Privacy Policy: https://www.ynab.com/privacy-policy/?isolated California Privacy Policy: https://www.ynab.com/privacy-policy/california-privacy-disclosure?isolated

About

Budget Planner App

Organize your finances with an AI-powered budgeting tool. Easily track expenses and income using voice input, create budgets, and monitor savings and debt. Gain insights into spending habits with clear charts and history.

Highlights
  • AI-powered expense categorization
  • Voice input for transactions
  • Monthly budget creation
  • Savings and debt tracking
  • Multi-currency support
  • Spending insights and charts
  • Recurring transaction management
Features
Read full description

Meet Zero, The cutest budget app for your everyday life. Simply add expenses by typing or using your voice, and let our AI magic organize everything for you. Create simple budgets, keep your savings and debt organized, and enjoy the feeling of your money growing - one tiny, happy step at a time! Key features: - Minimal, clean, and intuitive design - Add expenses and income in seconds - Voice input with smart AI categorization - Monthly budgets, savings goals & debt - Multi-currency support for global use - Insights & charts to understand spending habits - Transaction history with search & filter - Recurring transactions (bills, salary, subscriptions) - Multiple accounts, categories & tags - Connect Apple Wallet Automations - Export data as CSV/Excel - iCloud sync - No sign in required ZeroApp is ideal for: - Students managing daily pocket money - Families planning a shared household budget - Freelancers handling variable income & expenses - Travelers using multiple currencies - Anyone who wants stress-free personal finance management Take control of your finances with ZeroApp - simple, private, and AI-powered. Read more about our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy here: https://zeroapp.org/privacy https://zeroapp.org/terms We are always there for you! - If you have any questions or face any issues, feel free to email us at support@zeroapp.org. Hope you enjoy using our app as much as we do! :)

Screenshots

YNAB4 screens
Budget Planner App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: YNAB at 4.8 against Budget Planner App's 3.9. YNAB also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 17%) and ratings volume (62K vs 179). Budget Planner App's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 Budget Planner App sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. 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 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: YNAB has 62K ratings behind it against 179, 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 17% of Budget Planner App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

YNAB ships an update weekly, Budget Planner App every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
YNAB versus Budget Planner App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYNABBudget Planner App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (62K ratings) — better3.9 (179 ratings)
Positive reviews50.9% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings62K — better179
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYou Need A Budget LLCDishith Dhanani

Customer experience

YNAB

All ratings61,622 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews1,622 reviews
Positive50.9%
Neutral9.5%
Negative39.6%

Budget Planner App

All ratings179 ratings
Positive70.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative25.1%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative75.0%

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

Budget Planner App

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
6 purchases

Budget Planner App

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly Subscription$3.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$47.991 Year
One-time2
  • Zero Lifetime$29.99
  • Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is YNAB free?
YNAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Budget Planner App free?
Budget Planner App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, YNAB or Budget Planner App?
YNAB is rated higher. YNAB averages 4.8 out of 5 from 62K ratings, while Budget Planner App averages 3.9 from 179 ratings.
Do YNAB or Budget Planner App have ads?
Neither YNAB nor Budget Planner App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, YNAB or Budget Planner App?
YNAB ships an update weekly, and Budget Planner App every 11 days. Most recently, YNAB was updated on September 25, 2026 and Budget Planner App on September 22, 2026.

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