Comparison

YNAB vs Zerosum

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

Zerosum

This app helps you meticulously plan your finances using a zero-based budgeting approach. It allows you to allocate every dollar before spending, track savings goals, and gain insights through detailed analytics and forecasts. You can choose between automatic bank syncing or manual entry, and even share your budget with family.

Highlights
  • Zero-based budgeting
  • Savings goal tracking
  • Financial analytics and forecasts
  • Recurring transaction scheduling
  • Bank sync or manual entry
  • Family budget sharing
Features
Read full description

Zerosum is zero-based budgeting that actually makes sense. Plan every dollar before you spend it, hit your savings goals, and always know exactly where your money is going. PLAN EVERY DOLLAR Start each month by planning where every dollar goes, so your spending matches your priorities before the money is gone. SAVINGS GOALS THAT FIT REAL LIFE Save on a schedule, refill monthly categories, save by a date, or track open-ended balances. Simple goals for how people actually budget. ANALYTICS AND FORECASTS Net worth, spending by category, cash flow, income trends, and financial forecasts. Twelve reports that help you make better decisions. RECURRING TRANSACTIONS Set bills, subscriptions, and paychecks once with flexible scheduling: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or any custom interval. Never enter the same transaction twice. BANK SYNC OR FULLY MANUAL Connect your accounts for automatic imports, or go fully manual. Your workflow, your choice. SHARE WITH FAMILY Share a budget with your partner or family so everyone stays on the same page. Your money, organized. Start with a free 1 month trial. SUBSCRIPTIONS Zerosum offers Basic, Plus and Pro plans, each available monthly or annually. Prices are shown in the app before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, and your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://zerosum.so/terms Privacy Policy: https://zerosum.so/privacy

Screenshots

YNAB4 screens
Zerosum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Zerosum at 92% against YNAB's 51%. Zerosum also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). YNAB's advantage is ratings volume (62K vs 24) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. YNAB sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Zerosum sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Zerosum 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 24, 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 92% of Zerosum's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

YNAB ships an update weekly, Zerosum every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
YNAB versus Zerosum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYNABZerosum
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (62K ratings)5.0 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.9% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings62K — better24
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size156 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYou Need A Budget LLCPedro Fidalgo

Customer experience

YNAB

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

Zerosum

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

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

Zerosum

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

Zerosum

Subscriptions6
  • Zerosum Basic (Monthly)1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Zerosum Plus (Monthly)1 Month trial$8.991 Month
  • Zerosum Pro (Monthly)1 Month trial$12.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Zerosum Basic (Annual)$39.991 Year
  • Zerosum Plus1 Month trial$59.991 Year
  • Zerosum Pro (Annual)1 Month trial$89.991 Year

Questions

Is YNAB free?
YNAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zerosum free?
Zerosum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, YNAB or Zerosum?
Zerosum is rated higher. YNAB averages 4.8 out of 5 from 62K ratings, while Zerosum averages 5.0 from 24 ratings.
Do YNAB or Zerosum have ads?
Neither YNAB nor Zerosum shows ads.
Which is updated more often, YNAB or Zerosum?
YNAB ships an update weekly, and Zerosum every 2 days. Most recently, YNAB was updated on October 18, 2026 and Zerosum on October 16, 2026.

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