# Goodbudget Budget Planner vs YNAB

The clearest difference is monetization model: Goodbudget Budget Planner at freemium against YNAB's subscription. Goodbudget Budget Planner also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). YNAB's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#4 vs #65). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodbudget Budget Planner sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and YNAB sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

YNAB holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14K and 62K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of Goodbudget Budget Planner's written reviews are positive against 51% of YNAB's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Goodbudget Budget Planner ships an update every 3 weeks, YNAB weekly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodbudget Budget Planner | YNAB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodbudget-budget-planner/id471112395/reviews) | **[4.8 (62K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ynab/id1010865877/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 14K | **62K** |
| Positive reviews | **58.8% of reviews** | 51.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #65 | **#4** |
| Size | 23 MB | 157 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dayspring Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/471112398) | [You Need A Budget LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1226490621) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodbudget Budget Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodbudget-budget-planner/id471112395)

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you manage your finances and plan your spending using a virtual envelope system. Track expenses, monitor debt, and gain insights with helpful reports. Share your budget with family or friends across multiple devices.

**Highlights:** Virtual envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Expense tracking, Debt payoff tracking, Insightful financial reports, Automatic cloud backup, CSV transaction export

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $6.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Plan | $9.99 | per month |
| Annual Plus Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Plus Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| Annual Plus Plan | $69.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Plan | $79.99 | per year |
| 3 Months of Plus Plan | $17.99 | one-time |
| 6 Months of Plus Plan | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent app for tracking and managing finances
- 🤝 Great for couples and families to manage budgets together
- 📈 Helpful envelope system and budgeting tools
- 🕰️ Ability to schedule recurring payments and income
- 🗓️ Useful for budgeting by pay period instead of monthly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Confusing or unintuitive interface for some users
- 💰 Paid subscription seen as too expensive by some
- 🐛 Occasional bugs, crashes, and syncing issues reported
- 🔢 Limited free version with only 10 envelopes
- 🔍 Difficulty making changes to existing budgets

**Reported bugs**

- Transactions not saving properly
- Envelopes resetting or losing balances
- Recurring income/payments not working as expected
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to group/organize envelopes
- Option to reconcile transactions and mark as cleared
- Transaction search functionality within the app
- Customizable envelope colors or themes
- Automatic transaction syncing from bank accounts


### YNAB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ynab/id1010865877)

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

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:** Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| YNAB Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| YNAB Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| YNAB Subscription | $109.00 | per year |
| YNAB Subscription | $109.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💰 Helps save money
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient budgeting system
- 🤝 Helpful for couples/families
- 🧠 Changes financial mindset

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Steep learning curve
- 🔌 Connectivity issues with some banks
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🕰️ Reconciliation process could be improved
- 📱 Mobile app lacks some features of web version

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent disconnections from bank accounts
- Syncing issues between mobile and web versions

**Requested features**

- Fortnightly budgeting options
- Improved reporting and analytics
- Ability to upload files/documents
- Undo/redo functionality
- Biometric login for mobile app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodbudget Budget Planner free?

Goodbudget Budget Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is YNAB free?

YNAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Goodbudget Budget Planner or YNAB?

YNAB is rated higher. Goodbudget Budget Planner averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while YNAB averages 4.8 from 62K ratings.

### Do Goodbudget Budget Planner or YNAB have ads?

Neither Goodbudget Budget Planner nor YNAB shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Goodbudget Budget Planner or YNAB?

Goodbudget Budget Planner ships an update every 3 weeks, and YNAB weekly. Most recently, Goodbudget Budget Planner was updated on November 1, 2026 and YNAB on November 1, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Goodbudget Budget Planner or YNAB?

Goodbudget Budget Planner currently peaks at #65 in the App Store charts, and YNAB at #4. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*