People look for YNAB alternatives for three main reasons. The price: YNAB is a subscription at $109 a year. The work: zero-based budgeting asks you to assign every dollar and keep the plan current. And the bank: some people want automatic sync that just works, others don't want to link a bank at all. The right replacement depends on which of those it is.
The quick answer: if you want YNAB's envelope method for free, try Goodbudget or Actual Budget. If you want everything synced from your bank with less hands-on budgeting, Monarch Money or Copilot Money. If budgeting itself was the part you dropped, SpendPal, which we make, lets you write one line per purchase and watch a single monthly number.
Where YNAB still wins
Credit first. YNAB (4.8, 62,000+ US ratings) from You Need A Budget is built around one method, zero-based budgeting: you give every dollar you have a job before you spend it, then adjust when life happens. Nothing else on this list teaches that method as well, with as many guides, workshops and community resources behind it. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web.
If the method is what you love and only the price bothers you, the cheapest route may still be YNAB itself: college students can get a free 365-day trial through its College Program.
What YNAB costs in 2026
According to YNAB's own pricing page, the plans are $109 a year (about $9.08 a month) or $14.99 a month, plus tax where applicable. New users get a 34-day free trial, and signing up directly through YNAB needs no credit card. There is no permanent free tier. That gap is why most of the apps below exist.
If you came here from Mint, which Intuit shut down in 2024, note that YNAB is a different kind of app: a plan you keep, not a dashboard that fills itself in. Monarch Money and Copilot Money below are closer to what Mint felt like.
1. SpendPal — when budgeting every dollar was too much work
SpendPal isn't a budgeting method. It looks like a paper notebook: you type a line in plain words, such as tacos 11.40 or groceries 64.20, and press enter. It reads the amount off the end, files the category and writes it onto today's page. You set one monthly budget, and a single bar fills as you spend and tells you what's left.
There's no bank login, no account and no server of ours. Your data lives on the phone and syncs through your own private iCloud, which you can turn off with a tap. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets open it with the keyboard already up, and it handles 30+ currencies.
To be straight about the price: the free version is a taste, not a plan. You get your first five lines in all, not five a month, with five built-in categories. After that it's Premium: weekly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime purchase.
Skip it if you want envelopes, per-category budgets or zero-based planning. SpendPal deliberately has none of those, so Goodbudget or Actual below are the closer match to YNAB.
2. Goodbudget — envelopes like YNAB, with a free version
Goodbudget (4.6, 13,500+ US ratings) by Dayspring Technologies is built on the envelope method: you fill virtual envelopes and spend from them, which is the closest everyday feel to YNAB. Its App Store listing says the ad-free Free Forever version includes 10 regular envelopes and 10 annual envelopes.
The paid subscription adds unlimited envelopes and accounts, automatic bank sync, sharing across 5 devices and 7 years of history. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web, so a couple can share one budget.
Skip it if you need more than 10 envelopes and don't want to pay. That limit is where the free version stops.
3. EveryDollar — zero-based budgeting with a free manual plan
EveryDollar (4.7, 84,000+ US ratings) from Ramsey Solutions uses the same zero-based idea as YNAB. Its website says there's a free version you can use for as long as you want, where you enter transactions yourself.
Premium adds bank connect, which pulls transactions in for you, plus a debt payoff tracker and coaching. After a 14-day free trial it's $79.99 a year or $17.99 a month, per its site.
Skip it if the Ramsey approach to debt and money isn't for you. The app is closely tied to it.
4. Actual Budget — free, open-source envelope budgeting you host
Actual Budget (actualbudget.org) is the closest thing to a free YNAB. It's envelope budgeting at heart, the code is open source under the MIT licence, and you own your data, with optional end-to-end encryption and sync across devices.
You run it yourself, or on a host such as PikaPods, which lists Actual from $2.00 a month. Its site says bank sync is built in through GoCardless (EU/UK) and SimpleFIN (US/Canada). There's no official App Store app; it's a web app.
Skip it if the words "self-host" make you tired. The setup is the price of free.
5. Monarch Money — when you want every account synced in one place
Monarch (4.9, 117,000+ US ratings) by Monarch Money goes the other way from YNAB: connect your accounts and it pulls everything into one view, with budgets by category or group and a shared household setup. It's the natural landing spot if you miss Mint.
Its pricing page lists $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month. Monarch is subscription-only and says it has no ads. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web.
Skip it if you don't want to link your bank. The app is built around those connections.
6. Copilot Money — a polished bank-synced budget for Apple devices
Copilot (4.8, 31,000+ US ratings) by Copilot Money connects to 16,000+ banks and categorises spending for you, with a money assistant on top. It's designed for Apple devices: iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web.
It has one plan with no tiers. Its pricing page showed $109 a year as a limited-time offer (normally $119), with a monthly option too.
Skip it if anyone you share money with is on Android. There's no Android app.
How they compare
| App | Best for | Method | Bank sync | Free version | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB | Learning zero-based budgeting | Zero-based | Yes | 34-day trial | $109/yr or $14.99/mo |
| SpendPal | Less work than budgeting | One typed line, one monthly budget | No, by design | First 5 lines in all | Weekly, yearly or lifetime |
| Goodbudget | Envelopes for free | Envelopes | Paid plan | 10 + 10 envelopes | Subscription |
| EveryDollar | Zero-based, free manual plan | Zero-based | Premium | Yes, manual entry | $79.99/yr or $17.99/mo |
| Actual Budget | Free and open source | Envelopes | GoCardless / SimpleFIN | Free to self-host | Hosting from $2/mo |
| Monarch Money | Every account in one view | Category budgets | Yes | — | $99.99/yr or $14.99/mo |
| Copilot Money | Apple devices, automatic | Category budgets | Yes | — | $109/yr (offer) |
A dash means there's no permanent free version. Details come from each app's own website and App Store listing as of November 11, 2026. Prices vary by country and plans change, so check before you buy.
Which YNAB alternative should you pick?
- If you love envelopes and want free: Goodbudget, or Actual Budget if you're happy to host it.
- If you want zero-based budgeting for less: EveryDollar's free version.
- If you want it all synced from your bank: Monarch Money, or Copilot Money on Apple devices.
- If you love the method and are a student: stay on YNAB with its free 365-day college trial.
- If budgeting never stuck and logging might: SpendPal, one line a purchase.
Not sure which matters most? The expense tracker app finder asks four questions and names the one that fits. And if bank linking is the deal-breaker, see how to track expenses without linking your bank.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to YNAB?
If you want YNAB's envelope method without paying, Goodbudget's free version gives you 10 regular and 10 annual envelopes with no ads, and Actual Budget is free, open-source envelope budgeting you run yourself (or host on PikaPods from about $2 a month). EveryDollar also has a free version you can keep using, with bank import kept for its premium plan.
Is there an app like YNAB but simpler?
Yes, if simpler means less to do each week. Goodbudget keeps the envelope idea with fewer moving parts. If what wore you down was assigning every dollar and reconciling, SpendPal drops budgeting categories altogether: you type one line per purchase and watch a single monthly number. It is a different method, not a lighter YNAB.
How much does YNAB cost in 2026?
YNAB's pricing page lists $109 a year (about $9.08 a month) or $14.99 a month, plus tax where applicable. New users get a 34-day free trial with no credit card when signing up directly, and college students can get a free 365-day trial through its College Program.
Do I need to link my bank to use a YNAB alternative?
No. Goodbudget's free version, EveryDollar's free version, Actual Budget and SpendPal all work with transactions you enter yourself. Monarch Money and Copilot Money are built around bank connections, and bank sync in Goodbudget and EveryDollar comes with their paid plans.
One line a purchase. No bank, no account.
Type “tacos 11.40” and press enter. SpendPal files it on today's page and shows what's left of the month.
Download SpendPal on the App Store →Related: The best manual expense tracker apps · Monefy alternatives · SpendPal. Questions? support@elevenapril.com
