The mobile-first YNAB alternative
Free to start. Cheaper than YNAB. Built for the way you actually get paid.
Quick answer
The Budgeting App is a mobile-first YNAB alternative with flexible budgeting and no rigid method to learn, native fortnightly support, and bank sync for Australia (Open Banking powered by Fiskil), the US and Canada (Plaid). It has a permanent free tier and a Pro Sync plan with bank sync at $89.99/yr, less than YNAB's $109/yr. YNAB is web-first; The Budgeting App is built for iOS and Android.
- Permanent free tier. No trial, no credit card.
- Native fortnightly budgets (not a workaround)
- Australian bank sync powered by Fiskil
- US and Canada bank sync via Plaid
- Pro Sync with bank sync from $89.99/yr, less than YNAB's $109/yr
Common reasons people leave YNAB
The price keeps going up
YNAB raised its price to $109 per year in 2024. Monthly billing is $14.99 per month. There's no free tier once the 34-day trial ends.
No native fortnightly budgets
YNAB's model assumes monthly budgets. If you're paid fortnightly, you need workarounds. It's standard in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Canada, but YNAB hasn't built for it.
No Australian bank sync
YNAB doesn't connect natively to most Australian banks. You pay extra for third-party tools like Budget Feeder on top of your YNAB subscription.
Web-first design
YNAB was built for the desktop. Mobile is a companion, not the primary surface. If you do most of your budgeting on your phone, that shows.
Steep learning curve
YNAB's four rules, credit card handling model, and onboarding have a known learning curve. YNAB themselves have redesigned onboarding to address it.
No free tier
After the 34-day trial, it's pay or leave. There's no free plan if you want to try budgeting before committing to $109 a year.
The Budgeting App vs YNAB
| Feature | The Budgeting App | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes, permanently free | No (34-day trial only) |
| Annual price (with bank sync) | $89.99/yr (Pro Sync) | $109/yr |
| Annual price (no bank sync) | Free, or $26.59/yr (Pro) | Not offered (one plan only) |
| Monthly price (with bank sync) | $9.99/mo (Pro Sync) | $14.99/mo |
| Fortnightly budgets | Yes, native | No (workaround only) |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android, primary surface | iOS + Android (companion) |
| Full web app | No (mobile-first by design) | Yes (primary surface) |
| Australian bank sync | Yes, Open Banking via Fiskil | No (third-party tools needed) |
| US and Canada bank sync | Yes, via Plaid | Yes (Plaid and MX) |
| Manual entry | Yes (free plan) | Yes |
| Offline mode | Yes, full offline | Limited (mobile only) |
| Budget rollover | Yes (Pro and above) | Yes |
| Household sharing | Yes (shared login) | Up to 6 separate logins |
| Loan tracking | Tracker (balance + progress) | Planner (with payoff projection) |
| Reporting & analytics | Category, income vs expense, budget vs actual, pacing | Adds net worth & Age of Money |
Prices in USD. YNAB pricing sourced from ynab.com/pricing. Last verified May 2026.
See all plans →Where each app wins
Where The Budgeting App wins
- ✓Permanent free tier. No trial, no credit card.
- ✓Native fortnightly budgets. Not a workaround.
- ✓Australian bank sync. Open Banking via Fiskil, no third-party tools needed.
- ✓Cheaper with bank sync. $89.99/yr vs YNAB's $109/yr.
- ✓Mobile-first. iOS and Android as the primary surfaces, not an afterthought.
- ✓Works offline. Log and review transactions without internet.
Where YNAB still wins
- →Full web app. A mature desktop experience if you budget primarily on a laptop.
- →Dedicated multi-user accounts. Up to 6 separate logins on one subscription. The Budgeting App supports sharing via a shared login, but not separate per-person accounts.
- →Loan payoff planner. YNAB projects your payoff date and models interest. The Budgeting App tracks your loan balance and progress, but doesn't project a payoff date.
- →Net worth & investment tracking. YNAB charts net worth over time (its Reflect tab) plus Age of Money. The Budgeting App stays focused on budgeting and cash flow, and doesn't track net worth or investments, by design.
- →Larger community. r/ynab has a decade of shared templates, strategies, and support.
If none of these are dealbreakers, The Budgeting App gives you the same day-to-day budgeting for less, with fortnightly pay and Australian bank sync built in.
The features YNAB doesn't have
Fortnightly budgets, properly
Most budgeting apps are built around monthly pay cycles. YNAB tells Australian and New Zealand users to budget monthly and assign income as it arrives. The Budgeting App supports fortnightly periods natively. Set your pay date and your budget runs from there. It's on the free plan.
Open Banking in Australia
The Budgeting App connects to Australian banks through Open Banking, powered by Fiskil. Fiskil holds the CDR accreditation. YNAB has no native Australian bank connection. Users pay extra for tools like Budget Feeder on top of their subscription. With Pro Sync, it's built in.
How it compares to other YNAB alternatives
| App | Method | Price (USD) | Free tier | AU bank sync | Mobile-first | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Budgeting App | Flexible (no strict method) | Free / $89.99/yr | Yes | Yes (Fiskil) | Yes (primary) | Mobile, fortnightly pay, and a free start |
| YNAB | Zero-based (strict) | $109/yr | No (trial only) | No | Companion | US users committed to the YNAB method |
| Monarch | Tracking + light budget | $99.99/yr | No | Limited | Partially | Couples wanting net worth + budget together |
| EveryDollar | Zero-based (Ramsey) | Free / $79.99/yr | Yes (manual) | No | Yes | Followers of Dave Ramsey's method |
| Actual Budget | Zero-based (envelope) | Free / $7.95/mo (Actual Cloud) | Yes | No | Limited | Technical users who want open-source |
| PocketSmith | Forecasting + budget | From $9.95/mo | Yes (limited) | Yes | No (web-first) | AU/NZ users focused on long-horizon planning |
Switching from YNAB
How long does setup take?
Most users have a working budget in under 15 minutes. Connect a bank or add an account manually, create your categories, and set your budgets. No onboarding course required.
Will I lose my budgeting history?
Your YNAB data stays in YNAB. Most people start fresh in The Budgeting App. Your YNAB history is a useful reference for setting your category budgets.
Switching from YNAB, answered
Yes. YNAB charges $14.99 per month or $109 per year as of 2026 (ynab.com/pricing). The Budgeting App's Pro Sync plan, which includes bank sync, is $9.99 per month or $89.99 per year. It also has a permanent free tier, which YNAB doesn't offer.
Yes. Fortnightly budgeting is built in properly, not bolted on as a workaround. Set your pay date and your budget runs from there. It's available on the free plan. YNAB doesn't support fortnightly cycles natively.
Yes. Bank connections use Open Banking, powered by Fiskil. Fiskil is the CDR-accredited data recipient that handles the secure connection. YNAB has no native Australian bank sync. Australian users typically pay extra for tools like Budget Feeder on top of their YNAB subscription.
Yes. In the US and Canada, bank connections use Plaid, the same provider used by most major North American fintech apps.
No. The Budgeting App is mobile-first and is available on iOS and Android. YNAB's primary surface is the web, with a mobile companion. If you do most of your budgeting on a laptop, YNAB may be a better fit. If you budget on your phone, The Budgeting App is built for you.
There's no direct import from YNAB. Most people start fresh. Set up your categories and accounts manually, which takes under 15 minutes. Your YNAB history is useful as a reference for deciding what budget amounts to set.
No, and that's deliberate. YNAB enforces a strict zero-based method. The Budgeting App lets you set budgets by category for your pay cycle without forcing a methodology, which suits people who found YNAB's rules too rigid.
Yes. The free plan includes fortnightly budgets, offline mode, manual entry, and sync across devices. No trial period and no credit card required. See all plans.
Yes, and it's free, no subscription needed. Sign into the same account on both phones to share one budget, and your changes sync across devices in real time. Device sync is part of the free plan, not Pro Sync (the paid plan for connecting your bank). YNAB instead gives up to 6 separate logins, which suits households that want individual accounts.
Bank credentials are never stored in The Budgeting App. In Australia, connections flow through Fiskil's CDR-accredited infrastructure. In the US and Canada, connections use Plaid. Access is read-only, meaning the app can see your transactions but can't move money or make changes to your accounts.
YNAB is a registered trademark of YNAB LLC. The Budgeting App is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YNAB. All YNAB pricing and feature information is sourced from publicly available information at ynab.com. Prices in USD unless stated otherwise. Last verified May 2026.
Try The Budgeting App today
Available on iOS and Android. No sign-up required.
