YNAB

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

1. [R29] 2/5 · US these reviews have to be bots: You have to pay to use this app. I don’t know why the reviews don’t mention that. why would I want to pay for an app that’s meant to help me save money.
2. [R46] 1/5 · US Over 100 bucks: Wouldn’t buy unless you are ready to spend over 100 bucks to use… kind of counter intuitive to my goal downloading this app
3. [R71] 3/5 · US What is happening here?!: I’ve been a user since the YNAB 4 days and have struggled to watch the cost of the app tick higher and higher. It’s hard to recommend the app to folks I know who could really benefit from it because it’s so garsh darned expensive. There have been UI changes - some that I’ve loved, some that are just fine - but whatever recent one made entering transactions so hinder som
4. [R77] 1/5 · US Price hike HORRIBLE updates: They doubled the price - shady shady shady - move to something else. Constant updates that make the Product worse. You have to click a separate screen to CLEAR a transaction. HORRIBLE RUN AWAY CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE
5. [R52] 3/5 · US Used to be the gold standard: The app and platform used to be the be all, end all for budgeting, but over the past few years has gotten progressively more expensive, and even more convoluted. If you are already in the YNAB environment, the app is well made, but if you are looking for a budgeting solution as a new user, I would implore you to look elsewhere, to a company that still cares.
6. [R59] 3/5 · US Method works. App is ok.: YNAB Method is still 5/5. The app however, continues to have updates that require more clicks for previously easy to use functions. I don’t think it’s one singular update, but rather the trajectory of the past few updates while of course raising the subscription price in the process. Find myself using the desktop more than the app.
7. [R64] 3/5 · US Progressively Worse: While I like YNAB, it has managed to get both worse and more expensive over the years. The UI changes too often and sadly in ways that make it more difficult to use. The “updates” sometimes introduce bugs. I’d rather they keep the application stable and usable than try to justify the price hikes by constantly tweaking the user experience.
8. [R65] 1/5 · US Getting Worse: Been using YNAB for years and the app just gets worse. The price goes up and all we get is “blurple” and a more confusing UI. Every change makes the workflow in the app less efficient. Read your reviews. You are alienating your customer base. You’ve pushed me to look for alternatives and I’m starting to test them in hopes of finding something better. The concept is so good and has h
9. [R9] 1/5 · US Disappointed: As soon as I created an account, it automatically signed me up for a free trial WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. Now I have to spend time figuring out how much they charge afterwards how to cancel it. I didn’t even have a chance to see if I like the app and what it has to offer. They literally TRAPPED me into this free trial. They not how a good financial app has to work.
10. [R7] 1/5 · US Garbage experience.: I’ve had YNAB for 15 years. I only use the website. The mobile app is absolute garbage. They keep adding stupid features nobody wants and they keep peddling a book No one’s gonna read
11. [R80] 1/5 · US The app is no longer worth it! Pop up ads in paid sub? Nope!!!: What happened to YNAB? It’s not the same app anymore! UI changes that makes things more difficult, increasing subscription prices, and now POP UP ads in a $130 subscription. Nope - not having it. I’m going to zero out my YNAB subscription category and find something that will work for my Actual Budget!
12. [R81] 1/5 · US Gone downhill & showing now ads: Been a YNAB subscriber for nearly a decade. A simple app that performed exactly what you wanted has become bloated and laggy, not to mention a massive pain to use & navigate. The UI, and therefore the UX, has changed drastically for the worse. Just get back to your roots. And don’t ever show another cross-sell notification advertising the CEO’s new “book”. I pay fo
13. [R526] 3/5 · CA Fine app, but…: 1. The app is good, design well, functionally revolutionizing. I like the zero budget design more than traditional budgeting app. But the thing is that I just cannot afford or justify the expenses of more than $100 for an expense tracking app. Especially for us Canadians, the importing function is non-existent; even though there are ways to import bills from Canadian banks, they ar
14. [R537] 3/5 · CA Insane pricing: Fantastic, essential software. Insane, extortionate pricing. Profit over all else. It’s been years, and they still refuse to create a tiered system for users that do not need bank import or all the training they offer for ‘free’. Unforgivable disregard for customers, especially long-term ones. What you get is great, but you pay for more than you get by a wide margin.
15. [R1] 5/5 · US Changed our finances: I am a CPA. I am familiar with budgeting in general so I was looking for an app that would meet my high standards in what I think a budget should be. This exceeds expectations! Using this app has allowed us to save enough money to invest in a higher interest savings account. The monthly interest earned exceeds the monthly cost of this app. This app pays for itself!
16. [R2] 5/5 · US Fun, Practical, Helpful: I really like this budgeting app. It teaches you a thing or two about budgeting. I am putting into practice zero-cash dollar budgeting. I have found some difficulty connecting to cards using MX, when not supported by plaid (Sam’s Club Mastercard). I love the way I can reflect on the month as a whole and see where I overspent or did very well in. I would request a new fe
17. [R4] 5/5 · US Life Changing: The app is fairly simple to use and easy to navigate. It takes discipline as does every budgeting system, but it does its job well. I went from wondering how much disposable income I had at any given point and being stressed about bills, to having 6 months of bills covered, a travel fun, savings, plus disposable income for the random nights out and impulse buys. I finally tapped int
18. [R11] 5/5 · US YNAB Saved My Financial Future: This is likely going to be a very long review, but for anyone considering a budgeting app change or even just adopting one altogether, this is for you. 6 months ago I woke up and my bank account was drained to 6 cents. Nothing more. My savings had been completely drained by auto-transfers from my checking account over and over until both were empty. I had already r
19. [R20] 5/5 · US I Was Skeptical…: but this app has completely transformed my life. I was very hesitant about the subscription, but actually using this app and treating it like religion has saved me so much money. Way more than the actual subscription cost. It requires effort, but if you are willing to put in the work, I’d bet YNAB transforms your financial life as well!
20. [R12] 4/5 · US More than a month ahead: Game-changer app. What's different about YNAB and other apps is that YNAB is NOT set it and forget it. When a category (such as clothing or restaurants) is out of money, I have to ask, "Do I want to move $ from my electricity-bill category or cell-phone category in order to buy clothes or go out to dinner? No because then I won't be able to pay my bills." YNAB helps you kn
21. [R18] 5/5 · US Financial Clarity: I used to struggle with credit card balances, but after 2 years with YNAB, I don’t pay any interest and can reap all the rewards while my credit is rising. This is the best envelope budgeting system available without a doubt and the community videos are super helpful for customizing to your specific needs. - 3 year update! I both my first home!
22. [R41] 5/5 · US Game changer: YNAB takes a little while to get used to, but for anyone wanting total control and oversight over their finances, and if you’re open to being hands on, this app is incredible and for once in my life I’m not nearly as stressed about finances. I’m still not rich but at least I know exactly what my financial situation is at all times. Love the envelope method.
23. [R16] 5/5 · US A great tool: Once I learned the system and how the app works, I find it very helpful in maintaining my peace around money. The company has a lot of educational resources on their website and YouTube channel to help.
24. [R22] 5/5 · US One of my favorite things: I’ve been using YNAB since 2015 and can honestly say it is one of my favorite things in life. As mentioned elsewhere it can be difficult to use in the beginning but the customer support is second to none. They are amazing and super willing to help. The videos and support materials are amazing as well.
25. [R26] 5/5 · US Hands-down the best budgeting app there is.: I’ve been using this app for over a year. It’s completely changed how I think about money and I feel better every time I have to spend it. The “Budget Nerds” podcast is also now one of my most listened podcasts. This app makes budgeting fun! I look forward to using it every time. Rather than feeling restricted by your categories and like you’re “destroy
26. [R8] 5/5 · US YNAB: Unparalleled flexibility, conviviality and design. World’s #1 budgeting App. A useful tool for monitoring the progress of your assets.
27. [R10] 5/5 · US Best budgeting app!: I honestly love this app. It does take awhile to get a hang of it but once you link your account and understand how it works, it’s amazing. You just have to pick which category you’re spending from and it tells you how much you have left or how much you’re saving. It doesn’t keep track of subscriptions but I just make a category for it to know that I have money on the side.
28. [R14] 5/5 · US The best there is: This is the best budgeting app out there!
29. [R6] 2/5 · US Not an easy app: This app has a good concept but is unnecessarily complicated to use. Be sure of what you want to achieve here because the concept of “zero based budgeting”, is really not for a basic budgeting app. There should be a class or tutorial on how to use it. Frustrating, and I’ve had it over a year.
30. [R13] 1/5 · US Beyond confusing.: Basic idea is good. But how the app actually manages your credits, income, transfers within your savings account is the biggest headache
31. [R5] 2/5 · US Used to be awesome: The idea behind this app was really wonderful and taught me to budget in a way that changed the way I look at my finances forever. Unfortunately, all of the app changes lately get in the way of functionality. Transactions have to get submitted multiple times, balances are somehow inaccurate, color coding is no longer accurate, and month-to-month logic is basically nonexistent.
32. [R19] 3/5 · US Please allow Fidelity connection: I have multiple accounts that i need to manually add transactions
33. [R40] 1/5 · US Will not sync: I’ve been without account info for two weeks and they can’t fix it because they are too dependent on third parties for bank connections. Upped fees are also an issue
34. [R36] 3/5 · US Great service, troubling implementation: I love YNAB’s budgeting approach. I love that it is a mobile friendly solution. I don’t love the software updates. It seems they don’t know what they want in an UI and they’re just guessing at where to put things. No matter how they change things, it still feels inconvenient and more difficult. The app also has maddening delays and DRAINS my phone battery.
35. [R51] 2/5 · US Latest updates make this unusable: I’ve been using YNAB for almost 10 years now, but will have to look for an alternate. The last few rounds of design updates make the app almost unusable. Gratuitous UX choices make the key components difficult to find and add taps where they don’t need to be. Not sure what they’re trying to prove, but it’s certainly not that they’re thinking of their users.
36. [R55] 1/5 · US Updates are getting worse!: Why do have to do more clicks now! It used to be simple and intuitive, now the UI has gotten complicated! Boo! Not a happy customer!