# Actual Budget vs YNAB

> Actual Budget (Free) vs YNAB ($14.99/mo). Actual Budget costs less per year. Pick Actual Budget for people who want real envelope budgeting, full control of their data, and are fine with (or willing to pay a few dollars a month for) self-hosting; pick YNAB for people who want a proven, well-supported zero-based method and polished apps on every device, and are happy to pay a premium and put in some time to learn it.

Source: https://budgetingapps.org/compare/actual-budget-vs-ynab

## Key differences

- **Price:** Actual Budget is cheaper: it has a free plan versus $109 a year for YNAB.
- **Trying it first:** Actual Budget has a free plan. Free trials: YNAB (34-day free trial, no credit card needed when signing up directly (6 weeks via a friend's referral link, per YNAB, rolling out Sept 2026)).
- **Budgeting method:** Both use the same approach: envelope and zero-based budgeting.
- **Platforms:** Actual Budget: Desktop and Web. YNAB: Android, iOS and Web. Only Actual Budget has Desktop. Only YNAB has Android and iOS.
- **Separate logins for shared budgets:** Invite family or teammates to the same budget with their own logins. Sharing one password or sign-in link does not count. Separate logins do not necessarily mean private accounts or transactions. Actual Budget: Not confirmed. Check whether each person gets their own login. YNAB: Yes. YNAB Together includes the subscriber and up to five additional people, each with their own login, under one subscription. Share selected plans with group members. The group manager can access every member's plans; other members see plans shared with them.
- **Bank sync:** Actual Budget: Optional; requires the server and provider credentials. Supports SimpleFIN (North America), Enable Banking (Europe), Akahu (New Zealand), and Pluggy (Brazil); GoCardless is closed to new accounts. Automatic syncing is configurable but runs only while Actual is open; it can also be triggered manually. Tokens are stored server-side outside E2EE. YNAB: Optional Direct Import through MX and Plaid, plus select Apple Wallet accounts. Accounts usually refresh once or twice a day. Countries supported were not confirmed in the pages I read; YNAB shows a country label next to each institution.
- **Track record:** YNAB has been around since 2004; Actual Budget since 2022.

## Which should you choose?

- **Actual Budget is best for:** budgeters who want real envelope budgeting, full control of their data, and are fine with (or willing to pay a few dollars a month for) self-hosting.
- **YNAB is best for:** people who want a proven, well-supported zero-based method and polished apps on every device, and are happy to pay a premium and put in some time to learn it.

Full reviews: [Actual Budget](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/actual-budget.md), [YNAB](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/ynab.md)