# GoodBudget vs YNAB

> GoodBudget ($10/mo) vs YNAB ($14.99/mo). GoodBudget costs less per year. Pick GoodBudget for couples and households who want to plan spending with envelopes across several devices and can accept manual entry or US-only bank sync; 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/goodbudget-vs-ynab

## Key differences

- **Price:** GoodBudget is cheaper: about $80 a year versus $109 a year for YNAB, a difference of $29.
- **Trying it first:** GoodBudget 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:** GoodBudget is built for envelope and couples & families budgeting; YNAB for envelope and zero-based. They overlap on envelope.
- **Platforms:** Both run on Android, iOS and Web.
- **Feature differences:** YNAB lists goal tracking and reports & charts, which GoodBudget’s listing does not confirm.
- **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. GoodBudget: No. Partners can share a household budget across devices, but Goodbudget's sharing guide tells both people to use the same household username or email address and password. This is shared-login access, not separate member logins. 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:** GoodBudget: Premium only; US banks only (Plaid-based per changelog). 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.

## Which should you choose?

- **GoodBudget is best for:** couples and households who want to plan spending with envelopes across several devices and can accept manual entry or US-only bank sync.
- **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: [GoodBudget](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/goodbudget.md), [YNAB](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/ynab.md)