# Liquid Budget vs YNAB

> Liquid Budget ($5/mo) vs YNAB ($14.99/mo). Liquid Budget costs less per year. Pick Liquid Budget for people who want a low-cost, web-first envelope budget with mobile apps and optional bank sync, including those moving an existing envelope budget over; 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/liquid-budget-vs-ynab

## Key differences

- **Price:** Liquid Budget is cheaper: about $50 a year versus $109 a year for YNAB, a difference of $59.
- **Trying it first:** Free trials: Liquid Budget (45-day free trial, no credit card required) and 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:** Liquid Budget is built for envelope, zero-based, forecasting and expense tracking budgeting; YNAB for envelope and zero-based. They overlap on envelope and zero-based.
- **Platforms:** Both run on Android, iOS and Web.
- **Feature differences:** Liquid Budget lists multi-currency, which YNAB’s listing does not confirm. YNAB lists debt payoff tools and shared / household budgets, which Liquid Budget’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. Liquid 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:** Liquid Budget: Plaid (included) or SimpleFIN (optional, requires own account). 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?

- **Liquid Budget is best for:** people who want a low-cost, web-first envelope budget with mobile apps and optional bank sync, including those moving an existing envelope budget over.
- **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: [Liquid Budget](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/liquid-budget.md), [YNAB](https://budgetingapps.org/apps/ynab.md)