People leave YNAB for three reasons: the price ($109 a year after the 30-day trial), the method, which asks you to assign every dollar in advance, or the linked accounts. These apps each solve one of those, with prices read on the US App Store.
Data checked on October 20, 2026
Log a spend in three seconds and always see what's left: Tuppence — free, no account, no bank connection.
The Lampo Group Incorporated · 4.7 out of 5 (84,160 ratings)
For zero-based budgeting with a free plan
The same idea of giving every dollar a job, with a free plan that includes the monthly budget, unlimited categories and a shared household budget. Bank connections and reports are paid.
Dayspring Technologies, Inc. · 4.6 out of 5 (13,510 ratings)
For envelope budgeting shared with your partner
Virtual envelopes shared across phones and the web, free with 10 regular and 10 annual envelopes and no ads; subscribers get unlimited envelopes and automatic bank sync.
Simone Ruggiero
For a simple budget without linking your bank
Set a cap per category or an overall one and see what's left as a big number; it renews at the end of the period. Recurring expenses, savings goals with the monthly amount to set aside, widgets and Siri. No account, no ads.
Monarch Money, Inc. · 4.9 out of 5 (114,668 ratings)
For couples who want every account in one view
Flex or Category budgeting, bills and subscriptions, net worth and investments, with your partner or advisor at no extra cost. Cheaper than YNAB per year, still a membership after a 7-day trial.
Copilot Money, Inc. · 4.8 out of 5 (30,685 ratings)
For automation and a polished design, in the US
Automatic categorization that learns your habits, adaptive budgets, subscriptions and investments, on web, iPhone, iPad and Mac. US institutions only.
PocketGuard, Inc. · 4.6 out of 5 (7,679 ratings)
For knowing what's safe to spend
Computes what's left after bills, goals and essentials, supports zero-based, envelope and 50/30/20 budgets, and builds a debt payoff plan. Manual transactions are possible too.
If you liked YNAB's method but not the price, look at EveryDollar or Goodbudget, which keep a zero-based or envelope approach and have free plans. If you want the opposite, less planning and more seeing, Tuppence shows what's left in each budget without linking anything. If you need everything connected, Monarch and Copilot are the full-dashboard options, both by subscription.
Yes: EveryDollar and Goodbudget have free plans built on a budgeting method, and Tuppence is free for logging spending and one overall budget. Bank linking is usually the paid part.
Goodbudget shares envelopes across devices, EveryDollar lets you share the household budget, and Monarch includes your partner at no extra cost. Tuppence is built for one person.
Tuppence never connects to a bank. EveryDollar's free plan and Goodbudget's free plan are manual as well.
Prices, features and ratings come from each app's US App Store listing on October 20, 2026 and may change; Tuppence's come from the app itself. Listings: EveryDollar, Goodbudget, Tuppence, Monarch, Copilot Money, PocketGuard.
YNAB, EveryDollar, Ramsey+, Goodbudget, Monarch, Copilot Money and PocketGuard are trademarks of their respective owners. Tuppence is an independent project with no affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement from them. This page compares apps; it is not financial advice.