The goal is to eventually get at least one month ahead, so you’re spending money you earned 30 days ago. YNAB offers a proactive budgeting approach rather than tracking what you have already spent, like some competitors.Īfter signing up, you create your first budget and assign every dollar a purpose, such as your rent or car payment. To begin, the company suggests learning the basics about the app through video courses, a live workshop, or reading a guide. YNAB allows you to sync your bank accounts, import your data from a file, or manually enter each transaction. If you prefer to pay less upfront, the cost is $14.99 per month. The company offers a free trial for 34 days (no credit card required), and after that, the cost is $99 per year. YNAB rises to the top of our list because of its budgeting philosophy.
