We Renamed the Budget Tab to Plan—Here's Why It Matters

Have you ever tried to describe YNAB to other people? Too often, the conversation goes like this:

"You've got to try this app—it totally changed my life. I paid off my debt, I pay cash for everything, I’m going on this amazing vacation next month—all paid for in advance. I know exactly what I want my money to do, and I don’t stress about it anymore."

"That sounds incredible! What kind of app is it?"

"It's a budgeting app called YNAB." 

"…Yeah, I’m not really a budgeting kind of person."

And just like that, the door closes. For some, maybe forever.

For years, we’ve tried to change that narrative. We tried to redefine the word "budget." But the truth is, for so many people, that word still brings up feelings of restriction and judgment.

That’s what budgeting means for a lot of people, but that’s not what you're doing when you use YNAB. You're dreaming, you're planning, you're building the life that you want to live. You're spending your hard-earned money in ways that reflect who you are and what matters most to you. Words like shame, punishment, draconian self-control—for many, budgeting belongs right there too. But that's not how it feels to use YNAB.

That’s why we’ve renamed the Budget Tab in the YNAB app to Plan. It's a shift we've been moving toward for a while, and now it's finally showing up in the apps. Let me tell you more about why.

Let’s be honest: “Budget” carries baggage.

For many, the word budget is steeped in negativity. We’ve heard it time and time again: stress, shame, restriction, judgment. It conjures images of rules, limits, and guilt trips about buying lattes. That’s not what we’re about—and if you’ve been using YNAB, you know it.

You’ve told us what YNAB really brings: peace, clarity, control, and contentment. We hear it from you every single day. So why cling to a word that doesn’t reflect that?

We spent nearly two decades trying to redefine “budget.” But eventually, we had to admit: it was like trying to make “fetch” happen. The word just couldn’t carry the fullness of what YNAB actually is. So we realized we didn’t need to keep redefining it—and instead, started calling things what they truly are.

YNAB is not a budgeting app. It was always something more.

When people ask what YNAB is, we don’t say “budgeting app” anymore. We say it’s a method. A mindset. A spendfulness app. A way of making spending decisions that remove second-guessing and align with what matters most to you.

YNABers don't just track expenses—they let their plan actively shape their life. YNAB allows you to:

• Weigh tradeoffs. See clearly what you're saying yes to and what you're saying no to with each dollar.
• Gain clarity. Understand what your money needs to do and what truly matters to you.
• Run scenarios. Test decisions, prep for the future, and feel confident no matter what life throws at you.
• See how far your money can take you. Make the most of what you have by aligning every dollar with your values.
• Design the life you want. Use your money as a tool to create a life that feels rich in what matters most—no matter how much money you have.

This is so much more than budgeting in the negative sense so many feel. This is planning—with purpose, with perspective, and with you at the center.

That’s the heart of YNAB. And that’s what the word plan captures better than budget.

The change you may have already noticed

If you’ve been with us for a while, this shift might feel familiar. We’ve gradually been moving away from the word "budget" in how we talk about YNAB. In our videos, emails, and even here on the blog, you've probably noticed we focus more on clarity, priorities, and giving every dollar a job. We've been using different words to describe the same powerful transformation—because that's what you're really doing with YNAB: transforming your relationship with money.

This change from budget to plan in the app just makes that language official. "Budget" has been quietly receding for years, not because your work with money changed, but because how we describe that work needed to catch up.

And along with this, you may have noticed we're also leaning into the name YNAB. We’re no longer referring to ourselves as "You Need a Budget" in most cases. Not because we’ve abandoned our roots, but because we’ve grown beyond them. Today, YNAB is its own thing—a method, a mindset, and a community.

The magic you’ve experienced hasn’t changed. It’s just been given language that's a better fit.

For long-time YNABers: We see you.

Maybe you’re someone who never minded the word budget. You’ve seen it transformed through your own experience with YNAB. That makes sense—because you’ve made it your own. You’ve seen firsthand how budgeting done the YNAB way doesn’t feel restrictive at all. It feels empowering. Freeing, even. We’re not asking you to stop calling it a budget if that word still works for you.

But this small rename, along with other changes in our education, is all about making room. Room for someone who’s never tried YNAB because “budget” felt like a door slamming shut. It’s about recognizing that not everyone arrives at clarity the same way. We hope “plan,” along with the other ways we’re shifting our language, feels more like an invitation.

You helped redefine what this work can look and feel like—and now, we’re making it easier for someone new to find that for themselves.

Planning makes spendfulness possible.

Money is more than a resource—it’s you. It’s how we make things happen in the world. And how we spend it should feel meaningful. Intentional. Empowered. That’s what our five questions are designed to help you do. That’s what giving every dollar a job leads to.

This, at its core, is spendfulness: the total lack of second-guessing about your money. It’s not a destination you arrive at once and for all, but something you can practice and experience every day. And we want more people to have that experience, especially people who may have never tried before because of past baggage. 

And that’s why we made this change.

So, from now on, when you open the app, you won’t see a Budget Tab. You’ll see your plan. And that’s exactly what it is: a forward-looking, flexible, value-driven path to a life you made just for you. 

If you want to do more than budgeting—if you want to make a plan to build the life you want, it’s time to try YNAB. Try it free for 34 days!