Stop the worry.

YNAB guides you through the process of asking, “What’s my money for?” so you can make a flexible plan for how you want to spend all of your money—before you spend any of it. You decide what your money needs to do before you get paid again and assign every dollar you currently have to a spending category, based on due date or priority. You'll also plan for larger, less frequent expenses like car repairs, insurance premiums, or holiday shopping and set aside manageable monthly amounts so that you can pay in full when the time comes, without the stress of one big bill.

It’s a more modern take on what has previously been known as digital envelope budgeting or zero-based budgeting, but without the baked-in guilt, rigidity, or restriction that often comes with traditional budgeting methods.

YNAB is more than an app—it's also a decision-making framework that simplifies spending and clarifies priorities with one simple but powerful question: What’s my money for?‍

All money is meant to be spent and there are five possible answers to consider: For Now, For Later, For Ease, For You, and For Change. There have been other iterations throughout the years, but they were all basically just using more words to ask that same essential question: “What’s it for?”

Yes. Full-stop. Undoubtedly so. The average YNAB user saves $600 in the first month, and $6,000 in the first year—far exceeding the subscription cost. Furthermore, in a survey of about 9,000 users, 92% said they feel less stressed since using YNAB, and 91% said it changed the way they think about money for the better. That’s life-changing stuff! You can try it for free for the first 34 days to see what you think.

YNAB’s onboarding process and app functionality have evolved to improve ease of use, and our support team is always friendly and available to help. You can talk about anything from your spending habits to your technical difficulties with a real, live human being at any time if you find yourself in need of some guidance.

With that being said, getting good at money takes two things: an honest look at your current situation and some new habits. Both can be uncomfortable at first, but neither are hard to learn. When you start seeing the benefits in your own life, it’s hard to do money any other way.

It can vary depending on the number of accounts you have, your category setup, and desired level of involvement, but once past the initial setup, most people spend a couple of minutes each day approving transactions, 5 to 10 minutes per pay period assigning new money to categories, and about half an hour reconciling accounts. It’s a great activity to do while having your morning coffee!

Yes, your information is safe with YNAB. YNAB uses bank-grade security, data encryption, two-factor authentication, and data centers that are accredited many times over. YNAB does not sell your financial data or any other information you provide through the product. Our money is earned through subscriptions and related products; there are no third-party ads in our app or website. Review our Privacy Policy to learn more.

YNAB makes it easier than ever for couples to get good at money together. Share your YNAB subscription with your partner, family members, and other close-knit groups of up to six people—all for the price of a single subscription!

YNAB isn’t free, but you can try it free for 34 days with no credit card, and college students get a full year free with proof of enrollment. After that, it’s $14.99/month or $109/year, and one subscription can be shared with up to five additional people. It's cheaper than most streaming services, and saves you money!

If you’re a current YNAB user, you can add free months to your account through our referral program—you and friends you refer will both earn a free month once they subscribe to YNAB. Existing YNABers can also get 3 months for free by purchasing a YNAB gift subscription for a new user.