YNAB's prices today
| Plan | You pay | Works out to |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $14.99 every month | $179.88 a year |
| Yearly | $109 once a year | $9.08 a month, about $70 a year less than paying monthly |
Prices are in US dollars, plus tax where it applies, and YNAB's pricing page says exchange rates aren't reflected in the price. In the US, YNAB collects sales tax in 29 states and territories, including California, New York, Texas and Florida.
One subscription covers up to six people. With YNAB Together you can share yours with up to five others at no extra cost.
The free trial
YNAB is free for 34 days when you sign up on ynab.com, with no credit card. There's nothing to cancel: if you don't subscribe, you aren't charged.
A trial started in the iPhone or Android app is different. It goes through Apple or Google, which may ask for a card, and it turns into a paid subscription at the end unless you cancel it in the store. YNAB's help center describes Apple's trial as 30 days.
A free year for college students
College students get one free year (a 365-day trial) through YNAB's College Program. You verify your enrollment through SheerID, or by emailing YNAB proof such as a student ID, transcript or tuition statement that shows your name, your school and a current date. If you already subscribe, the free year is added to the end of your subscription. It isn't open to high school students, and Apple can't apply it, so a student who signed up through the App Store has to cancel or get a refund there first.
In the App Store and Google Play
In the US stores the price is the same as on ynab.com: the App Store lists YNAB's subscription at $14.99 and $109.00, and Google Play at $14.99 to $109.00. What changes is who bills you. If you subscribe in the app, Apple or Google handles the payment, the renewal, canceling and any refund.
If you still have YNAB 4
YNAB's pricing page offers people upgrading from YNAB 4, the old desktop version, a 10% lifetime discount on the yearly plan. See what's happened to YNAB 4 before you count on moving a YNAB 4 budget, though.
How the price has changed
YNAB became a subscription on December 30, 2015, when it launched the version it sells today. YNAB 4, the version before it, was bought once. Since then the yearly price has more than doubled, from $50 to $109. The monthly plan has been $14.99 since December 1, 2021.
| From | Yearly | Monthly | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 30, 2015 | $50 | $5 | The subscription version of YNAB launches |
| November 2017 | $83.99 | Not listed | Yearly price up 68%. The pricing page shows it as $6.99 a month, billed yearly |
| By February 2020 | $84 | $11.99 | Monthly billing is back on the pricing page |
| December 1, 2021 | $98.99 | $14.99 | Yearly up 18%, monthly up 25% |
| By January 2023 | $99 | $14.99 | Yearly price shown as $99 |
| August 1, 2024 | $109 | $14.99 | Yearly up 10%. Monthly unchanged |
| October 2026 | $109 | $14.99 | No change since August 2024 |
The dates are when YNAB's own pricing page showed each price, in copies saved by the Internet Archive. YNAB announced the last two increases there ahead of time: in November 2021 it listed both new prices "starting December 1, 2021", and in July 2024 a banner said the yearly rate would rise to $109 on August 1.
What YNAB costs over the years
At today's prices, before tax. For comparison, UrBudget is $9 once for all your own computers, plus $2 a month if you also want sync between them.
| Total after | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB, monthly plan ($14.99 a month) | $179.88 | $539.64 | $899.40 | $1,798.80 |
| YNAB, yearly plan ($109 a year) | $109 | $327 | $545 | $1,090 |
| UrBudget with sync | $33 | $81 | $129 | $249 |
| UrBudget | $9 | $9 | $9 | $9 |
YNAB has raised its yearly price three times, in 2017, 2021 and 2024, so a longer stretch may well cost more than this. UrBudget's license is a one-time payment that includes future updates.
Is it worth it?
For many people, yes. The subscription pays for things a one-time app doesn't give you: transactions that arrive from your bank on their own (where YNAB supports it), apps for the web, iPhone and Android, and one budget shared with up to five other people. If you use those, the yearly plan is the cheaper way to pay.
If you budget at a computer, enter or import your own transactions and don't share the budget, you're paying every year for parts you don't use. UrBudget uses the same envelope method on Windows and macOS for $9 once, and brings your YNAB budget over with a token. Compare the two in full.
Pay once instead of every year
UrBudget is free for 30 days, with no account and no card, then $9 once. Your YNAB budget comes over in one click.
YNAB is a trademark of its owner. UrBudget isn't affiliated with YNAB.