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  • Strategist
  • Spender
  • Saver
  • Scrambler

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Priceless Tay
Find My Money Type

AI money tools comparison

Actual Budget vs YNAB

Updated

Actual Budget logoActual BudgetAI money tool
YNAB logoYNABBudgeting app

Priceless Tay may earn a commission from some links on this page, and that never changes how we compare apps.

Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.

Short answer

Actual Budget is an AI money tool and YNAB is a budgeting app. YNAB costs $14.99 a month, or $109 a year paid annually, plus tax where applicable. We checked YNAB on Oct 24, 2026, but we haven't verified the price for Actual Budget yet, and the official sources differ on one of the 6 rows in the table below.

Actual Budget vs YNAB at a glance

Actual Budget is an AI money tool and YNAB is a budgeting app. This page puts what each company's official pages and app store listings say side by side, with the date we checked every fact. The sources differ on one of the 6 rows in the table below.

Price and fees

YNAB costs $14.99 a month, or $109 a year paid annually, plus tax where applicable. We haven't verified this for Actual Budget yet, so check the official site for Actual Budget before you decide. We checked YNAB on Oct 24, 2026.

Free trial

YNAB offers a 34-day free trial, and you don't need a credit card when you sign up directly with YNAB. We haven't verified this for Actual Budget yet, so check the official site for Actual Budget before you decide. We checked YNAB on Oct 24, 2026.

Bank syncing

Actual has built-in bank syncing through goCardless in the EU and UK and SimpleFIN in the US and Canada. YNAB lets you connect your accounts and import transactions. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.

Features

YNAB lists goals and shared budgets. We haven't verified the features for Actual Budget yet. We checked YNAB on Oct 24, 2026.

App store rating

YNAB has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 61,968 ratings. We haven't verified this for Actual Budget yet, so check the official site for Actual Budget before you decide. We checked YNAB on Oct 24, 2026. Store ratings are a dated snapshot from each listing, not our score.

Actual Budget and YNAB, side by side

Rows marked “Differs” are where the two official sources say different things, and one row does here.

Swipe the table sideways to see both apps.

Actual Budget compared with YNAB. Each cell shows the date it was checked and links to its source.
FieldActual Budget logoActual BudgetAI money toolActual Budget is an open source, local-first budgeting app built on envelope budgeting that you can self-host.Visit Actual Budget's siteYNAB logoYNABBudgeting appYNAB is a paid budgeting app built around the YNAB Method, where you give every dollar a job before you spend it.Visit YNAB's site
Price and feesNot verified yet.YNAB costs $14.99 a month, or $109 a year paid annually, plus tax where applicable.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: ynab.com/pricing
Free trialNot verified yet.YNAB offers a 34-day free trial, and you don't need a credit card when you sign up directly with YNAB.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: ynab.com/pricing
PlatformsNot verified yet.Not verified yet.
Bank syncingDiffersYes. Actual has built-in bank syncing through goCardless in the EU and UK and SimpleFIN in the US and Canada.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: actualbudget.orgYes. YNAB lets you connect your accounts and import transactions.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: ynab.com/pricing
FeaturesNot verified yet.
  • Yes: Goals
  • Yes: Shared budgets
As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: ynab.com/pricing
App store ratingNot verified yet.YNAB has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 61,968 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing

App store ratings are a dated snapshot from each store listing, not our score. “Not verified yet” means we don't have a current official source for that line. Spotted a change? Tell us if something changed.

What the app looks like

YNAB

  • YNAB App Store screenshot 1 of 4, as of Oct 24, 2026
  • YNAB App Store screenshot 2 of 4, as of Oct 24, 2026
  • YNAB App Store screenshot 3 of 4, as of Oct 24, 2026
  • YNAB App Store screenshot 4 of 4, as of Oct 24, 2026
Screenshots: YNAB on the App Store, as of Oct 24, 2026.

Which fits your Money Type?

There are four Money Types: Strategist, Spender, Saver and Scrambler. Each card matches one type to what the sources say about these two apps.

  • Strategist

    Neither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.

    First fix: Save the Raise.

  • Spender

    YNAB lists goals. A goal gives a Spender a reason to pause before buying, which is the Sleep on It fix.

    First fix: Sleep on It.

  • Saver

    Neither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.

    First fix: Put It to Work.

  • Scrambler

    Both Actual Budget and YNAB list bank syncing. Seeing every account in one place helps a Scrambler pay bills first.

    First fix: Bills First.

Not sure which one you are? Take the free Money Types quiz. It takes about two minutes.

Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.

Another option: Fifecta

If neither Actual Budget nor YNAB feels right, here is one more option to look at. Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, and it starts from your Money Type, so the plan matches how you already handle money.

Try Fifecta free

What real users say

These are other people's opinions, not Priceless Tay's. We quote public reviews and posts word for word, link each one and show its date, but we haven't checked the claims in them. A post counts toward a theme when it uses one of that theme's keywords, so a mention can be praise or a complaint.

What Actual Budget users say

Based on 3 Reddit posts, 7 YouTube videos and 24 Hacker News posts dated Nov 2025 to Oct 2026, read Oct 2026. We collected the Reddit and YouTube data with Apify, a scraping service, on Oct 24, 2026.

  • Of the 34 posts and videos we read, 11 mention syncing or connecting accounts.
  • Of the 34 posts and videos we read, 7 mention the price, fees or the subscription.
  • Of the 34 posts and videos we read, 7 mention how easy or hard the app is to use.

Positive

“Actual Budget is incredible. Happy (now free since it's gone FOSS, formerly paying) customer...”
pcchristie on Hacker News, . Read it on Hacker News.

Mixed

“Switched from ynab4 (used some version since 2011) to Actual Budget a few month ago. Some tiny ux issues, but improvement in many more areas.”
Semaphor on Hacker News, . Read it on Hacker News.

Critical

“Without rollover the app generates a balance that I never entered... an app that does not reflect my real-world balance.”
u/teink0 in r/actualbudgeting on Reddit, . Read it on Reddit.
Where these come from

What YNAB users say

Based on 500 App Store reviews, 35 Reddit posts, 2 YouTube videos and 25 Hacker News posts dated Nov 2025 to Oct 2026, read Oct 2026. We collected the Reddit and YouTube data with Apify, a scraping service, on Oct 24, 2026.

  • Of the 562 reviews, posts and videos we read, 134 mention how easy or hard the app is to use.
  • Of the 562 reviews, posts and videos we read, 103 mention the price, fees or the subscription.
  • Of the 562 reviews, posts and videos we read, 90 mention debt, money stress or feeling in control.

Positive

“There is admittedly a learning curve, but once you learn how YNAB works it is life changing. I finally have ownership over my finances.”
App Store reviewer on the App Store, . See the App Store reviews. Apple doesn't give single reviews their own link, so this opens the app's reviews.

Critical

“I was using YNAB for like 10 years but I got tired of it never syncing properly with Plaid and my bank...”
u/trambalambo in r/FPandA on Reddit, . Read it on Reddit.

Critical

“Yeah, I'll probably switch to Actual at some point in the next couple of years as a result of the price change.”
mpyne on Hacker News, . Read it on Hacker News.
Where these come from

FAQ

How much does YNAB cost?

YNAB costs $14.99 a month, or $109 a year paid annually, plus tax where applicable. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.

Does YNAB have a free trial?

YNAB offers a 34-day free trial, and you don't need a credit card when you sign up directly with YNAB. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.

What is YNAB's app store rating?

YNAB has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 61,968 ratings. That's a snapshot from the store listing on Oct 24, 2026, not our score.

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Keep comparing

Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.

Want a plan built on your Money Type?

Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, so you know where each dollar goes.

Try Fifecta free
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Sources and dates

This is education, not financial advice.