If you want to improve your financial health, a budget is a must have.

Today, we take a close at YNAB vs. EveryDollar, two apps that promise to help you make a budget. In this comparison, we’ll examine the similarities, differences and pros & cons of these two apps. Then, we hope we can help you to make your decision easier after giving you all the facts.

Read on to find which one might be ideal for your budgeting goals and needs.

Note: This post is part of our roundup of the best budgeting software. Here are 2 more articles to see how YNAB compare with other budgeting apps:

Mint vs. YNAB 2020 | Is YNAB or Mint Better for Budgeting

YNAB vs. Quicken: Which Budget App Should You Use in 2020

YNAB vs EveryDollar: Similarities

• Budgeting

YNAB and EveryDollar are based on the same theory on Budgeting: zero based budgeting system, which involves assigning each dollar to a category. 

EveryDollar has a series of seven “Baby Steps” to walk you through achieving true financial freedom and living debt free. To help do this, it advocates the creation of a monthly budget where every dollar you make is accounted for well in advance. You will need to input your income and plan out the spending for your entire month ahead of time. You can then set up different budgeting categories and allocate income to each of the categories. The Baby Steps are:

1. Save a $1,000 emergency fund
2. Use the Snowball Method to pay off all debt
3. Have a reserve for 3-6 months of expenses
4. Save 15% for your retirement
5. Start a college fund for your kids
6. Pay off your home
7. Build wealth and give

YNAB advocates creating a realistic monthly budget by category based on your actual salary too. There are “Four Rules” of budgeting YNAB hopes you to adopt in order to achieve financial freedom.

Rule 1: Give every dollar a job. Make money, give that money a job, and follow the plan. 

Rule 2: Embrace your real expenses. Large, less-frequent expenses should be broken down to monthly, manageable bills. 

Rule 3: Roll with the punches. Be flexible and address overspending as it happens. 

Rule 4: Age your money. Spend money that is at least 30 days old. 

• Synchronization

With YNAB you can direct import your account information from more than 12,000 financial institutions, using the YNAB Direct Import tool. 

With the free version app of EveryDollar, you need to enter each transaction manually, but if you opt for the paid EveryDollar Plus app, you will be able to link your accounts, so it can automatically pull transaction data for greater accuracy. 

• Mobile Apps

Both EveryDollar and YNAB offer apps across iOS and Android with the online version. YNAB is also compatible with iPad and Apple Watch.

• Security

YNAB uses the following security measures:

• Data is encrypted, even in case data gets stolen, information remains undisclosed
• Staff members do not have access to the customer unless requested by the respected customer or law.

EveryDollar uses data encryption techniques and has a multi-factor authentication system. It also has a data center where individuals are on site all the time to ensure the physical security of the data stored on EveryDollar’s servers.

YNAB vs EveryDollar: Differences

• Pricing

There are two tiers to the EveryDollar platform: Free and Plus. The free version requires you to add in all of your expenditures manually. The Plus version costs $99 per year, billed on an annual basis. This works out to an average of $8.25 a month.

YNAB charges $11.99 per month or $84 per year, with the first 34 days free so you can test it out.

• Trial Period

You can access a two-week trial period of EveryDollar Plus once you sign up for EveryDollar. No credit card is required to access this.

For YNAB, you get an initial 34-day trial period upon signup. No credit card information is required too.

• Bill Management

YNAB offers bill management tool while EveryDollar doesn’t.

• Customer Support

EveryDollar Plus ($99/year) gives you an option to receive a phone call from a real person. The free version comes with email support.

YNAB offers email support where you can get a reply within 24 hours and an online forum to solve the query issues.

YNAB vs EveryDollar: Pros and Cons

Every Dollar Pros & Cons

Pros:

👍Very simple to set up.

👍Free for basic version.

👍Keeps track of your progress on Dave Ramsey’s baby steps (if you’re following that program).

👍 EveryDollar connects you to local financial experts to assist you with term-life insurance, tax services, auto and home insurance, retirement investing and home buying & selling.

Cons:

❌ Can’t work on budgets for future months (only current month).

❌ Does not connect to American Express and some other banking institutions.

❌ No way to easily move money from one budget to another.

❌ Paid version is expensive at $99/year.

YNAB (You Need A Budget) Pros & Cons

Pros:

👍Robust account register system including recurring transactions.

👍Automatic matching of manual entries with bank import.

👍Easy bank account reconciliation to make sure your budget matches reality.

👍Budgeting goals are flexible and helpful for tracking long-term progress.

👍Category tracking features allow you to see average spent in each category.

👍Extensive support available including live online classes, videos, message boards, and an excellent support staff.

Cons:

❌ There is no free version after the 34-day trial period – cost is $11.99/month or $83.99/year.

❌ YNAB has a steeper learning curve to get the most out of the tools offered. 

YNAB vs EveryDollar: Which Is the Best?

In the YNAB vs. EveryDollar comparison, YNAB has a slightly bigger learning curve but the tool and the support are way better. However, YNAB is cheaper than EveryDollar.

If you’re relatively new to the world of budgeting and want a simple, straightforward budgeting tool, EveryDollar is a great option.

YNAB is ideal for people who want to get into the details of their money. If you want to try out zero-based budgeting or want tons of control over the little details of your budget, YNAB fits the bill.