Workrigly

Official-source review · verified 2026-09-17

YNAB alternatives: 8 verified choices.

Short answer: Actual Budget is the best free, self-hosted YNAB replacement. PocketSmith is the lowest-friction managed move because it has a dedicated YNAB importer. Monarch and Simplifi fit people who want a broader financial dashboard and accept more rebuilding.

Official source: Installation guide Official maintainer statement Migration overview nYNAB migration guide YNAB import guide Official product page Official downloads Manual import guide Official YNAB comparison Manual import guide Verified:

Eight options made the cut. Choose by budgeting model, migration path, and who operates the service.

Least migration friction

Actual Budget and PocketSmith have dedicated YNAB import paths. Actual imports a plan JSON and documents post-import cleanup; PocketSmith imports accounts, transactions, and categories from YNAB's Register CSV, but future budgets must be rebuilt.

Official source: Migration overview nYNAB migration guide YNAB import guide Moving from YNAB guide Verified:

Honest boundary: Self-hosting means operating updates, backups, monitoring, and security yourself. A transaction importer is not a one-click, lossless budget migration: YNAB targets, assignments, credit-card handling, rules, recurring items, and bank connections may need to be recreated or revalidated.

The shortlist

Start with the budgeting model you want.

Every source link goes to the product's own site, documentation, terms, changelog, or official GitHub repository.

01

Actual Budget

The closest free, open-source, self-hosted envelope-budgeting replacement with an official nYNAB importer.

Fit and scope

  • What it is A local-first envelope-budgeting app with optional self-hosted synchronization and bank-sync integrations. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • What it replaces It covers cash-based envelope budgeting, accounts, schedules, reports, transaction imports, and multi-device sync through your own server. Official source: Official product site Installation guide Verified:
  • Scope boundary Actual handles credit-card reserves and future-month money differently from YNAB, so imported totals can be correct while category presentation still needs cleanup. Official source: nYNAB migration guide Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option The desktop client and self-hosted server software are free; a server is optional for core budgeting and file imports. Official source: Installation guide Official maintainer statement Verified:
  • Paid pricing Actual publishes no subscription price for the open-source app. Optional hosting, bank-data providers, hardware, and operations may have separate costs. Official source: Installation guide Verified:
  • Source and license The main Actual repository is open source under the MIT license. Official source: Official repository license Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting Yes. The official documentation supports a personal sync server and recommends the server for browser, mobile, device sync, bank sync, and API access. Official source: Installation guide Verified:
  • Deployment path Use the official Docker image and Docker Compose, the server CLI, a managed host, or build from source. The Docker guide starts a stable server with one Compose command after Docker is installed. Official source: Docker guide Installation guide Verified:
  • Machine requirements Docker is the only prerequisite stated for the container route. Building from source requires Node.js 22 or newer, Git, and Yarn; no fixed CPU or RAM minimum is published for Docker. Official source: Docker guide Build guide Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost No fixed monthly amount is published. The cost depends on whether you reuse existing hardware or pay for a server, storage, backups, bank sync, and maintenance. Official source: Installation guide Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import Actual officially supports YNAB4 and nYNAB imports. The nYNAB route imports a JSON plan export rather than YNAB's normal CSV archive. Official source: Migration overview nYNAB migration guide Verified:
  • Migration procedure Create a YNAB personal access token, export the plan JSON through the API interface or the documented command-line tool, then choose nYNAB in Actual's Import file flow. Official source: nYNAB migration guide Verified:
  • Manual work Review credit-card debt, money held for future months, and duplicate categories after import; Actual documents cleanup steps for each difference. Official source: nYNAB migration guide Verified:
  • Migration time No end-to-end labor-hour estimate is published. The official guide requires repeated cleanup by historical month in some credit-card and future-month cases. Official source: nYNAB migration guide Verified:

Project health

  • Project health The official repository was updated on 2026-09-16, and release 26.9.0 was published on 2026-09-01. The repository is active, not archived. Official source: Official GitHub organization Official releases Verified:
02

PocketSmith

A managed service with a dedicated YNAB importer and strong calendar-based cash-flow forecasting.

Fit and scope

  • What it is A hosted personal-finance service for accounts, transactions, budgets, reports, and long-range cash-flow forecasting. Official source: Official free-plan guide Verified:
  • What it replaces It replaces YNAB's account tracking and category budgets while adding calendar forecasting and multi-currency reporting. Official source: Official plans Moving from YNAB guide Verified:
  • Scope boundary PocketSmith uses a separate budget per category rather than YNAB's single plan, so future budgets and historical budget amounts need to be rebuilt after the transaction import. Official source: Moving from YNAB guide Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option The Free plan is ongoing and lists two accounts, twelve budgets, two dashboards, manual imports, and a six-month projection. Official source: Official plans Verified:
  • Paid pricing Foundation is 9.99 US dollars per month billed annually or 14.95 monthly; Flourish is 16.66 annually billed or 24.95 monthly; Fortune is 26.66 annually billed or 39.95 monthly. Official source: Official plans Verified:
  • Source and license PocketSmith is a proprietary hosted service; its terms prohibit unauthorized reproduction and reverse engineering of the service software. Official source: Official terms Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No customer-operated server is documented. PocketSmith describes itself as online software used in a web browser, with vendor-provided apps. Official source: Official free-plan guide Official downloads Verified:
  • Deployment path Create a hosted account and use the web service, mobile apps, or the beta desktop wrapper for macOS, Windows, or Debian-based Linux. Official source: Official free-plan guide Official downloads Verified:
  • Machine requirements The desktop beta lists macOS 11 or newer, Windows 10 or 11, and Debian-based Linux on x64 or arm64. No customer server is required. Official source: Official downloads Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable because no official self-hosted deployment path was confirmed. Official source: Official free-plan guide Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import A dedicated importer accepts YNAB's Register CSV and creates the old accounts and transactions in PocketSmith; categories are carried across. Official source: YNAB import guide Verified:
  • Migration procedure Export each YNAB budget separately, upload its Register CSV through PocketSmith's YNAB importer, provide the requested bank and balance details, and validate the created accounts. Official source: YNAB import guide Verified:
  • Manual work Recreate future budgets and any desired budget history in PocketSmith's per-category model; review category assignments and repeat the import for every YNAB budget. Official source: YNAB import guide Moving from YNAB guide Verified:
  • Migration time No labor-hour estimate is published. PocketSmith says the custom import itself can take seconds, while large data sets may take longer and budget rebuilding is separate. Official source: YNAB import guide Verified:

Project health

  • Project health The official news feed shows product activity through 2026-08-25. The beta desktop app remains version 0.5.0, released in September 2025. Official source: Official product news Official downloads Verified:
03

Monarch Money

Households that want a polished hosted dashboard, flexible budgeting, investment tracking, and collaboration.

Fit and scope

  • What it is A hosted money-management app for accounts, transactions, budgets, investments, goals, and household collaboration. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • What it replaces It covers account aggregation, cash-flow and category budgeting, goals, net worth, and shared household access on web and mobile. Official source: Official product page Official downloads Verified:
  • Scope boundary Its CSV importer accepts bank and credit-card transactions, but the official guide says holdings, budgets, and aggregate cash-flow totals cannot be imported. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option There is a seven-day free trial, but no ongoing free plan is listed on the standard product pricing page. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • Paid pricing The standard official product page lists 8.33 US dollars per month billed as 99.99 yearly, plus applicable tax. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • Source and license Monarch is a proprietary hosted service; its official site carries an all-rights-reserved notice and does not publish an open-source license for the complete service. Official source: Official product page Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No customer-operated server is documented. Monarch is offered on the vendor's web service and official iPhone, iPad, and Android apps. Official source: Official downloads Verified:
  • Deployment path Create a hosted account and use Monarch in a web browser or install the official mobile app in the United States or Canada. Official source: Official downloads Verified:
  • Machine requirements No customer server is required; the official download page documents web, iPhone, iPad, and Android access but no server specification. Official source: Official downloads Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable because no official self-hosted deployment path was confirmed. Official source: Official downloads Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Monarch's supported path is a general CSV transaction import on desktop. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Migration procedure Convert YNAB transaction data to Monarch's required CSV columns, test a small file, then import into one or multiple accounts; imports cannot be undone directly. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Manual work Recreate budgets and holdings, map CSV columns and amount signs, check categories and account history, and bulk-delete or restart an account if an import is wrong. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Migration time No end-to-end labor-hour estimate is published. The guide recommends a small test import and warns that files above 5,000 transactions need the large-file procedure. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:

Project health

  • Project health The latest dated entry exposed on Monarch's official What's New page is 2025-07-09. A current public app version or 2026 release entry was not confirmed on that page. Official source: Official What's New Verified:
04

Goodbudget

A simple hosted envelope budget with a permanent free tier and manual CSV migration.

Fit and scope

  • What it is A hosted envelope-budgeting service with web and mobile access, shared household budgets, accounts, and debt tracking. Official source: Official signup page Official subscription guide Verified:
  • What it replaces It replaces YNAB's basic envelope allocation, transaction tracking, and shared household budgeting, with fewer free accounts and devices. Official source: Official subscription guide Verified:
  • Scope boundary The documented import accepts account transactions, not a complete YNAB budget model; envelope targets and other plan settings are outside the import flow. Official source: Account import guide Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option Goodbudget offers a Free Forever plan; the free version supports one primary account and a limited envelope and device allowance. Official source: Official pricing announcement Official subscription guide Verified:
  • Paid pricing Goodbudget Premium is 10 US dollars per month or 80 US dollars per year. Official source: Official subscription guide Verified:
  • Source and license Goodbudget is proprietary; its terms grant a limited, non-transferable license for personal, non-commercial use. Official source: Official terms Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No customer-operated server is documented in the official product, subscription, or import material checked. Official source: Official signup page Official subscription guide Verified:
  • Deployment path Create a hosted household and use Goodbudget on the web and supported mobile apps. Official source: Official signup page Verified:
  • Machine requirements No customer server is required. The official materials checked do not publish server hardware requirements for customers. Official source: Official signup page Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable because no official self-hosted deployment path was confirmed. Official source: Official signup page Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Goodbudget imports QFX, OFX, or CSV transaction files into supported account types. Official source: Bank-file upload guide Account import guide Verified:
  • Migration procedure Reformat the YNAB transaction export to Goodbudget's CSV fields, upload it to the correct account, confirm matches, and assign unmatched transactions to envelopes. Official source: Bank-file upload guide Verified:
  • Manual work Create the target envelopes and account structure, use exact envelope names where possible, then review unmatched categories, opening balances, and recurring budget settings. Official source: Bank-file upload guide Account import guide Verified:
  • Migration time No labor-hour estimate is published. The amount of review depends on how closely the CSV envelope names match the destination setup. Official source: Bank-file upload guide Verified:

Project health

  • Project health The official changelog lists Web 5.4.30 on 2026-03-04 and iOS 5.4.20 plus Android 2.23.26012 on 2026-03-09. Official source: Official changelog Verified:
05

EveryDollar

A straightforward hosted zero-based budget for users willing to rebuild instead of importing YNAB data.

Fit and scope

  • What it is Ramsey Solutions' hosted zero-based budgeting app for planning monthly income, expenses, sinking funds, and goals. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • What it replaces The free version covers manual zero-based budgets and transactions; Premium adds bank-connected transactions, reports, coaching, and financial goals. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • Scope boundary EveryDollar does not import CSV, QIF, QFX, or OFX files, so it cannot ingest a YNAB export. Official source: Official import policy Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option The free version can be used indefinitely and includes monthly budgets, unlimited categories and lines, manual transactions, sinking funds, splits, and bill due dates. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • Paid pricing Premium is 79.99 US dollars per year, presented as 6.67 per month when billed annually, or 17.99 billed monthly after a 14-day trial. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • Source and license EveryDollar is a proprietary Ramsey Solutions service governed by Ramsey's terms; no open-source license for the app is published. Official source: Official terms Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No customer-operated server is documented. EveryDollar is delivered through its website and official mobile apps. Official source: Official product page Mobile app guide Verified:
  • Deployment path Create an account on the hosted service or install the official mobile app; Premium users can connect supported banks. Official source: Official product page Mobile app guide Verified:
  • Machine requirements No customer server is required. The service is available on the web, while official mobile distribution is limited to the United States. Official source: Mobile app guide Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable because no official self-hosted deployment path was confirmed. Official source: Official product page Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import Unsupported. EveryDollar's official help page says file imports are not currently supported, including CSV, QIF, QFX, and OFX. Official source: Official import policy Verified:
  • Migration procedure Build a new budget and enter transactions manually, or subscribe to Premium and connect banks for newly posted transactions. Official source: Getting started guide Official import policy Verified:
  • Manual work Recreate every budget category, line, sinking fund, due date, balance, and historical item you decide to retain because YNAB files cannot be imported. Official source: Official product page Official import policy Verified:
  • Migration time No migration-hour estimate is published. Because file import is unsupported, total effort depends on how much history and budget structure you recreate manually. Official source: Official import policy Verified:

Project health

  • Project health The official import policy was updated on 2026-09-15 and the transaction-export guide on 2026-09-10. A public app version number was not confirmed. Official source: Official import policy Export guide Verified:
06

Quicken Simplifi

A hosted cash-flow and spending-plan app for users who want forecasting and can reshape YNAB CSV data.

Fit and scope

  • What it is A cloud-based web and mobile personal-finance app for spending plans, projected cash flow, goals, reports, and investments. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • What it replaces It replaces transaction aggregation and budgeting with a flexible Spending Plan rather than YNAB's envelope workflow. Official source: Official YNAB comparison Verified:
  • Scope boundary The importer moves banking and credit-card transactions only through the web app; destination categories must already exist. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option No ongoing free plan is listed. Quicken offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is not a free tier. Official source: Official refund terms Verified:
  • Paid pricing Official pages conflict: the main page lists a first-year offer of 3.99 US dollars per month billed annually, with 6.99 crossed out as the standard rate; the YNAB comparison also states 5.99 monthly billed annually and 71.88 yearly. Verify checkout before buying. Official source: Official product page Official YNAB comparison Verified:
  • Source and license Quicken Simplifi is proprietary subscription software governed by Quicken's terms; no open-source license for the service is published. Official source: Official product page Simplifi terms Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No. Quicken states that Simplifi is a cloud-based app running on web and mobile. Official source: Official product page Verified:
  • Deployment path Purchase a subscription, activate it with a Quicken ID, and use the hosted web app or official mobile app. Official source: Activation guide Verified:
  • Machine requirements No customer server is required. Full transaction import is available in the web app, not the mobile app. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable because the product is a vendor-hosted cloud service. Official source: Official product page Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Simplifi imports a CSV from a previous finance app through its web application. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Migration procedure Create destination categories first, reshape YNAB data to Simplifi's template, and import one account at a time in the web app. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Manual work Convert columns, pre-create categories, import each account, then recreate the Spending Plan, recurring items, rules, goals, and any non-transaction history. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
  • Migration time No end-to-end labor estimate is published. Effort depends on the number of accounts, column cleanup, category setup, and manual reconstruction outside transaction history. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:

Project health

07

Centsible

A one-time-purchase, offline-first envelope budget for users comfortable with limited maintenance and a manual rebuild.

Fit and scope

  • What it is A mobile envelope-budgeting app whose core budgeting functionality can run offline, with optional vendor-operated device sync. Official source: Official product site Lifetime-license announcement Verified:
  • What it replaces It covers envelope budgeting and CSV transaction entry on a phone, but it does not provide a full app-to-app YNAB migration. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • Scope boundary Centsible explicitly says it does not support migrating existing data from another budget app. Official source: Official product site Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option The product offers a 34-day trial, not an ongoing free plan. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • Paid pricing The current product site lists a 99.99 US dollar one-time lifetime offline license with two years of sync; optional sync after that is 12 US dollars per year. Official source: Official product site Lifetime-license announcement Verified:
  • Source and license Centsible is proprietary. Its terms grant personal use and prohibit copying, derivative works, reverse engineering, and mirroring the software. Official source: Official terms Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No customer-operated sync server is documented. Offline use stores the working budget on the device, while multi-device sync uses Centsible's service. Official source: Official product site Lifetime-license announcement Verified:
  • Deployment path Install the mobile app, buy the offline lifetime license after the trial, and optionally use the included vendor sync between devices. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • Machine requirements The official product and terms identify a mobile app but publish no customer server or hardware specification. Official source: Official product site Official terms Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable: local offline use is not a customer-operated server, and the optional multi-device service is vendor-hosted. Official source: Lifetime-license announcement Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import No direct migration is supported. Centsible supports CSV transaction import but says it cannot migrate an existing budget from another app. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • Migration procedure Start a new Centsible budget, create the budget structure and accounts, then import transaction CSV files where useful. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • Manual work Recreate envelopes, balances, accounts, targets, rules, and any history that is not representable in the transaction CSV import. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • Migration time No labor-hour estimate is published. Because complete app migration is unsupported, effort depends on how much structure and history you rebuild. Official source: Official product site Verified:

Project health

  • Project health Maintenance is limited: the founder stated on 2024-03-11 that work would continue but with much less time commitment. No newer public version or dated product changelog was confirmed on the official site. Official source: Lifetime-license announcement Official blog Verified:
08

Lunch Money

A flexible hosted budget with strong CSV mapping, multi-currency support, rules, and an actively maintained product.

Fit and scope

  • What it is An independent hosted personal-finance app for transactions, budgets, rules, recurring expenses, net worth, and multi-currency tracking. Official source: Official product site Verified:
  • What it replaces It covers category budgeting, account aggregation, transaction rules, reports, and collaboration on web with official companion mobile apps. Official source: Official product site Official mobile apps Verified:
  • Scope boundary The documented importer brings in transactions and mapped categories or tags, not a complete YNAB budget with targets, assignments, bank links, and automation rules. Official source: CSV import guide Verified:

Pricing and license

  • Free option There is a 30-day trial with no credit card, but no ongoing free plan is listed. Official source: Official pricing Verified:
  • Paid pricing The current official pricing is 10 US dollars monthly or a pay-what-you-want annual plan from 60 to 150 US dollars; the displayed annual selector defaults to 100. Official source: Official pricing Official product links Verified:
  • Source and license Lunch Money is a proprietary hosted service under its consumer terms. Open-source licenses on individual API libraries or documentation do not license the complete service. Official source: Consumer terms Official GitHub organization Verified:

Self-hosting and deployment

  • Self-hosting No customer-operated deployment is documented. Lunch Money is web-first with vendor-hosted mobile apps and APIs. Official source: Official product site Official mobile apps Verified:
  • Deployment path Create a hosted account in the browser, then optionally install the official iOS or Android companion app. Official source: Official pricing Official mobile apps Verified:
  • Machine requirements No customer server is required. The primary product is web-first, with official iOS and Android companion apps. Official source: Official mobile apps Verified:
  • Self-hosted monthly cost Not applicable because no official self-hosted deployment path was confirmed. Official source: Official product site Verified:

YNAB migration

  • YNAB import No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Lunch Money can import CSV files from another app and map transaction fields, categories, and tags. Official source: CSV import guide Mint and other CSV migration guide Verified:
  • Migration procedure Export YNAB transactions, upload a CSV, choose the destination account, map date, payee, amount, category, and tag fields, review notation and duplicates, then import in batches. Official source: CSV import guide Verified:
  • Manual work Create or map accounts and categories, validate debit and credit signs, rebuild budget periods and rollover choices, then create rules and recurring items after the transaction import. Official source: CSV import guide Budget setup guide Verified:
  • Migration time No labor-hour estimate is published. Lunch Money recommends importing one month first so rules can reduce cleanup on later batches; uploads are limited to 10,000 rows at a time. Official source: CSV import guide Verified:

Project health

  • Project health The official changelog shows release 277 on 2026-09-02 and mobile version 2.6.0 on 2026-08-07; the official blog posted Product Newsletter 57 on 2026-08-31. Official source: Official changelog Official blog Verified:

Total comparison

The migration trade-offs in one table.

Swipe or scroll horizontally on a narrow screen. Every cell keeps its official source and verification date.

NameFree optionSelf-hostingYNAB importWhat needs manual work
Actual Budget Official source: Official product site Verified: The desktop client and self-hosted server software are free; a server is optional for core budgeting and file imports. Official source: Installation guide Official maintainer statement Verified: Yes. The official documentation supports a personal sync server and recommends the server for browser, mobile, device sync, bank sync, and API access. Official source: Installation guide Verified: Actual officially supports YNAB4 and nYNAB imports. The nYNAB route imports a JSON plan export rather than YNAB's normal CSV archive. Official source: Migration overview nYNAB migration guide Verified: Review credit-card debt, money held for future months, and duplicate categories after import; Actual documents cleanup steps for each difference. Official source: nYNAB migration guide Verified:
PocketSmith Official source: Official free-plan guide Verified: The Free plan is ongoing and lists two accounts, twelve budgets, two dashboards, manual imports, and a six-month projection. Official source: Official plans Verified: No customer-operated server is documented. PocketSmith describes itself as online software used in a web browser, with vendor-provided apps. Official source: Official free-plan guide Official downloads Verified: A dedicated importer accepts YNAB's Register CSV and creates the old accounts and transactions in PocketSmith; categories are carried across. Official source: YNAB import guide Verified: Recreate future budgets and any desired budget history in PocketSmith's per-category model; review category assignments and repeat the import for every YNAB budget. Official source: YNAB import guide Moving from YNAB guide Verified:
Monarch Money Official source: Official product page Verified: There is a seven-day free trial, but no ongoing free plan is listed on the standard product pricing page. Official source: Official product page Verified: No customer-operated server is documented. Monarch is offered on the vendor's web service and official iPhone, iPad, and Android apps. Official source: Official downloads Verified: No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Monarch's supported path is a general CSV transaction import on desktop. Official source: Manual import guide Verified: Recreate budgets and holdings, map CSV columns and amount signs, check categories and account history, and bulk-delete or restart an account if an import is wrong. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
Goodbudget Official source: Official signup page Official subscription guide Verified: Goodbudget offers a Free Forever plan; the free version supports one primary account and a limited envelope and device allowance. Official source: Official pricing announcement Official subscription guide Verified: No customer-operated server is documented in the official product, subscription, or import material checked. Official source: Official signup page Official subscription guide Verified: No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Goodbudget imports QFX, OFX, or CSV transaction files into supported account types. Official source: Bank-file upload guide Account import guide Verified: Create the target envelopes and account structure, use exact envelope names where possible, then review unmatched categories, opening balances, and recurring budget settings. Official source: Bank-file upload guide Account import guide Verified:
EveryDollar Official source: Official product page Verified: The free version can be used indefinitely and includes monthly budgets, unlimited categories and lines, manual transactions, sinking funds, splits, and bill due dates. Official source: Official product page Verified: No customer-operated server is documented. EveryDollar is delivered through its website and official mobile apps. Official source: Official product page Mobile app guide Verified: Unsupported. EveryDollar's official help page says file imports are not currently supported, including CSV, QIF, QFX, and OFX. Official source: Official import policy Verified: Recreate every budget category, line, sinking fund, due date, balance, and historical item you decide to retain because YNAB files cannot be imported. Official source: Official product page Official import policy Verified:
Quicken Simplifi Official source: Official product page Verified: No ongoing free plan is listed. Quicken offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is not a free tier. Official source: Official refund terms Verified: No. Quicken states that Simplifi is a cloud-based app running on web and mobile. Official source: Official product page Verified: No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Simplifi imports a CSV from a previous finance app through its web application. Official source: Manual import guide Verified: Convert columns, pre-create categories, import each account, then recreate the Spending Plan, recurring items, rules, goals, and any non-transaction history. Official source: Manual import guide Verified:
Centsible Official source: Official product site Lifetime-license announcement Verified: The product offers a 34-day trial, not an ongoing free plan. Official source: Official product site Verified: No customer-operated sync server is documented. Offline use stores the working budget on the device, while multi-device sync uses Centsible's service. Official source: Official product site Lifetime-license announcement Verified: No direct migration is supported. Centsible supports CSV transaction import but says it cannot migrate an existing budget from another app. Official source: Official product site Verified: Recreate envelopes, balances, accounts, targets, rules, and any history that is not representable in the transaction CSV import. Official source: Official product site Verified:
Lunch Money Official source: Official product site Verified: There is a 30-day trial with no credit card, but no ongoing free plan is listed. Official source: Official pricing Verified: No customer-operated deployment is documented. Lunch Money is web-first with vendor-hosted mobile apps and APIs. Official source: Official product site Official mobile apps Verified: No dedicated YNAB importer was confirmed. Lunch Money can import CSV files from another app and map transaction fields, categories, and tags. Official source: CSV import guide Mint and other CSV migration guide Verified: Create or map accounts and categories, validate debit and credit signs, rebuild budget periods and rollover choices, then create rules and recurring items after the transaction import. Official source: CSV import guide Budget setup guide Verified:

FAQ

Questions to settle before you migrate.

What is the best YNAB alternative?

Actual Budget is the strongest match for envelope budgeting, data control, and self-hosting. PocketSmith is the strongest managed starting point when a dedicated YNAB importer and forecasting matter. The best choice changes if you prefer household dashboards, a simpler budget, or offline mobile use.

Official source: Official product site Installation guide Migration overview nYNAB migration guide Official plans Moving from YNAB guide YNAB import guide Official product page Official downloads Official product site Lifetime-license announcement Verified:
Which YNAB alternatives have a permanent free plan?

Actual Budget's open-source app is free, while PocketSmith, Goodbudget, and EveryDollar publish ongoing free plans. Monarch and Lunch Money publish trials rather than permanent free tiers; Simplifi offers a money-back guarantee, and Centsible offers a trial before its lifetime purchase.

Official source: Installation guide Official maintainer statement Official plans Official product page Official pricing announcement Official subscription guide Official product page Official refund terms Official product site Official pricing Verified:
Which YNAB alternative can I self-host?

Actual Budget is the only confirmed self-hosted product in this shortlist. Its official options include Docker, a server CLI, managed hosting, and building from source.

Official source: Installation guide Docker guide Build guide Verified:
Which alternatives import directly from YNAB?

Actual Budget and PocketSmith document dedicated YNAB import paths. Monarch, Goodbudget, Simplifi, and Lunch Money use general CSV transaction imports. EveryDollar does not support file imports, and Centsible says full migration from another budget app is unsupported.

Official source: Migration overview nYNAB migration guide YNAB import guide Manual import guide Bank-file upload guide Account import guide Official import policy Manual import guide Official product site CSV import guide Mint and other CSV migration guide Verified:
Will my YNAB targets, assignments, rules, and bank connections move automatically?

No product in this review provides an official promise that every YNAB behavior moves intact. Even the dedicated importers document model differences or follow-up work, while the CSV tools focus primarily on transactions and selected category fields.

Official source: nYNAB migration guide YNAB import guide Moving from YNAB guide Manual import guide Bank-file upload guide Account import guide Official product page Official import policy Manual import guide Official product site CSV import guide Budget setup guide Verified:
How long does it take to migrate away from YNAB?

There is no defensible universal estimate. None of the official sources checked publishes end-to-end labor hours, and the work depends on account count, history size, importer support, budget-model differences, cleanup, and validation.

Official source: nYNAB migration guide YNAB import guide Manual import guide Bank-file upload guide Official import policy Manual import guide Official product site CSV import guide Verified: