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Monarch Money vs. YNAB: Which Budgeting App Will Actually Stick With You?

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Brooklyn Sprunger
Author: Brooklyn Sprunger
Brooklyn Sprunger
Brooklyn Sprunger
Content Manager

Brooklyn Sprunger is a full-time Content Manager and Personal Finance Writer at Motley Fool Money, where she oversees product reviews and ratings while also writing about credit cards, bank accounts, investing, auto insurance, and other personal finance topics. She has worked in financial content since 2018, including more than four years at The Motley Fool. When she’s not writing or editing, Brooklyn is likely hiking and watching the Tennessee Vols.

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Over the years, I've tried every type of budgeting app, from bare-bones trackers to fully-featured financial dashboards. Some are flashy but shallow, others are powerful but exhausting to maintain.

Monarch Money and You Need a Budget (YNAB) are both excellent apps, but they appeal to very different money personalities. Monarch Money focuses on giving you a clear, visual picture of your finances with helpful insights and automation, while YNAB is all about hands-on control, zero-based budgeting, and building disciplined money habits.

Trying to decide which one fits your style? Here's a side-by-side look.

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Monarch Money
Monarch Money
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You Need a Budget
Best budgeting app overallYou Need a Budget
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What these apps have in common

Both Monarch Money and YNAB let you:

  • Connect your bank accounts to track spending automatically
  • Set financial goals and track progress
  • Share budgets with a partner or household
  • Monitor trends over time

The big difference is how much control and manual work each app expects from you.

Monarch Money: Best for visual tracking and full-picture budgeting

Monarch Money is a go-to for getting a clear, visual view of my finances. I use it almost daily to track spending, monitor savings goals, and check net worth -- all from one dashboard.

What I like about Monarch Money

  • Customizable, visual dashboards: Monarch Money shows your spending, net worth, and goals in charts that make it easy to spot trends.
  • Flex or category budgets: Focus on variable spending with flex budgets, or use traditional categories to track every expense.
  • Month in Review reports: Automatically highlights top spending categories, cash flow trends, and net worth changes.
  • Shared finances: Collaborate with a partner in real time without giving up privacy.
  • Goal and cash flow tracking: Track multiple savings goals and forecast balances over time.

Where Monarch Money falls short

  • No permanent free version: You get a seven-day trial, then you'll need a subscription.
  • Learning curve: The level of control is great, but it can feel overwhelming at first.
  • Mobile app isn't as smooth as desktop: Desktop is better for deep dives; mobile works well for quick check-ins.

YNAB: Best for hands-on budgeting and habit building

You Need a Budget (YNAB) is built for people who want total control over every dollar. If you like zero-based budgeting and want to assign every expense a role, YNAB is made for you.

What I like about YNAB

  • Detail-oriented budgeting: Assign every dollar a purpose to stay disciplined.
  • Hands-on control: Manual tracking makes it easy to spot overspending before it becomes a problem.
  • Shared access: Add up to five additional users, perfect for families or couples.
  • Extended free trial: You get 34 days to test the app before paying.

Where YNAB falls short

  • No automation: You have to manage every subscription, transfer, and expense manually.
  • Higher cost: $14.99/month or $109/year.
  • Steep learning curve: It works beautifully, but new users need time to adjust.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature Monarch Money You Need a Budget (YNAB)
Account syncing Yes Yes
Budget tracking Yes Yes
Zero-based budgeting Optional Yes
Visual dashboards Advanced Moderate
Custom categories Yes Yes
Shared access Yes (partner) Yes (up to 6 users)
AI-powered insights Yes, Monarch AI Assistant Yes
Forecasts Yes No
Free plan 7-day trial only 34 days
Pricing $14.99/month or $99.99/year $14.99/month or $109/year
Data source: Monarch Money and YNAB.

Which app should you choose?

  • Go with Monarch Money if you want a clean, visual, all-in-one platform that tracks spending, goals, and net worth, and includes AI-powered insights to simplify your financial life.
  • Try YNAB if you want full control, are motivated by zero-based budgeting, and enjoy assigning every dollar manually to build strong financial habits.

Final thoughts

The best budgeting app is the one you'll actually stick with. Both Monarch Money and YNAB are strong, but they appeal to very different money personalities. You might even try both -- Monarch Money has a seven-day free trial, and YNAB offers 34 days -- to see which feels natural. Once you find the right fit, budgeting stops being a chore and becomes a tool that works with you instead of against you.