YNAB

App is great, service is great and life changing. Been using it for two years and finally can keep up with my spending and seeing improvement But anyways this is a review of the app not the service and I currently have a few issues 1. My girlfriend and I (she is more enraged than I am) loved how easy it was to change budgets in the old app! Now We have to go through a very long journey just to change the budget! And I have 3 different budgets (sometimes 4 if I am traveling) I wish there was an easy way to switch between them (while we are at it, the web app could use easier budget switching ..). Also, maybe add in a title somewhere which budget I have opened? A few times I have logged in things in the wrong budget, because I didn’t realize I had the wrong one open 2. The keyboard to enter a transaction as of 21st of January. I like the overhaul of the page, I love how everything is in one page, but hate the new keyboard! My eyes bleed every time I look at it .... YNAB has designed such an aesthetically pleasing app, why did they do that!! And it bothers me that the keyboard covers the clear button (yes it’s silly I know). I hope the great developers behind this app can find it in their hearts to make the keyboard visually pleasing ...

The app/methodology/paradigm(s) have really revolutionized the way I approach my own finances and i cannot recommend it enough from that regard as a service & function. I have budgeted myself for well over a decade and have done alright, but always felt there was some missing piece or rather a “hole” that seemed to be getting in my way. This app/way of tagging and budgeting really helped me see in a very adult way, the ways in which I was failing to connect some financial dots and keep myself from doing as well as I should have been; it made sense after I really pressed myself to drop my bad thinking that I had developed to try and work around the natural holes in a standard budget logic. Having said all of that, I find myself using my iPad Pro to access the web client, as the app itself is so kiddy and limited that it makes it actually harder to digest the information presented and make the most sense of it. So much information but it’s all so “big” that you can’t see the big picture, almost simply because the text and forms are so LARGE. Really the app could be and needs to be as feature-rich and dense as the web app; basically take the web app and adapt it to be touch targets and color coded like the app is. It could be so much BETTER than the web interface with all the screen real estate on the iPad and the easy entry and basic structure they have in place for it already. I really look forward to the iPad app “growing up.”

I had started using YNAB but ended up losing the habit because there would be times when a purchase made on the go couldn’t fit into any existing categories I had set up on the web app, and I had no way of changing things until I had long lost track of purchases. Now, the new app lets me do literally everything I used to have to go on my computer to do, and it does so in a beautiful, easy-to-use package. With the most recent update, the app went from feeling 8 years outdated and nearly unusable to one of the best-designed apps on my phone. I used to have to apologize for it - “if you can get over the outdated app, the system works really well” - and now I can wholeheartedly recommend the YNAB system to people who ask for help with budgeting. Don’t fall for the convenience of automated budget tracking with other apps! YNAB’s manual system forces you to pay attention to the consequences of every single purchase. The learning curve is difficult at first, and it does take an hour or two to get everything set up. But the payoff is literal - managing my money tightly with YNAB lets me spend more comfortably by making sure I have what I need for expenses and savings. This is hands-down the best budgeting system available.

An update for your app is one of the few app updates that I am excited to see! I’ve already noticed a couple of the fixes and they are SO helpful! Your app is just plain packed with good stuff! You’ve just thought of everything! Thank you so much! I love using the desktop (cloud) version too. Sometimes my phone screen is just not big enough. Kind of like being cramped in the car on a long car ride and it feels good to stretch your legs...and see my budget on a bigger screen. I like to visualize my budget and using YNAB is the best way to do it. I’ve tried so many other ways to budget the last 25 years...and none has been successful until I started using YNAB. I love the new cloud version. I got frustrated with YNAB 4 for several reasons and gave it a break (and used the free version of Every Dollar, which was nice to look at, simple and easy to use, and smooth in many ways but lacked a lot). When I tried YNAB again after about 9 months, almost everything I was frustrated with was fixed, and now about a year later, everything is fixed. I’m VERY impressed with your developers! Thank you for your hard work!! Make sure they see this!

I didn’t want to like YNAB. I’ve been proudly budgeting for years (even got myself out of credit card debt..... before going right back in), using Excel and envelopes. But I was ready to try something new, and poured myself into YNAB. It’s worth it to read all the articles, enroll in the webinars, watch the videos, etc. I stumbled a bit at the start, even tried out some of the other budgeting apps in frustration but none of them had the bells and whistles or the ease of use that YNAB has. After creating my 3rd YNAB budget all I can say is, IT WORKS. I didn’t think I needed to learn anything else about budgeting, but this really reframed how I think about my money. The tools are so easy to use, once you get the gist (give yourself at least 3 months, especially if you’re used to another budgeting system - - and use their exceptional tech support when you get confused or stuck), that my budget is now something I’m both proud of and look forward to doing. The online and phone apps work seamlessly, so it’s easy to keep up with everything and see what’s coming up. YNAB helped build my confidence while teaching me new skills. Thanks, Jesse and friends! ❤️❤️❤️