Budgeting App in 2026, YNAB vs Copilot vs Monarch
After Mint: Four Apps, Four Very Different Bets
Mint shut down on 22 January 2024. In the two years since, four apps have absorbed most of its users, and each one bets on a different idea of what a budgeting app should do. YNAB bets on behaviour change. Copilot bets on design. Monarch Money bets on shared finances. Actual Budget bets on privacy and zero subscription cost. Every single one of them raised prices or changed their tier structure in 2025 or 2026, so most comparison articles are now stale. This page uses November 2026 figures.
Pricing and platforms
| App | Monthly | Annual | Free tier | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YNAB | $14.99 | $109/yr | 34-day trial | iOS, Android, Web |
| Copilot | $18 | $119/yr | 30-day trial | iOS, Web (no native Android app) |
| Monarch Money | $14.99 | $99.99/yr (Core) or $199.99/yr (Plus) | 7-day trial | iOS, Android, Web |
| Actual Budget | Free | Free (open source) | Fully free | Self-host or $1.80/mo via PikaPods |
Copilot raised its annual price from $95 to $119 in November 2026, a 25 percent jump. It still has no native Android app. If you are on Android, Copilot is not a practical option.
Use case 1: You want to change your spending habits (verdict: YNAB)
YNAB is the only app built around a methodology, not a dashboard. Its four rules (give every dollar a job, embrace your true expenses, roll with the punches, age your money) work best if you treat the app as a daily habit rather than a monthly check-in. The payoff for people who stick with it is real: YNAB publishes data showing new users save an average of $600 in their first two months. The cost is $109 per year, the second most expensive option here. Students get 12 months free with a valid .edu email. If you have ever started a budget and abandoned it, YNAB is the only app designed around that failure mode.
Use case 2: You are on iPhone and want something that looks great (verdict: Copilot)
Copilot is the best-looking budgeting app available. It was Apple-only until December 2025, when it added a web app. There is still no native Android app, which rules it out for most non-iPhone users. It connects to bank accounts automatically, categorises transactions with reasonable accuracy, and gives a clean monthly snapshot. At $119 per year it is now the most expensive option here. That price is hard to justify unless the design genuinely motivates you to open the app more often, which for some people it does. The 30-day free trial is long enough to find out.
Use case 3: You are managing money with a partner (verdict: Monarch Money Core)
Monarch Money was built from the start for couples and households. Both partners see the same accounts, the same budget, and the same goals. YNAB supports multiple users on one subscription but its collaborative features are thinner. The Core plan at $99.99 per year is the cheapest paid option here. The Plus plan at $199.99 per year adds retirement planning projections and business expense tracking. Most households do not need Plus. The 7-day trial is shorter than YNAB or Copilot, so move quickly if you want to test the couples features properly.
Use case 4: You want zero subscription cost or full data privacy (verdict: Actual Budget)
Actual Budget is open source (MIT licence) and completely free. You run it yourself: on a home server, a cheap VPS, or via PikaPods at around $1.80 per month. Your financial data never touches a third-party server. It uses envelope budgeting, similar to YNAB but without the ongoing cost. Automatic bank sync requires SimpleFIN Bridge at roughly $15 per year. The interface is functional rather than beautiful, and setup takes an hour. The latest release is v26.10.0 from October 2026. For anyone who was burned by Mint closing and does not want to depend on a startup surviving, Actual Budget is the only durable answer.
Use case 5: You mainly want to watch your net worth grow (verdict: Empower, free)
If tracking investments and net worth matters more to you than active budgeting, Empower (formerly Personal Capital) is worth knowing. It is free, connects to investment accounts as well as bank accounts, and shows a consolidated net worth view. It is not a budgeting tool. It does not assign dollars to categories or help you change habits. But as a passive dashboard for someone already comfortable with their spending, it does the job without a subscription. Monarch Money Plus ($199.99/yr) adds retirement projections on top of its budgeting features and suits people who want both in one place.
Feature quick-reference
| Feature | YNAB | Copilot | Monarch | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methodology | Zero-based (4 rules) | Passive tracking | Passive + goals | Envelope (zero-based) |
| Automatic bank sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Via SimpleFIN ($15/yr) |
| Android app | Yes | No (web only) | Yes | Yes (self-hosted) |
| Multi-user / couples | Yes (shared sub) | No | Yes (built-in) | Yes (self-hosted) |
| Investment tracking | No | Basic | Yes (Plus: full) | No |
| Annual cost | $109 | $119 | $99.99 or $199.99 | $0 (or $15 for sync) |
| Best for | Habit change | iPhone aesthetics | Couples and households | Privacy and zero cost |
