# You Need A Budget Reviews
**Vendor:** You Need A Budget  
**Category:** [Credit and Collections Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/credit-and-collections)  
**Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0  
**Total Reviews:** 30
## About You Need A Budget
You Need A Budget (YNAB) is a comprehensive personal finance software designed to help individuals take control of their finances through proactive budgeting. By implementing a unique methodology, YNAB empowers users to allocate every dollar they earn, plan for true expenses, adapt to financial changes, and break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. Key Features and Functionality: - Bank Synchronization: Securely link your bank accounts to automatically import transactions, ensuring your budget is always up-to-date. - Real-Time Updates: Access your budget across multiple devices, including computers, smartphones, and tablets, with automatic synchronization. - Goal Tracking: Set and monitor financial goals, such as saving for a vacation or paying off debt, with clear progress indicators. - Comprehensive Reporting: Utilize detailed reports and visualizations to analyze spending habits, net worth, and financial trends over time. - Loan Calculator: Plan and manage debt repayment strategies with tools that calculate interest savings and payoff timelines. - Educational Resources: Access a wealth of educational materials, including live workshops and guides, to enhance your financial literacy. Primary Value and User Solutions: YNAB addresses common financial challenges by providing a structured approach to budgeting that promotes mindful spending and saving. By assigning every dollar a specific purpose, users can prioritize expenses, prepare for unexpected costs, and make informed financial decisions. This proactive strategy helps users eliminate debt, build savings, and achieve financial stability. Additionally, YNAB&#39;s emphasis on flexibility allows users to adjust their budgets as circumstances change, ensuring continued financial control and peace of mind.



## You Need A Budget Pros & Cons
**What users like:**

- Users appreciate the **fantastic customer support** provided, enhanced by engaging and helpful support videos. (1 reviews)
- Users appreciate the **ease of use** of You Need A Budget, enjoying its friendly interface and helpful features. (1 reviews)
- Users find the **user interface easy to navigate** and appreciate the flexibility in managing their accounts. (1 reviews)

**What users dislike:**

- Users feel that YNAB has become too **expensive** over time, especially when cheaper alternatives are available. (1 reviews)
- Users face **sync issues** with some accounts in YNAB, requiring manual transaction uploads for accurate tracking. (1 reviews)

## You Need A Budget Reviews
  ### 1. Great customer service and feature updates

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Nicole D. | Owner, Music, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** October 25, 2024

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

The user interface is easy to get used to. I like that I can choose if I want to have an account in there to budget or just track and include all my loan accounts too. I've also started tracking my Venmo and PayPal account too so I can show all my self-employed income in one place. The customer support has been fantastic too. Their support videos are so fun to watch!

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

I have some accounts that can't be linked to YNAB so for those, I have to upload a transactions file from my bank or store credit card. About once per year there are a few transactions that get missed importing from my credit card company, but I had a lot more issues with this when I used Mint, so I realize bugs like that are inevitable. YNAB makes it easy to mark which transactions you've double checked against credit card statements and see where you left off, though, so it's been much easier to use than others I've tried.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

It helps me track my spending and plan what funds I will have in the future, as well as plan how long it will take to pay off debt. (Please note: in the above question, there was only one option appearing, and I would like to have added "tracking spending and budgeting".

  ### 2. A Once Great App No Longer Innovates

**Rating:** 0.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Individual & Family Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** January 21, 2025

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB is great for people trying to get out of debt.  If you don't have a good process, YNAB is a great place to start.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Once you know what you are doing, YNAB becomes just another expense.  As a 10 year user of YNAB it's just become too expensive.  My habits are already formed and I can find cheaper software that "actual"ly works just as well.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

YNAB helps me budget and track my income and spending.  I give every dollar a job and ensure I'm staying 1 month ahead of my expenses.

  ### 3. YNAB gives a fresh perspective on budgeting

**Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Allan G. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** March 07, 2023

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

Concept of giving every dollar a job, as well as visibility to the age of money. (How long will your funds last if you were not receiving income.)  Easy to use program that provides a powerful concept that makes budgeting fun.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Pricing increases for the app have increased a decent amount, but I guess you get what you pay for.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Putting money aside to be able to pay for real-time and emergency expenses

  ### 4. It changed my budget management in personal and business life

**Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Ana T. | Consultor de Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** December 06, 2022

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I like the simple way it organizes the information and the fact that 1 cent does not escape the budget. This puts me in control of my financial life and gives me mental rest and time for other things.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

The app is very simple in terms of the browser. I can't see the reports as I would like. But otherwise it is very well adapted with regard to other features. Congratulations.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

In this way I manage to distribute the available money by the various monthly, annual and sporadic budgets. I always know what to count on and nothing escapes. The performance of your business and personal life has increased.

  ### 5. The best Personal Finance Management software I found

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** António P. | Brand Strategist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** December 06, 2022

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

The budget management feature, bank integration, and user-friendly, well-designed interface.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

The reports are limited by default; I'd like more report options without exporting the data. There are ways to overcome this limitation by using an external tool.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Keeping track of my income and expenses. By tracking my income and expenses, I can identify where my money is going, set financial goals, and create a budget that works for me.

  ### 6. The most comprehensive personal budgeting service on the market

**Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** August 08, 2022

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB leaves no stone unturned in terms of personal budgeting options and features, as well as dressing this is an extremely intuitive UI and stunning design. There's nothing more I would want access to.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

I feel the yearly price could be cheaper, and the learning curve is pretty steap. Support for banks outside of North America would be a massive upgrade for the product.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

We need an easy-to-use and intuitive budgeting system that coaches you through the process and syncs between multiple devices/users. YNAB does all of this with ease.

  ### 7. Easily manage financial goals and spending

**Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Nicole W. | Freelance Writer/Editor, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** December 20, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I love that it syncs with my bank accounts to automatically update transactions and reconcile accounts. It's easy to track spending and make sure you didn't miss anything. No more mismatched balances that could take hours to resolve!

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

It's not totally intuitive. It has a bit of a learning curve compared to other budgeting apps. It has certain features that annoy me like if you transfer money from one category to another that counts against your budgeted amount for that category, so the system prompts you to put that amount back, even though transferring money to another category is sometimes the only way to balance your budget. Transfers should count against the budgeted amount.

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Check out the blog articles and videos before you get started to help you get an idea of how to properly use the different categories and functions. It saves time and frustration in the long run if you get it setup properly the first time. It's not as easy to figure out as you go as you'd think.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

It helps me track and manage spending and keep business income and expenses separate from personal even without a separate business account. It makes things a lot simpler come tax time since I can transfer the expenses into a spreadsheet for write offs.

  ### 8. So powerful and intuitive for personal finances

**Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Caleb B. | Design Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** December 29, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I like the tools behind YNAB the most. My favorite of all the tools is the automatic budget feature you can use for each category when you set up a budget for the coming month. It gives you the average you spend in that category, the lowest you spent, and what you spent last month. Then you can just tap one of those and it will automatically fill in that category. Sooo helpful.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

What I dislike is that YNAB has so much ability to input accounts and do transfers between the accounts, there's actually quite a learning curve when understanding how to effectively run your budget. It definitely takes some work to understand all the tools. Also, YNAB doesn't have a free version. So if you want to use this app, you have to pay for it and that is also a bit frustrating.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Quite simply, I'm using YNAB to solve the problem of my finances. It just makes budgeting much easier than it could be otherwise. I've realized that YNAB's tools just make the tracking of expenses behind my finances easier. And it just helps give the information you need to make good financial decisions.

  ### 9. Fabulously Got Us On TOP Of Our Money!!!!

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Crystal D. | Owner, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** January 25, 2022

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I love the simplicity and the language used to get us out of debt and ahead in the various areas of our Spending Plan.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Sometimes my credit cards don't want to connect seamlessly (looking at you Target card).

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Their support team is SO HELPFUL! They empathize and assist appropriately.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

As a sole prop, my hubs and I had a hard time relating our bank account totals with how much we wanted to put towards debt and how much we needed to hold on to for upcoming bills (for the biz and for personal items). YNAB answered all of that!

  ### 10. You Need a Budget- Yes

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Andrew H. | Education Specialist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** September 21, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

With YNAB, I review my budget every time I spend money. I verify that I am within budget for each category and re-allocate funds if needed.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

It may seem counter-intuitive that there is a yearly fee for the service. After using YNAB4, which I paid for upfront, I was reluctant to switch to the service model and YNAB5. Since finally making the switch, I am glad I did. I save far more by keeping track of every dollar. The new interface was a bit of a challenge to adapt to - but in the end, it is worth it. I also do not recommend using the automatic feature for importing transactions from your bank account. This seems counter-intuitive to the process of tracking every dollar.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

By using YNAB, I have been able to plan for future expenses and pay down debt. I truly don't think I could manage without it.

  ### 11. The most user friendly Budgeting tool!

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Lauren P. | Personal use, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** January 05, 2022

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I love You Need a Budget (YNAB)! It is very user-friendly! It is easy to set goals for spending, assign money to different categories and track your spending!

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB can be hard to link transactions between two accounts when importing (such as a bank transport) but is otherwise very user friendly

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

By using YNAB, I have been able to track my spending and become more aware of where I am spending my money. I also feel like it gives me more freedom to spend as I know I have a set budget and have planned to spend more money!

  ### 12. Best budgeting app there is!

**Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Chris G. | Senior Product Marketing Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** May 20, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I like the philosophy behind YNAB in that they believe every dollar has a job and your budget is to use every dollar. It sounds so simple but it was a completely different outlook than what I had experience with other budgeting tips before. I also really like their videos and resources. Have been incredibly helpful.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

There's a bit of a learning curve to using it. It's not as simple as just "jumping in" and starting. You will probably need to watch a few videos and play with it before it becomes comfortable.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

The problem I'm solving is that our money was disappearing and I didn't know where it was going! YNAB helps me to easily find where the money is going and categorize it so I can make better financial decisions in the future.

  ### 13. Best Budgeting and Checkbook Register Online

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Music | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** January 06, 2022

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNB is a very user-friendly method to keep track of your individual expenses by credit card and by bank account while also budgeting.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

I would like for the budget to have a bit more tailoring ability. But does a great job.

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

useful for personal and business use by making separate budgets

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

I can see all of my daily outflow and inflow of cash and keep track of any credit card charges that may be in error.

  ### 14. For beginner or advanced budgeters

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Graphic Design | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** December 21, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB is very intuitive, so even the most novice user can jump right in. It's also complex enough that advanced users will find features to keep them interested and learning about how to budget.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

The cost, although reasonable, could be prohibitive for some users. There are certainly other options on the market that are cheaper or even free, but of course, the options and features are much more limited.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

YNAB gives me a comprehensive look at my income versus spending habits. It helps me see where I should cut some costs and where I need to save to make sure I'm always covered for unexpected events.

  ### 15. YNAB is the best, I don't know what I would do without it!

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Hanna P. | Customer support specialist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** April 20, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB is the best budgeting program out there. Not only is their software outstanding the philosophy that comes along with being a YNAB'er is life-changing. I have used YNAB for personal finances as well as for the finances of 2 businesses. The ability to customize YNAB to fit my needs is amazing, I have tried other budgeting apps and none of them actually make the life-changing impact YNAB can when you learn the program. I recommend YNAB to every loved one, friend and acquaintance I have.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Every now and then the bank connections break and it can take longer than preferred to get these connections fixes, but this is rare, and eventually the connections are back up.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Saving for my future, no longer living paycheck to paycheck, having an emergency fund, being able to accomplish financial and life goals. What more could you ask for!

  ### 16. Post-grad

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Accounting | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** August 31, 2021

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I love zero-dollar budgeting and YNAB's sleek UI design.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

There are many buttons on the app, and I would like a 3-minute tutorial video.

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

The app is great for seeing all of your financial life in one place.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

It isn't very easy for someone who has a simple financial profile.

  ### 17. Awesome budgeting software.

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Gary A. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** November 24, 2020

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I have tried probably every personal finance software under the sun and the biggest thing that always frustrated me was the budgeting element. Finally, with You Need A Budget (YNAB), I have found a budgeting system that makes sense, is easy to use and can also take care of my other personal finance needs.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

There are some accounts that do not sync well with YNAB in particular mortgage and investment accounts. But the premise of YNAB is not to cater to that. It takes on one of our biggest challenges, budgeting, and does it better than anyone else.

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Take the time to learn the YNAB philosophy before you dive in. It is not complicated, but once you have a grasp of it the software makes perfect sense and will take immense stress from your finances.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Personal and Business Budgets. Also used for book keeping too. Allows me to really understand how much money I currently have to budget especially when it comes to using credit cards. That feature alone is worth the subscription.

  ### 18. YNAB keeps me focused.

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Keith W. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** July 14, 2020

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB organizes my spending. I can see how much I have left to spend in each category. I can keep track of loans I've made to people. I can see how much money I set aside for the IRS. It syncs with my bank account, so it's low maintenance. And the app is as charming as a budgeting app possibly can be.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

There is a bit of a learning curve. YNAB is based on the envelope method of budgeting. You only budget money that you have and you budget all of it when you get it. That's the fun part. Credit cards and loans are confusing to set up. Categorizing can be tedious, if you have a lot of transactions. But, the app does a good job of remembering what categories that you use for recurring transactions.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

By using YNAB I'm able to successfully save for the IRS. As a freelancer my income varies month to month. It seemed impossible to stick to a budget before I started using YNAB. Now not only can I stick to it, but I can accurately forecast what's coming up. And I don't worry so much about bills and not having enough money for this or that. I can see by looking at the app exactly how far my money will last in the future.

  ### 19. I LOVE THIS SOFTWARE.

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Music | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** November 11, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I'm sure there are other budgeting systems out there, but this is one of the best I've ever come into contact with. I love the ease of being able to see exactly where my money is and the big-picture thinking. 

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

There are some aspects of being able to transfer money to/from a savings account that bother me, for example, the fact that all of that money is still movable in the app even though in reality it's in a savings account so I don't want to have it added to my budget, but that's just a me preference. 

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Be open to the advice that they give you! Their customer service is incredible helpful. I'd recommend this to literally anyone. 

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

YNAB has already transformed my money life; I've been using it ever since I got my first job after college and started receiving a consistent paycheck. It does wonders for my spending and has allowed me to save a lot already. 

  ### 20. Great app!

**Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Christine M. | Learning Coordinator, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** January 20, 2020

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

The flexibility and variety of expenses that could be added

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

I wish i could have seen a projection to various dates according to salary, dept payments, etc.

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Everything you need to simplify budgetting and seeing everything in one place.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Having all my accounts in one view.

  ### 21. I can't believe I used to live life without YNAB

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Music | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** October 29, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

What's best about YNAB? It gives you more control over your money than you ever imagined you could have. The instruction from CEO Jesse Meekum, both on budgeting rules and how to use the software, give us security as freelancers that we never thought would exist. 

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

They are phasing out support YNAB classic which I've used for years.  The new model is a monthly fee, unlike the classic which was one fee for life. I'll still use it though. 

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Hang in there, there's a little learning curve, but the AHA moment when you realize what the software does for you is worth it. 

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

By breaking up infrequent but predictable expenses into set monthly amounts, my business has been able to thrive even having an income that goes up and down.  It also helps to figure out policy changes I need to implement, since I have income data on each client, I am empowered to make changes to the policy which meet client needs more efficiently.  For example, setting up a flat fee service for clients who cancel a lot. 

  ### 22. The best budgeting app - no contest!

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Kevin M. | Associate Wealth Advisor, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** May 21, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB focuses you on your budget rather than account balances. It helps people build a habit of proactivity with their money instead of just letting things happen as they may. It’s incredibly intuitive and easy to use but also very powerful and flexible.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Price is a bit on the high side, but I’ve been won over on the value, so it didn’t keep me from purchasing. I used older versions for a few years, but the new cloud version had automated several of the things I used to do manually, so it was worth the upgrade.

I wish there were a cleaner way to handle reimbursements. For business expenses where I know I will be paid back, it stinks having to take money from other categories to cover. I’ve found workarounds, but it’s a little convoluted.

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

YNAB is not just an app but a gateway into a mindset of proactivity in personal finance. If you use it, it will work. It will not do the work for you, though.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

It helps me take control of my spending and tell my money where to go rather than letting impulse spending bust my budget. We live on less and save more - measurably more.

  ### 23. Useful! 

**Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Karen P. | Office Associate, Computer Software, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** November 16, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

This program helps the user with financial health, and I really appreciate that. 

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

It could use a more expansive help section.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

It's helped me set up a budget and stick to it. My expenses have been under control since I used it. 

  ### 24. great for business and personal finance tracking

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Publishing | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** November 07, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

I like that you can set up multiple budgets

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

The auto syncing sometimes is problematic

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Really great tool for keeping track of expenses. The auto-syncing option unfortunately doesn't always work.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

I keep track of my budget so I know what I can spend on itemized business expenses. I also use it for tracking expenses and income for tax purposes

  ### 25. The Only Budgeting Software You Need

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Individual & Family Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB is very flexible and allows you to adjust it to your specific needs.  It's based on four specific rules and once you get those down, everything else falls into place.  They have excellent customer support with an extensive knowledge base, community and webinars to help you through any roadblocks.  Best of all, it helped me get my finances in order and stay in the green!

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Initially learning some of the rules and specifics of how YNAB wants you to enter info was complex.  After some time and adjusting, I was able to figure out the "why" behind their decisions.  It's a small learning curve with a big pay off.  

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

Take the time to review their rules and the knowledge base for information about how to specifically set up some of your categories, account for your credit card spending (this one was tricky for me), and how to deal with possible overspend.  A small amount of research up front will pay off since you won't be scratching your head later on and editing entries.  

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Getting my finances in order, saving lots of money, smarter investments and getting a few months ahead of my budget.  

  ### 26. Good program, well designed app, takes a lot of manual work

**Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Travisse H. | Product Manager, Internet, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** May 16, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

It's like a calorie tracker - if you enter your expenses manually each day you're automatically more aware of them which helps you control them. 

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

All the manual entry - though that's kind of the point of it. It's beautifully designed and user friendly, I ultimately just decided I didn't want to do the manual work to be consistent with it. 

**Recommendations to others considering You Need A Budget:**

It's the best in it's class it just requires a decent amount of consistent thought - which IMO is appropriate if you're in debt or have some other financial issues but if you feel your spending isn't causing you issues it may be a bit overkill. Ultimately I think it was great but I just wasn't the ideal user for it. 

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Wanted to get a better view of how I spend and be more careful in my spending. 

  ### 27. Flexible budgeting software

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Internet | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** April 11, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB is the best budget software that I have used (and I have used A LOT). I love how easy it is to cover overspending in one category with another category. Category goals help you to plan accurately and make sure you don't leave anything out. The way YNAB handles finances month to month is great as well. It automatically starts you off with a negative balance for the month if you overspent the previous month so the impact of the deficit isn't overlooked. YNAB also has good reporting tools.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

YNAB has a few quirks that can be difficult to understand at first, but it's just because they do things differently (and in my opinion, better). For instance, YNAB handles credit cards pretty uniquely.  If you spend money with a credit card account, YNAB expects you to cover that spending in your credit card payment. So if you have a $50/month payment and you use your credit card to buy something for $25, YNAB expects you to budget $75 for a credit card payment that month.

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

YNAB helps us keep our finances in order and gives us a good picture of our financial health at any moment. We use it daily to track transactions and manage our various budgets.

  ### 28. Helped me get through difficult time

**Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Graphic Design | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** November 30, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

You Need A Budget helped me get through difficult times by helping me make a budget. It helped me track my expenses, that was the most difficult part for me when saving money.

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Theres not much to dislike for this app. 

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Solving my budget needs. 

  ### 29. Classic was great. Subscription seems greedy

**Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Religious Institutions | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** May 17, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

The system works and we love it. Syncing with your phone makes keeping the budget up to date straight from the check out. Overall it works well. 

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

Subscription model. Seriously we bought in when they were promising a one time fee and then they spun to say well, you can keep classic that we will stop supporting but if you want the newest you have to pay is a yearly sum. 

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Funny that this is here because we do use it for business although you could. 

  ### 30. Great for personal and business budgeting

**Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** September 01, 2019

**What do you like best about You Need A Budget?**

You can break down categories, set up future transactions, recurring transactions, debt accounts

**What do you dislike about You Need A Budget?**

I wish you could break down categories one step further, sync multiple budgets with the same accounts

**What problems is You Need A Budget solving and how is that benefiting you?**

Can’t input future cashflows, but it helps that you can see the deficit on the main budget page and take into account the future inflows from there 


## You Need A Budget Discussions
  - [What is the most important feature of a budget?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-most-important-feature-of-a-budget)
  - [What is a budget software?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-a-budget-software)
  - [What does the you need a budget app do?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-does-the-you-need-a-budget-app-do)
  - [What are the basic features of YNAB?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-are-the-basic-features-of-ynab)

- [View You Need A Budget pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/you-need-a-budget/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-06-12+13%3A22%3A17+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=236c6836-2724-40be-ac2b-464cc2f3ee4d&secure%5Btoken%5D=e97ef0c93872dbf396b4f0ab82fd4766054115280e06361eba1196e84d29440d&format=llm_user)

## You Need A Budget Features
**Customer Credit**
- Credit Limits
- Credit History
- Credit Limits Adjustment
- Integration with Credit Rating Agencies
- Credit Limit Suspension

**Agentic AI - Accounting & Finance**
- Autonomous Task Execution

**Invoice Matching**
- Incomplete Payments
- Match Invoices and Payments
- Errors and Adjustments
- Cash Application

**Collections**
- Late Payments
- Disputed Transactions
- Personalized Customer Messaging
- Customer Profiles

**Analytics**
- At Risk Customers
- Esimated vs Actual Receipts
- Collections Effectiveness
- Scaleability
- Artificial Intelligence
- Compliance Control

**Self Service**
- Customer Portal
- Financial Documents

**Agentic AI - Credit and Collections**
- Autonomous Task Execution
- Multi-step Planning
- Adaptive Learning

## Top You Need A Budget Alternatives
  - [Invoiced](https://www.g2.com/products/invoiced/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (396 reviews)
  - [Billtrust](https://www.g2.com/products/billtrust/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (505 reviews)
  - [Tesorio](https://www.g2.com/products/tesorio/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (236 reviews)

