A free YNAB alternative
YNAB is a great budgeting method wrapped in a $109-a-year subscription. If what you need is budgets, a clear picture of your spending and purchases that log themselves, Wally does that for free.
Updated October 13, 2026 · Written by the team behind Wally
What YNAB costs: there is no free version. After a 34-day trial YNAB costs $14.99 a month or $109 a year. What Wally costs: nothing. No subscription, no paid tier, no ads.
YNAB and Wally side by side
| YNAB | Wally | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99/mo or $109/yr | Free |
| Free version | No 34-day trial | Everything |
| Budgets | Zero-based plan with targets | Weekly, monthly, yearly or custom budgets per category or for all spending, with alerts |
| Automatic import | Bank connection (US, Canada, UK, selected European countries) | Bank notifications on Android, Apple Pay on iPhone, any country, no bank login |
| Several currencies | No one currency per plan | Yes 150+ and crypto, automatic rates |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, web | Android and iPhone |
| Account | Required | Not needed; Google only for sync |
| Where data lives | YNAB's servers | Your phone, plus an encrypted copy in your Google Drive |
| Sharing | Up to 6 people on one subscription | Profiles inside one budget |
YNAB facts from ynab.com/pricing and its US App Store listing, checked October 13, 2026.
What you get in Wally for free
- Budgets for a week, month, year or your own dates, for chosen categories or all spending, with a warning before you hit the limit.
- Purchases that log themselves: on Android from your bank's notifications, on iPhone from Apple Pay through Shortcuts. See the guides for Android and iPhone.
- Wallets in any currency: cash, cards, savings and crypto, each in its own currency, with automatic conversion of totals and transfers.
- Recurring payments for rent, subscriptions and salary.
- Charts by category, period comparison and trends.
- Sync between Android and iPhone through your own Google Drive, encrypted.
- ChatGPT and Claude: ask what you spent or add expenses in a chat. How to connect.
Where YNAB is better
To be fair: YNAB's zero-based method, where every dollar gets a job before you spend it, is something Wally does not try to copy. YNAB also has targets for future expenses, a web app, an Apple Watch app, and a direct bank connection that brings in your balance and older transactions. If you live in a country YNAB supports and the method is what keeps you on track, it can be worth the money.
Monarch and Copilot: the same trade-off
Monarch ($14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, US and Canada) and Copilot ($13 a month or $95 a year, US only, no Android app) are built the same way: a bank connection behind a subscription, and a budget in one currency. If you don't need a direct bank feed, Wally covers the everyday part for free. The full comparison of 14 apps.
Moving from YNAB to Wally
- Install Wally on Android or iPhone. No account needed.
- Create a wallet for each YNAB account with today's balance as the starting amount.
- Add your recurring bills and income as recurring records, and set budgets for the categories you watch.
- Connect your bank's notifications (Android) or Apple Pay (iPhone) so new purchases arrive by themselves.
Wally does not import YNAB's CSV export, so your old history stays in YNAB. Export it from YNAB on the web before your subscription ends if you want to keep a copy.
Get Wally free
No subscription, no ads, no sign-up. Android 7.0+ and iOS 16+.