YNAB Alternatives for Mac: Copilot Money, Monarch, Banktivity, and Actual Budget Compared

YNAB (You Need A Budget) is the best-known budgeting app for people who want to give every dollar a job. Its method works, and a lot of people credit it with getting their finances under control. But it now costs $14.99/month or $109/year, and on a Mac it's a web app: YNAB lists iOS, Android, and the web as its platforms, with no native macOS app.

If the price, the strict method, or the browser tab is what bugs you, there are good options. Copilot Money, Monarch, Banktivity, and Actual Budget each replace YNAB in a different way: a polished Apple-first app, a household-friendly web dashboard, a full native Mac finance suite, or a free, open-source envelope budget you can run locally.

This guide compares them on Mac support, budgeting style, bank sync, and pricing.

Quick Verdict

Choose Copilot Money if you're in the US, use Apple devices, and want the nicest native Mac budgeting app with automatic categorization.

Choose Monarch if you budget with a partner, want one dashboard for budgets, investments, and net worth, and don't mind working in a browser on your Mac.

Choose Banktivity if you want a traditional native Mac finance app with envelope budgeting, investment tracking, and reports that works outside the US too.

Choose Actual Budget if you like YNAB's envelope method but want it free, open source, and stored on your own Mac.

Stay with YNAB if its zero-based method is what keeps you on track and you value its teaching material and community.

Feature Comparison

YNAB: The Benchmark

Before switching, be clear about what you'd give up. YNAB is built around one idea: you only budget money you actually have, and every dollar gets assigned to a category. On top of that it has savings targets, a loan calculator that shows how much interest and time extra payments save, spending and net worth reports, Apple Card import, and bank syncing. One subscription can be shared with up to 6 people.

It also has a strong learning side, with workshops, guides, and a big community, and college students can get a free year through its College Program. The trial is 34 days with no credit card required.

The downsides are the price, which is at the top of this category, and the lack of a Mac app. YNAB's web app works fine in Safari, but it's still a browser tab.

Copilot Money

Copilot Money is the most Mac-like of the group. It's a native app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad (plus a web version), it's an Apple Editor's Choice pick, and it was an Apple Design Award finalist in 2024. The Mac App Store listing has a 4.8 rating from more than 30,000 reviews.

Copilot categorizes transactions automatically and learns from your corrections, supports budgets with rollovers, tracks investments and net worth, spots recurring charges and forgotten subscriptions, and shows cash flow and spending trends. It connects directly to services such as Apple Card, Venmo, and Coinbase.

It's cheaper than YNAB at $13/month or $95/year, with a one-month free trial and no free tier. The big catch is geography: Copilot's FAQ says it isn't available outside the US and only supports US-based financial institutions. There's also no Android app, so it's a poor fit for a household with mixed phones.

Choose Copilot Money if you're a US-based Apple user who wants a budget that mostly runs itself.

Monarch

Monarch became one of the most popular budgeting apps after Mint shut down, and it's the strongest option for couples and families. Household sharing is included, so a partner can join at no extra cost, and it runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, and the web.

The Core plan covers unlimited account syncing, budgets (by category, or a simpler flexible budget), investment and net worth tracking, cash flow reports, transaction rules, and an AI assistant. Plus adds retirement forecasting, deeper investment analysis, and business and rental income tracking. Monarch is subscription-funded and says it never sells your financial data.

Pricing is $14.99/month or $99.99/year for Core, and $199/year for Plus (annual only), with the first week free. On the Mac, though, Monarch is a web app: its download page lists iOS, Android, and the web only, so there's no menu bar access, offline mode, or native Mac feel.

Choose Monarch if you manage money with someone else and want budgets, investments, and goals in one shared dashboard.

Banktivity

Banktivity is the traditional choice: a native personal finance app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad that has been around for years (it used to be called iBank). If you're coming from Quicken as well as YNAB, it will feel familiar.

It uses envelope budgeting, so the YNAB mindset carries over, and adds much more on the finance side: investment and portfolio tracking, retirement and college savings planning, net worth, debt payoff tools, customizable reports, multi-currency accounts on the Gold plan, and even check printing. It connects to more than 14,000 banks, syncs with end-to-end encryption, and lets you export your data whether or not you're still subscribed.

On the App Store, plans run from Bronze at $6.99/month or $59.99/year to Gold at $10.99/month or $99.99/year, with Silver in between at $79.99/year. There's a 30-day free trial. The tradeoffs are a busier, more old-school interface than Copilot, and a 3.6 App Store rating that suggests the experience varies; test your own banks during the trial.

Choose Banktivity if you want one native Mac app for budgets, investments, and planning, especially if you track more than one currency.

Actual Budget

Actual Budget is the closest thing to a free YNAB. It's open source, uses the same envelope method (you only budget cash you have), and is fast and privacy-focused. The desktop app for Mac, with builds for both Apple silicon and Intel, works entirely offline with automatic backups and needs no account.

To sync across devices, you run a small sync server yourself with Docker, or rent one on PikaPods in a couple of minutes, where part of the fee goes to the project. The web app can then be installed on your phone and works offline. Sync can be end-to-end encrypted. You can import QIF, OFX, QFX, CAMT.053, and CSV files, build custom reports, and use its API.

Bank sync is optional: it supports SimpleFIN for US and Canadian accounts ($15/year or $1.50/month) and GoCardless for the EU and UK. The tradeoff is setup: the official mobile experience is the installable web app (a few unofficial native clients exist), and multi-device use takes more effort than any paid option here.

Choose Actual Budget if you want YNAB-style budgeting without a subscription and are happy to handle a bit of setup yourself.

Which One Should You Use?

Use Copilot Money if you want a native, beautiful Mac app and live in the US.

Use Monarch if you share finances with a partner and want budgets plus investments in one place.

Use Banktivity if you want a full native Mac finance suite that works with banks outside the US.

Use Actual Budget if you want the envelope method for free, with your data on your own Mac.

Stay with YNAB if its method and community are what make budgeting stick for you.

Whichever you try, run it next to YNAB for a month before canceling. Check that it connects to all your banks, import a few months of history, and see whether its budgeting style matches how you think about money. Every paid option here has a free trial long enough to do that.

Final Verdict

Copilot Money is the best YNAB alternative for most Mac users in the US: it's a real native app, it's cheaper, and it handles categorization for you. Monarch is the best pick for households, Banktivity is the best native option outside the US or for anyone who also wants investment and planning tools, and Actual Budget is the best free alternative for people who love YNAB's method but not its price. YNAB is still the best coach for zero-based budgeting, so the question is whether you need the coaching or just the budget.

Catch these apps on sale: many paid Mac apps, including budgeting and finance apps, run discounts at least once a year, most often around Black Friday. Subscribe to the Apps.Deals newsletter to hear when the deals arrive.

Note: Features and prices are current as of September 2026. Prices can vary by region and App Store, and plans change, so check each developer's official page before buying.