Monarch vs YNAB (2026): Which Is Better?

For most users, yes. Monarch Money offers investment tracking, a cleaner visual dashboard, and shared household access at a lower annual price ($89.99/yr vs $99/yr). YNAB is the better choice if you want strict zero-based envelope budgeting and an extensive learning center.

Monarch Money costs $9.99/mo or $89.99/yr ($7.49/mo billed annually). YNAB costs $14.99/mo or $99/yr ($8.25/mo billed annually). Monarch is cheaper on both monthly and annual plans.

YNAB does not include investment tracking. It focuses exclusively on budgeting and cash flow. Monarch Money includes full investment portfolio tracking, performance charts, and asset allocation alongside your budget.

Monarch Money does not use strict envelope or zero-based budgeting. It uses a traditional category-based budgeting approach with spending plans. If envelope budgeting is essential to your workflow, YNAB is the better choice.

Monarch Money uses Plaid to connect bank accounts. Your credentials are never stored by Monarch — the connection is read-only. Monarch is SOC 2 Type II certified and uses 256-bit AES encryption.

Yes. Monarch Money includes shared household access on all plans at no extra cost. Both partners get full access to the same account, budgets, and transaction history. YNAB also supports shared access.

YNAB is worth the higher price if you follow zero-based budgeting strictly. The methodology, learning center, and 34-day free trial help justify the cost. If you want a more passive budgeting approach, Monarch offers more features for less money.

Both apps have solid mobile apps for iOS and Android. Monarch's app has a more visual, dashboard-style interface. YNAB's mobile app mirrors its web experience closely. Monarch has had occasional stability reports, while YNAB's app is more mature.

Yes. Monarch Money supports CSV import, so you can export your YNAB transaction history and import it into Monarch. Category mapping requires some manual work, but the core data transfers cleanly.

YNAB is stronger for debt payoff due to its zero-based methodology — every dollar gets assigned a job, which forces aggressive debt allocation. Monarch tracks debt but doesn't enforce a payoff methodology.