A YNAB alternative for big-picture household planning
Beyond Payday is for households who want the big picture — bills, what’s left each month, net worth and retirement — with no bank login. If you want to assign all of your money to budget categories, YNAB may suit you.
30 days of Pro free — no card; keep the Free plan after unless you subscribe ($9/mo).
Why people switch to Beyond Payday
$90/yr vs $109/yr
Pro is $90/yr. YNAB lists $109/yr on its own site.Source: YNAB pricing page (opens in a new tab), verified Oct 1, 2026
Retirement, month by month
On Pro, see your money to age 95 with Social Security, pensions and taxes.
Permissions for each person
Owner, spouse or partner, and kids, each with their own per-feature access.
A free debt payoff plan
Avalanche or snowball, with a projected debt-free date.
Beyond Payday and YNAB at a glance
Yes (their site says so) No (their site says so) Couldn’t confirm
| Feature | Beyond Payday | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, or Pro at $9/mo or $90/yr | Yes, their site says so: $14.99/mo or $109/yrsource: YNAB pricing page, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Free plan | Yes. Income, bills, net worth, goals and debt payoff | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Free trial | Yes. 30 days of Pro, no card needed | Yes, their site says so: 34 days, no cardsource: YNAB pricing page, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Links bank accounts | No. By design: no bank login needed | Yes, their site says so: Optional (Direct Import)source: YNAB help: How Direct Import Works, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Household sharing | Yes. Owner, spouse or partner, and kids, with per-person permissions | Yes, their site says so: Up to 6 people on one subscriptionsource: YNAB help: YNAB Together, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Retirement plan | Yes. On Pro: month by month to age 95 | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Social Security timing | Yes. On Pro: any claiming age 62–70, spousal and survivor | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Debt payoff plan | Yes. Free: avalanche or snowball, with a debt-free date | Yes, their site says so: Loan plannersource: YNAB: Debt Management, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Business tracking | Yes. On Pro: one or more businesses | Yes, their site says so: Small-business templatesource: YNAB blog: freelancers and small business owners, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| AI assistant | Yes. On Pro: Beth answers from your own numbers | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Connects to ChatGPT & Claude | Yes. Connect either one to your own data | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Data export | Yes. Every plan: a .zip of JSON and CSV files | Yes, their site says so: CSV filessource: YNAB help: Exporting Plan Data, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Tracks transactions | No. By design: no transaction busywork | Yes, their site says so: Yessource: YNAB help: Adding Transactions Without Direct Import, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Platforms | iPhone, Android and Windows apps, plus a web app you can install on any phone or computer | Yes, their site says so: Web, iPhone, Android, iPad, Apple Watchsource: YNAB app lineup, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Zero-based budgeting | No. By design: big picture instead of every dollar | Yes, their site says so: Yessource: YNAB blog: What Is Zero-Based Budgeting?, checked Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
Based on each company’s own website, checked Oct 1, 2026. A – means we couldn’t confirm it on their site; features change, so check with them. Beyond Payday isn’t affiliated with YNAB.
Something wrong or missing? Let us know and we’ll review it and update this page.
Beyond Payday is a great fit if…
- You want the big picture: bills, what’s left each month, net worth.
- You plan to retire and want the months mapped out.
- You never want to hand over a bank login.
Might not be for you if…
- You want to assign all of your money to budget categories.Source: YNAB blog: What Is Zero-Based Budgeting? (opens in a new tab), verified Oct 1, 2026
- You live outside the US. Beyond Payday is US-only.
How switching works
Import or type in your bills, assets and debts
CSV, TSV or XLSX files work. Transactions don’t carry over — Beyond Payday doesn’t track them. How import works
Add your income
Type it in, or scan a paystub photo and review what it fills in (3 scans on Free, unlimited on Pro).
Leave any time with your data
Export everything as a .zip of JSON and CSV files, on every plan.
Questions
- Does Beyond Payday do zero-based or envelope budgeting?
- No. Beyond Payday does not assign all of your money to budget categories or track envelopes. It shows your income, your bills split into needs and wants, what is left each month, your net worth, and, on Pro, a retirement plan.
- Can I bring my YNAB data over?
- Partly. Beyond Payday imports bills, assets and debts from a CSV, TSV or XLSX file, so a spreadsheet of your recurring bills and account balances works well. YNAB’s help center describes exporting your plan and transactions as CSV files, but transaction history does not carry over, because Beyond Payday does not track individual transactions.Source: YNAB help: Exporting Plan Data (opens in a new tab), verified Oct 1, 2026
- Does Beyond Payday link to my bank?
- No. It never asks for a bank login. You type your numbers in or import them from a spreadsheet, and you keep them current.
- Is there a free plan?
- Yes. The Free plan covers the dashboard, income, bills, assets, debts, net worth, goals, the Scenario Tester, import and export. Pro adds retirement planning, business tracking and Beth, the AI assistant. New accounts start with a 30-day Pro trial with no card needed, and keep the Free plan afterward unless they subscribe.
- Can my partner and kids use it too?
- Yes. One account covers the household: an owner, a spouse or partner, and children, with per-feature permissions for each person. One subscription covers everyone.
- Can I use it outside the US?
- No. Beyond Payday is built for US households only: amounts are in US dollars, and taxes and Social Security rules are US-only.
Other comparisons
- Beyond Payday vs Mint
- Beyond Payday vs Monarch Money
For households that want to plan together without connecting bank or card accounts.
- Beyond Payday vs Rocket Money
For people who want to plan bills, net worth and retirement from numbers they enter, without linking accounts.
- Beyond Payday vs Copilot Money
For households that want the big picture without connecting accounts or categorizing transactions.
- Beyond Payday vs Empower
For people who want household cash flow and a month-by-month retirement plan without linking accounts.
- Beyond Payday vs ProjectionLab
For households that want a month-by-month retirement plan alongside their monthly bills, debts and net worth.
- Beyond Payday vs Boldin
For households that want a month-by-month retirement plan alongside their monthly bills, debts and net worth.
- Beyond Payday vs Quicken Simplifi
For households that want to see what is left each month without connecting bank or card accounts.
- Beyond Payday vs Tiller
For spreadsheet people who would rather use an app, and still import and export spreadsheet files.
Facts verified Oct 1, 2026 from each company’s own website (or an archived copy of it); features change — check the provider for current details.
Current details from each provider: ynab.com (opens in a new tab).
YNAB is a trademark of its owner. Beyond Payday has no affiliation with or endorsement from it.
Beyond Payday is a planning tool, not a financial advisor. Its figures are estimates based on what you enter, not guarantees.
See your whole picture on one page
Income, bills, what is left each month, net worth and, on Pro, retirement. No bank login.
30 days of Pro free — no card; keep the Free plan after unless you subscribe ($9/mo). After 30 days you keep the Free plan — no charge, no card.