Comparisons
A YNAB alternative you pay for once
YNAB is the right tool if you want zero-based budgeting with transactions imported from your bank, where it is one of the select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks YNAB supports. Tobsy is for someone who wants to budget their own way, the YNAB way included, enter spending by hand, keep the data in their own Google Sheet, and pay once: A$59, after thirty days free.
· 3 min read
Side by side
The YNAB column comes from YNAB's own pages, read on 13 October 2026. The Tobsy column is on this site.
| YNAB | Tobsy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$109 a year, or US$14.99 a month, plus tax where applicable | A$59 once. No subscription and no renewal |
| Free trial | 34 days, no credit card required | Thirty days, every screen. An email address and nothing else |
| Method | Zero-based: "give every dollar a job", which YNAB calls the digital version of envelope budgeting | Intentions: flexible. Zero-based, envelope-style rollover, 50/30/20 or any percentages |
| Bank connection | Direct import for select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks; file-based import elsewhere | None, by design. Quick entry, CSV statement import, or a screenshot read on your device |
| Where the data lives | YNAB's infrastructure, built on Heroku and Amazon Web Services | A Google Sheet in your own Drive |
| Devices | iOS, Android and the web | Any phone, tablet or computer |
| Households | One subscription shared with up to six people | Up to six people, two shared households, one split or one per category, and the settle-up worked out |
| Forecast | Not named on its features page | Six months ahead, shown as a range |
| Drift | Not named on its features page | Each category's usual range; Tobsy says when one drifts, and when it eases |
| Languages | Not stated on the pages read | English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch and French |
Budget the YNAB way, or your own
Budgeting in Tobsy is called Intentions. Set an intention per category in dollars or as a percent of income, and Tobsy shows what is left against your income, so you can assign every dollar until what is left reaches zero, the YNAB way. Rollover carries what you did not spend into next month's intention, envelope-style, and roll-under lets an overspent month lower the next.
If you budget another way, that fits too: 50/30/20 or any percentages, plain category limits, or a Savings floor to pay yourself first. Goals show a suggested amount a month to reach them, and after about three months Tobsy can suggest intentions from your own spending. More on Staying ahead.
No bank connection, on purpose
Tobsy does not ask for a bank login. Entering a purchase takes a few taps, and it is the moment you notice; anything you enter regularly fills itself in from a single word. For catching up, a screenshot or a statement is laid out for a check before anything saves.
If automatic import matters to you, YNAB offers it for the banks it supports. Feeds carry their own checking: Plaid, a connector many apps use, says a pending payment that posts "will appear as a separate transaction", so a statement is cross-checked either way.
What Tobsy adds
- Usual ranges and drift. Each category has a usual range from your own months, and Tobsy says in a sentence when one drifts.
- Six months ahead, with its spread. Ask "can I afford this?" and see what a purchase leaves.
- The next seven days. Each week opens with what is due, by the day it lands.
Price and your data over time
Tobsy is A$59, once. Your key does not expire, your entries live in a spreadsheet in your own Google Drive, and they stay there whether you pay or not. Refunds are on request within 14 days; see Pricing. Or look around the demo first.
Sources
- YNAB pricing — annual and monthly price, "plus tax where applicable", the 34-day trial with no credit card, sharing with up to six people, which banks direct import supports, 2026-10-13
- YNAB features — feature headings, devices, goal tracking, loan calculator and reports, 2026-10-13
- YNAB home page — platforms (iOS, Android, web), 2026-10-13
- What Is Zero-Based Budgeting? (YNAB) — "give every dollar a job" and the digital version of envelope budgeting, 2026-10-13
- YNAB security — where the data is hosted, 2026-10-13
- Plaid docs: Transactions troubleshooting — a posted transaction "will appear as a separate transaction", 2026-10-13
- Tobsy: Staying ahead — intentions in dollars or percent, rollover and roll-under, suggestions after about three months, the six-month forecast, 2026-10-13
Questions
How is Tobsy different from YNAB?
YNAB is a subscription, US$109 a year or US$14.99 a month, and imports transactions from select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks. Tobsy is A$59 once, entered by hand, with budgeting through Intentions, drift, and six months ahead as a range. Your data lives in a Google Sheet in your own Drive.
Can I budget the YNAB way in Tobsy?
Yes. Set an intention for each category, in dollars or as a percent of income, and Tobsy shows what is left against your income until it reaches zero. Turn on rollover and what you did not spend carries into next month's intention.
What happens to my YNAB data if I switch?
Tobsy has no importer made for YNAB. It has CSV statement import, a pasted statement, and screenshot import, each checked before anything saves. Start from the day you switch, or bring in recent months from your bank's statements.
Is there a monthly fee?
No. Thirty days free, then one payment of A$59, with no subscription and no renewal. Your card is charged in your own currency at the checkout's rate.
Why can Tobsy be one payment?
A subscription makes sense when a company holds your data and pays to keep it. Your entries live in your own Drive, so there is nothing of yours for us to keep, and nothing to charge you for each month.
Thirty days free
Try it, or look around first.
The demo is the real app with fourteen months of sample entries. The trial is every screen, for thirty days, with your own.
About ten minutes to set up, once, on a computer. You’ll need a Google account. A$59 after the trial, if you want to keep it.