A comparison from Admin Bestie
A simpler YNAB alternative for shared bills
YNAB is one of the best-known budgeting apps, and for good reason. But if you earn different amounts from your partner, want your own spending kept private, or just want one number for what you can spend today, Admin Bestie takes a different approach.
The short version
Choose YNAB if you want a detailed, every-dollar budget, automatic imports from your bank, and a method with years of guides and community behind it.
Choose Admin Bestie if you want to know what you can spend today, split shared bills fairly by income without either of you seeing the other’s personal spending, and keep renewals, the gym and your to-dos in the same app.
| Admin Bestie | YNAB | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free while in beta | $14.99 a month, or $109 a year, after a 34-day free trial |
| How it budgets | Shows what you can spend today, until payday, after bills | Zero-based: you give every dollar a job before you spend it |
| Connecting your bank | No bank login. Spends are logged from Apple Pay or in a couple of taps, so it works with any bank in any country | Optional automatic import from banks in many countries, including the US, the UK and much of Europe, or manual entry |
| Sharing with a partner | One household: bills are shared, split by income or by the percentages you choose; each person’s own spending stays private | YNAB Together: up to six people, each with their own login, choosing which budgets to share; the group manager sees all of them |
| Beyond money | Renewals, a gym log, to-dos, your calendar and a Sunday summary in the same app | Focused on budgeting |
| Currencies | About 200, plus a second currency for bills you pay elsewhere | One currency per budget; YNAB suggests a separate budget for each currency |
| Where it runs | iPhone (Android planned) | Web, iPhone and Android |
Budgeting for two on different incomes
This is where the two differ most. YNAB Together lets a group share budgets, with each person signing in separately. Admin Bestie puts you in one household where the bills are shared and each person’s share follows their pay: earn 60% of the household income, cover 60% of the bills. It updates when either of you gets a pay rise, and your own coffee, clothes and nights out stay yours.
Want to see what a split by income looks like for you? Try the free bill split calculator.
A daily number instead of categories
YNAB asks you to assign every dollar to a category before you spend it, which suits people who like to plan in detail. Admin Bestie works the other way round: once bills and savings are set aside, it divides what’s left by the days until payday. Spend less today and tomorrow’s number goes up. One figure to check, no categories to rebalance.
Try Admin Bestie
Free while in beta. The beta opens on iPhone to the top of the waitlist first.
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Questions
Is Admin Bestie a replacement for YNAB?
For some people. If you want a strict zero-based budget with your bank feeding transactions in, YNAB is built for exactly that. If you mainly want to know what you can spend today, keep shared bills fair, and keep the rest of your life admin in the same place, Admin Bestie is simpler.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some people keep YNAB for the detailed budget and use Admin Bestie for the household bills, renewals and the daily number.
Why doesn’t Admin Bestie connect to my bank?
Bank connections only exist in some countries and can break or ask you to log in again. Logging from Apple Pay works with any card in any country, and you don’t hand your bank login to anyone.
Sources
YNAB details from its own website, checked 18 October 2026: pricing, YNAB Together, bank import in Europe, multiple currencies. YNAB is a trademark of its owner. Admin Bestie isn’t connected with or endorsed by YNAB.