Budgeting App Prices 2026: What 9 Apps Cost a Year, From YNAB to Tiller Money (Finpresso Data)

A paid budgeting app costs between $74.99 and $109 a year in 2026 when you pay annually, and the median is $83.88. PocketGuard Plus is the cheapest annual plan, YNAB the most expensive, and Monarch Core and Tiller Money sit just under $100. Pay month to month instead and the same apps cost $120 to $216 a year, so the billing choice moves the bill more than the choice of app.

We read the pricing pages of nine budgeting apps on October 21, 2026: YNAB, Monarch, Tiller Money, EveryDollar, PocketGuard, Goodbudget, Quicken Simplifi, Rocket Money and Copilot Money. Finpresso data: of the seven apps that print a yearly price for their main paid plan, the median is $83.88 a year, monthly billing costs between 1.5 and 2.7 times the annual price, and three of the nine keep a free version you can use indefinitely.

Toolradar data: the budgeting apps ranking on Toolradar, the software directory we run, ranks 5 budgeting apps as of its October 18, 2026 update, and 2 of those 5 have a free plan. Every price below links to the page it was read on.

The price table

Monthly-billing totals are our arithmetic: 12 times the printed monthly price, except PocketGuard, which prints its $155.88 yearly total. Quicken Simplifi's yearly figure is 12 times its printed list rate of $6.99 a month billed annually. Higher tiers (Monarch Plus at $199.99 a year, Rocket Money Premium+ at $15 a month) sit outside the main comparison and are covered below.

Billing monthly is where budgeting apps get expensive

The biggest price gap in this market is not between apps but between billing terms. EveryDollar Premium costs $79.99 billed annually and $17.99 a month billed monthly, which is $215.88 over a year, 2.7 times the annual price. PocketGuard's monthly plan prints at $155.88 a year, about double its annual price. Monarch and YNAB both charge $14.99 a month on monthly billing, which comes to $179.88 a year, well above either app's annual price.

Goodbudget has the smallest gap: $10 a month or $80 a year, so monthly billing costs 1.5 times as much. Tiller prints only an annual price, and Quicken shows Simplifi billed annually.

What it means for a household: a budget pays off when you keep it for months, not weeks. Monthly billing is worth paying only while you test whether you will stick with an app. Most apps here have a trial or a free version for that, so the cheapest path is to finish the trial and then pay yearly. YNAB's own page puts the yearly saving at $70.

The cheapest budgeting apps in 2026

PocketGuard Plus is the cheapest annual plan at $74.99, and it is also the only app here with a lifetime option, at $149.99 once. That lifetime price equals about two years of the annual plan, so it pays off from the third year if you are sure you will stay.

EveryDollar Premium and Goodbudget Premium come next, a few cents apart, and both keep a free version. EveryDollar's free version lets you build a monthly zero-based budget, and Premium adds bank connections, personalized recommendations, coaching and live trainings. Goodbudget Free gives you 10 regular and 10 more envelopes, one account, two devices and one year of history. Premium removes the envelope and account limits and adds up to five devices and seven years of history.

Quicken Simplifi lists at $6.99 a month billed annually, the yearly figure shown in the table. Until November 13, 2026, Quicken is running an offer of 40% off the first year for new memberships ordered directly, which shows as $3.99 a month; the membership renews at the then-current rate. Treat that as a first-year offer, not the price you will keep paying.

Our best budgeting apps ranking compares how each of these handles the budgeting itself, not only the price.

The premium end: YNAB, Monarch, Tiller Money

YNAB is the most expensive annual plan here, and it has the longest trial at 34 days with no card required when you sign up directly. College students get a free 365-day trial through YNAB's college program. The YNAB pricing breakdown covers what the trial includes and how cancellation works, and the YNAB review covers the method behind the price.

Monarch Core costs $99.99 a year and Plus $199.99. Core covers net worth, budgets, custom reports and savings and debt goals; Plus adds retirement forecasting, business income and expense tracking, P&L reports and tax-prep exports, investment analysis and a will. Adding a partner is free on Monarch, which matters for couples: one subscription covers two people. Monarch is also running a new-user code, WELCOME, for 30% off Core for one year, which cannot be combined with other offers. More detail is in the Monarch Money pricing guide.

Tiller Money costs $99 a year after a 30-day free trial and offers another 30 days backed by a full refund, so up to 60 days to decide. Tiller works inside Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel rather than in its own app, and sales tax may be added to the invoice in some states. For someone who already budgets in a spreadsheet, that is the point; for someone who wants a phone app, it is the wrong product.

How YNAB and Monarch compare beyond price is in YNAB vs Monarch.

Pay-what-you-want and unlisted prices

Rocket Money is the only app here that lets you set your own price. The basic version is free, and Premium uses what Rocket Money calls a pay-what-you-think-is-fair model, typically $7 to $14 a month, which comes to $84 to $168 a year by our arithmetic. Premium+ is a fixed $15 a month plus tax. Bill negotiation is available to all users and charges 35% to 60% of the first year's savings, only when a negotiation succeeds. That fee is separate from the subscription, so a large negotiated saving can cost more than the app itself. See Rocket Money vs Monarch for how the two differ for a household that mostly wants to cut subscriptions.

Copilot Money has no free tier and offers a one-month free trial, with monthly and annual plans. Its FAQ points to its website for current pricing, and its help center notes that people who keep an uninterrupted subscription can stay on legacy pricing after a price change. Monarch vs Copilot Money compares it with its closest rival, and the Copilot Money review covers the app itself.

Free versions: what you actually get

Three of the nine apps keep a free version you can use indefinitely: EveryDollar, Goodbudget and Rocket Money. Each is limited in a different way:

• EveryDollar Free builds a zero-based monthly budget with custom categories, but bank connections are a Premium feature.
• Goodbudget Free caps you at 20 envelopes, one account, two devices and one year of history, which suits a single person budgeting by hand.
• Rocket Money Free tracks all your subscriptions and allows two budget categories; Premium adds unlimited budgets, cancellation help and transaction rules.

The other six charge after a trial. If you want to stay at $0, our EveryDollar vs YNAB comparison shows what the free EveryDollar version leaves out against a paid zero-based app.

What a couple pays over three years

Prices matter most over the life of the habit. On yearly billing, three years cost $224.97 on PocketGuard Plus, $239.97 on EveryDollar Premium, $240 on Goodbudget Premium, $297 on Tiller Money, $299.97 on Monarch Core and $327 on YNAB, by our arithmetic at today's prices. PocketGuard's lifetime plan costs $149.99 over the same period.

For a couple, the totals do not double on Monarch, where a partner joins free. The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive annual plan over three years is about $102, roughly the cost of one more year of YNAB. That gap is small next to the money a budget is meant to find, so fit should decide before price.

How we built this index

We read each app's own pricing page, FAQ or help center on October 21, 2026, in US dollars: YNAB, Monarch, Tiller, EveryDollar (on Ramsey Solutions' site), PocketGuard, Goodbudget, Quicken's plans and pricing page, Rocket Money's pricing article and help center, and Copilot Money's FAQ. App Store listings and promotional pop-ups were not used as prices; limited-time offers are labelled as offers. Yearly totals, monthly-billing totals, the median and the three-year figures are our arithmetic from those printed prices, before sales tax. Apps not listed here were not evaluated.

FAQ

How much do budgeting apps cost in 2026?

Paid budgeting apps cost $74.99 to $109 a year on annual billing, with a median of $83.88 across seven apps that print a yearly price, read on vendor pages on October 21, 2026. PocketGuard Plus is the cheapest of them and YNAB the most expensive. On monthly billing the same apps cost $120 to $216 a year.

What is the cheapest budgeting app?

PocketGuard Plus is the cheapest annual plan, followed by EveryDollar Premium and Goodbudget Premium at about $80 a year each. For $0, EveryDollar, Goodbudget and Rocket Money keep free versions, each with limits such as no bank connections on EveryDollar Free and 20 envelopes on Goodbudget Free.

How much does YNAB cost in 2026?

YNAB costs $109 a year billed annually or $14.99 a month billed monthly, with a 34-day free trial and no credit card required when you sign up directly. College students can get a free 365-day trial through YNAB's college program.

Is monthly billing worth it for a budgeting app?

Only while you test an app. Monthly billing costs 1.5 to 2.7 times the annual price: EveryDollar Premium is $215.88 a year on monthly billing against $79.99 annually, and Monarch and YNAB both come to $179.88 a year monthly. Use the trial, then pay yearly if you keep the app.

How much does Tiller Money cost?

Tiller Money costs $99 a year after a 30-day free trial, with a further 30 days covered by a full refund. It runs in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, and sales tax may be added in some states.

Does Rocket Money cost money?

The basic version of Rocket Money is free. Premium lets you choose a price, typically $7 to $14 a month, and Premium+ costs $15 a month plus tax. Bill negotiation charges 35% to 60% of the first year's savings, only when it succeeds.

Cite this: Finpresso, "Budgeting App Prices 2026: What 9 Apps Cost a Year, From YNAB to Tiller Money", November 2026.

This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. Prices, trials and offers change, so confirm the current terms with each app before you subscribe.

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