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Zedi vs YNAB

YNAB helps you plan every dollar ahead; Zedi shows exactly where your money went, sorts receipts by item and tracks who owes who.1

Facts about YNAB come from its own site and were checked October 10, 2026. Each one links to its source below.

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Pick YNAB if

  • You want to plan each dollar ahead, with targets.1
  • You want to share one plan with up to six people.1
  • You want apps for iPhone, Android and Apple Watch.2

Pick Zedi if

  • You want to see where your money goes, with no plan to set up first.
  • You share costs and want Venmo payments matched to people automatically.
  • You want PDF statements and receipts read for you.
Line by line

Zedi and YNAB, side by side.

A check marks a row an app does well. “Not listed” means we looked on its site and could not find it.

Zedi
YNAB
Price
What it costs to use.
Free; Pro $5 a month, plus SimpleFIN’s $1.50 a month

Free with your files. Pro is $5 a month to Zedi, and bank sync adds SimpleFIN’s own fee: $1.50 a month or $15 a year, plus tax.

$14.99 a month or $109 a year

34 days free, then $14.99 a month or $109 a year, plus tax where it applies.3

How data gets in
Bank sync, files or typing.
Files, or read-only sync on Pro

Drop in CSV, PDF or QFX statements, Venmo files and receipt photos. On Pro, accounts can also update on their own: read-only through SimpleFIN, about once a day.

Bank sync, or CSV, QFX and OFX files

Direct Import links some banks through Plaid and MX. You can also import CSV, QFX, OFX or QIF files, or type rows in.4,5

Your bank login
Where it goes, if anywhere.
Zedi never sees it

Files link nothing. With sync on Pro, you sign in to your bank through SimpleFIN, and MX or the bank holds that login, so Zedi never sees it.

Optional; goes to Plaid or MX

Only if you link a bank: your login goes to Plaid or MX, not YNAB, and the link is read-only. File import needs no login.4,5

Copies and transfers
Duplicate rows and card payments.
Counted once: copies out, card payments paired

Upload the same month twice and any row with the same date, amount and description is left out. Card payments and Venmo cash-outs pair up, so they don’t count as spending or income.

Skips exact repeats

Imported rows with the same date and amount as one already there are skipped. Card payments are not listed as expenses.5,6

Receipts
What a receipt photo becomes.
Every item gets its own category

Snap a receipt and each item lands in its own category, automatically. Split items with friends, and get 10 free receipt scans a month.

Not listed

Receipt scanning is not on its features page.1

Who owes who
Costs you share with people.
Who owes who, kept for you

Receipt splits, Venmo payments and IOUs you jot down roll into one running balance per person. It’s your record, so friends don’t need an account.

Shares a plan; split balances not listed

YNAB Together shares one subscription with up to six people. Who-owes-who balances are not on its features page.1

Budgets
Plan what you will spend.
Not yet

Not yet. Today Zedi shows exactly where your money went: top categories, and this month next to last month.

Yes: a plan for every dollar

YNAB is built around a plan: you give every dollar a job, and you can set a target for any category.3,7

Ads and your data
What they say about both.
No ads; never sold

No ads and no ad trackers. We make money from Pro, not from your data.

Ad-free; doesn’t sell your data

YNAB says it is ad-free and does not sell your financial data.1,4

Where it runs
Apps and browsers.
Any web browser

Runs in any web browser, on a phone or a computer. There is no app in the app stores.

Web, iPhone, iPad, Android, Watch

The web, plus apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple Watch.2

Questions

Zedi or YNAB?

Is Zedi a free YNAB alternative?+
For tracking, yes: Zedi starts free with your files. But it is not a planning method, and Zedi does not set budgets; it shows exactly where your money went. YNAB is $14.99 a month or $109 a year after 34 free days.3
Can Zedi read the same files as YNAB?+
Yes, except QIF. Zedi takes CSV and PDF statements, plus QFX and OFX files, Venmo files and receipt photos. YNAB takes CSV, QFX, OFX and QIF files.5
Does Zedi keep card payments from counting twice?+
Yes, when it can tell. Upload both statements, and Zedi pairs the payment out of checking with the credit on the card when the card number or payment wording backs it up, so it never shows up as spending or income.

Sources

Pages on YNAB’s own site and help center, checked October 10, 2026. Prices and features change, so check them before you decide.

  1. https://www.ynab.com/features
  2. https://www.ynab.com/our-app-lineup
  3. https://www.ynab.com/pricing
  4. https://www.ynab.com/security
  5. https://support.ynab.com/en_us/file-based-import-a-guide-Bkj4Sszyo
  6. https://support.ynab.com/en_us/income-v-expense-Byu1BYWRq
  7. https://support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-use-targets-rk5kkI9ks

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