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EveryDollar vs. You Need A Budget (YNAB)
Both EveryDollar and YNAB are popular budgeting apps, but while EveryDollar offers a minimalist approach, YNAB is a robust and feature-rich app with nearly unlimited customization available. EveryDollar does offer a free and paid version, but YNAB is a paid subscription only (though it does offer a 34-day free trial).
YNAB stands out as an app that offers true accountability, only letting you budget money you actually have in your accounts and requiring that you clear each transaction as it comes in. This helps make you keenly aware of your spending and keep yourself accountable to your spending plan. EveryDollar makes it easy to get started, but can’t be fine-tuned like YNAB can, and ultimately is a bit too limited.
EveryDollar vs. Monarch Money
EveryDollar and Monarch Money both offer a simple user interface and can help you start budgeting in just minutes. And while EveryDollar is the only one of the two apps with a true free version, Monarch Money is only truly comparable to EveryDollar Premium.
EveryDollar Premium offers similar features to Monarch, namely goal tracking, reporting, and transaction sync. But EveryDollar has Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps built in while Monarch lets you set custom goals only. Monarch does excel in tracking investment accounts and has more robust tracking features, such as Cash Flow tracking. Both apps make budgeting easy—but currently Monarch is offering 30%off its $99 annual fee—making it a better deal than paying $79.99 for EveryDollar.
EveryDollar vs. Empower Personal Dashboard
Both EveryDollar and Empower Personal Dashboard offer a free version of each respective app. But while EveryDollar hides premium features like goal tracking and reporting behind its Premium subscription, Empower offers this for free.
EveryDollar is by far the better budgeting app, even the free version. But if you want reporting and investment tracking, Empower is a better choice. Plus Empower has some unique investment planning tools like a retirement fee analyzer and retirement planner. Empower makes money upselling you toward its financial planning services, but it is one of the best free budgeting and investing apps available.