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Tiller vs YNAB

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3 min read

Tiller and YNAB both pull in your bank transactions, but they want you to work in different ways. With Tiller you end up with spreadsheets you own and can change. With YNAB you work inside an app built around planning your money before you spend it. Here is what their own pages say.

How we chose these apps

This page covers apps that we have, or have applied for, affiliate relationships with: Tiller, YNAB. That is the only reason these apps are here. It is not a ranking of every budgeting app on the market, and apps without an affiliate program are not covered, so a good option may be missing. We do not rate, score or rank the apps. Facts come from each app’s official pages, with the date we checked; where we could not read a page we say so. See our disclosure.

Side by side

TillerandYNABcompared, with sources
  Tiller YNAB
Pricing
Annual: $99/year after the free trial ( Annual , checked October 16, 2026)
Annual: $109/year ($9.08/month), plus tax where applicable ( Annual , checked October 16, 2026)
Monthly: $14.99/month, plus tax where applicable ( Monthly , checked October 16, 2026)
Free trial
30 days; the page says your card is not charged until the end of the trial ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
34 days, no credit card required when signing up directly through YNAB ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Platforms
Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel (via an add-on). No dedicated smartphone app; you use the Sheets or Excel mobile apps. ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
iOS, Android, Web and watchOS (listed in the pricing page’s structured data) ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Bank connection
Daily automatic feeds from linked accounts; the FAQ says it supports over 12,000 institutions ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Direct import for select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks; file-based import elsewhere ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Regions
US-based banks only; some non-US institutions may work, UK banks are incompatible ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Direct bank import: select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks. Priced in US dollars. ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
Sharing
Share the spreadsheet with view-only or co-editing access and “control access”; up to 5 individual or shared sheets ( source , checked October 16, 2026)
YNAB Together: invite a close-knit group of up to five people as part of your subscription, at no added cost; the Group Manager chooses which plans to share ( source , checked October 16, 2026)

Visit Tiller Visit YNAB

The core choice

  • Flexibility vs structure. Tiller feeds daily transactions into spreadsheet templates, so what you do with them is up to you. YNAB’s own pages describe deciding what your money is for before spending it.
  • Your data. Tiller says its sheets are private and owned by you.
  • Where you can use it. Tiller supports US-based banks only. YNAB’s direct import covers select banks in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU, and file import elsewhere.

Who each may suit

Tiller

May suit you if

  • You are comfortable working in a spreadsheet and want to own your data
  • You want to customise categories, formulas or reports

May not suit you if

  • You want a polished phone app with built-in budgeting screens
  • You bank outside the US

Limitations

  • There is no dedicated smartphone app; you use the Google Sheets or Excel mobile apps instead. source
  • It supports US-based banks only, and UK banks are currently incompatible with its data provider. source
  • You can link and automate up to five spreadsheets at a time. source

YNAB

May suit you if

  • You want to plan every month’s money before spending it
  • You will give the budget a few minutes of attention regularly

May not suit you if

  • You want a free app after a trial
  • You want to use several currencies in one plan

Limitations

  • When the free trial ends you need a paid subscription to continue; the pricing page lists only paid plans. source
  • Direct bank import supports only select banks in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU. source
  • You cannot use multiple currencies together in a single spending plan. source

Before you decide

If you only want to see where you stand, the free budget planner handles a monthly budget without linking accounts. For the plan-first idea in particular, read the zero-based budget guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest difference?

Tiller gives you spreadsheets (Google Sheets or Excel) that are fed with your bank data, and you build the budget. YNAB is an app with a built-in method for planning your money before you spend it.

Which is cheaper?

Tiller’s pricing page says $99 a year after a 30-day trial. YNAB’s says $109 a year or $14.99 a month after a 34-day trial. Prices change, so check the sources in the table.

Does either have a phone app?

YNAB lists iOS and Android. Tiller says it does not offer a dedicated smartphone app; you use the Google Sheets or Excel mobile apps.

Do I need to know spreadsheets for Tiller?

Tiller’s model is spreadsheets you own, so some comfort with Sheets or Excel helps. If you prefer a ready-made budgeting screen, the table and fit sections will help you decide.

Sources