Budget App Comparison: Why $15 Beats $180+/Year

Stop renting your budget app. Compare Simplify Budget with YNAB, EveryDollar, and others.

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Complete Feature Comparison

Feature
Simplify Budget
Own forever
YNAB
Expensive subscription
EveryDollar
Ramsey method only
PocketGuard
Ad-heavy
Free Apps
Limited features
πŸ’°Price
πŸŽ‰$15 one-time
πŸ’Έ$180/year
πŸ’Έ$80/year
πŸ”„$8/month
πŸ“’Free + ads
πŸ”Access when you stop paying
♾️Forever yours
🚫Locked out
🚫Locked out
🚫Locked out
⚠️Limited features
πŸ—„οΈData ownership
☁️Your Google Drive
🏒Their servers
🏒Their servers
🏒Their servers
🏒Their servers
πŸ“…Monthly calendar view
βœ…
❌
❌
❌
❌
πŸ”„Auto-fill subscriptions
βœ…
❌
❌
❌
❌
πŸ“’Ads/upselling
🚫None
🚫None
πŸ“šRamsey content
πŸ“’Heavy ads
πŸ”„Constant

Detailed App Comparisons

Simplify Budget vs YNAB

Annual savings
$165

What YNAB Users Actually Complain About

❌$180/year with frequent price increases (doubled for early users)
❌Limited reports not available on mobile
❌2000-word weekly reconciliation guide (too complex)
❌99+ technical outages tracked in 2024

How Simplify Budget Fixes This

βœ…$15 once - price locked forever
βœ…Expense calendar view YNAB users have begged for since 2015
βœ…Auto-fill fixed expenses (Netflix, rent) - set once, works forever
βœ…Google Apps Script - can't go down like traditional apps

πŸ’‘ Break even in 1 month. Save $495 over 3 years vs YNAB's subscription trap.

Simplify Budget vs EveryDollar

No Ramsey tax
$80 saved

What EveryDollar Users Complain About

❌$120/year "shady" pricing for basic bank sync
❌Android app "often freezes & glitches" with login issues
❌Rigid baby steps system - "trying to shove yourself into a box"
❌"Absolutely terrible" customer service that takes days to respond

How Simplify Budget is Different

βœ…Simple budgeting - no forced Dave Ramsey methodology
βœ…Web-based - works reliably on all devices
βœ…Expense calendar view shows spending patterns EveryDollar hides
βœ…Your data in your Google Drive - true ownership

🚫 Budget your way without Dave Ramsey's rigid baby steps framework.

After Mint's Shutdown

Data security
Forever

Why Mint Users Were Devastated

πŸ’€10+ years of financial data lost overnight in 2024
πŸ’€Forced migration to Credit Karma (no budgeting features)
πŸ’€Free model was unsustainable - data costs too expensive
πŸ’€Users "blown away" and disappointed after years of loyalty

Why This Can't Happen to You

πŸ›‘οΈGoogle Apps Script architecture - runs on Google's infrastructure
πŸ›‘οΈYour data lives in YOUR Google Drive forever
πŸ›‘οΈManual entry builds better financial awareness than auto-sync
πŸ›‘οΈWorks with any bank globally - no integration dependencies

πŸ’‘ Mint's lesson: Never trust free apps with years of financial data. Own your data.

Features No Other Budget App Has

πŸ“…

Monthly Expense Calendar

See your entire month at a glance. Find today, find category, enter amount. No scrolling through endless transaction lists like other apps.

πŸ”„

Auto-Fill Subscriptions

Enter Netflix, Spotify, gym membership once. We automatically plot them across all future months. Only track your variable expenses.

From Users Who Switched

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…

"Used YNAB for 3 years. When they raised prices again, I found Simplify Budget. The calendar view is what YNAB should have had. Saved $165 this year alone."

- Former YNAB subscriber

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…

"After Mint died, I tried free apps but they were terrible. $15 for something that actually works and keeps my data safe? No brainer."

- Former Mint user

Common Questions

Why is Simplify Budget cheaper than other apps?

We use Google Sheets for data storage, eliminating server costs. No bank sync means no ongoing API fees. We pass these savings to you with a one-time payment instead of expensive subscriptions.

Can I import data from YNAB/EveryDollar?

You start fresh - takes just minutes to set up and start budgeting. The app keeps your history so you can compare months and check previous data. Clean slate, better habits.

What if you shut down like Mint did?

It can't shut down like Mint because it's a Google Apps Script that runs on Google's infrastructure and saves data to YOUR Google Drive. Works as long as Google exists - pretty safe bet.

Why manual entry instead of bank sync?

Manual entry makes you more aware of spending (proven by research). No security risks from bank connections. Works with all banks globally. Plus, it keeps our costs low so we can charge $15 instead of $180.

Stop Paying Budget App Subscriptions

Join 150+ people who switched to ownership instead of renting.

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