NEKO vs YNAB
NEKO is a free budgeting app for iPhone, iPad and Android that shows your projected balance for every day ahead. Pick it over YNAB if you want to know what you'll have after next week's bills, not only what each dollar is for today.
By Julio CruzChecked
YNAB details as of October 15, 2026.
| Feature | NEKO | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| Balance on any future date | Every day on the calendar | Scheduled list; projected balance not documented |
| Warning before an account goes below zero | Days ahead | Not documented |
| One number for what's safe to spend | Safe to Spend | Available amount per category |
| Credit card statements | Closing day, due date and the amount that avoids interestPremium | Credit Card Payment category |
| Installment plans | Each payment on the right statementPremium | Workaround: a category per plan |
| Money you lent | Loans Out: balance and payments receivedPremium | Workaround: a tracking account |
| PDF bank statements | Reads them; you review before savingPremium | CSV, QFX, OFX or QIF; PDF not documented |
| Bills | On the calendar with reminders | Scheduled transactions you approve |
| Use without signing up | Data stays on your phone | Sign-up required |
| Free plan | No time limit | 34-day trial, then paid |
| Price | Premium is $39.99/yr | $109/yr or $14.99/mo |
| Loans you owe | Principal, interest and payoff datePremium | Loan Planner, on the web |
| Zero-based budgeting | Category limits, any reset day | The core method |
| Automatic bank import | You enter transactions or upload statements | Select US, Canadian, UK and European banks |
| Web app and shared budgets | Coming soon | In the browser, up to six people |
YNAB’s help center says you assign only the dollars you have right now, and points you to scheduled transactions and Targets to see what’s coming. NEKO starts from the other end, with your bills and paychecks.
YNAB answers “what is this dollar for?” NEKO answers “what will I have on the 28th, after rent and the card payment?”
Knowing what each dollar is for won’t warn you that the week before payday comes up short. NEKO’s calendar shows you that today.
Every day on NEKO's calendar shows a projected balance, worked out from your accounts and every scheduled bill, paycheck, card payment and transfer.
If a payment would push an account below zero, NEKO warns you days ahead, while there's still time to move money.
In YNABScheduled transactions sit in each account's register, grayed out until their date. YNAB's help center doesn't describe a running balance for the days ahead.
Safe to Spend is your balance minus everything already promised: upcoming bills, card payments and transfers.
Check it for this month, the days before payday or any date you pick. It also sits on a home screen widget, and on iPhone you can ask Siri.
In YNABYou read the Available amount in each category: the money you've assigned to it.
Enter the closing day and due date. NEKO shows what lands on each statement and the amount that avoids interest, then reminds you before it's due.
It can schedule the payment, so the calendar already counts it. Credit card statements are part of Premium.
In YNABAdding a card creates a Credit Card Payment category. Each purchase moves money into it, so the cash to pay the card is set aside as you go.
Add a loan with its rate and term. NEKO splits every payment into principal and interest and shows your payoff date. Installment plans land on the card statement they belong to.
Loans Out tracks money you lent, with every payment you receive, so you know who owes you what. Loans, installment plans and Loans Out are part of Premium.
In YNABYNAB's Loan Planner, on the web, simulates extra payments on money you owe. For installment plans and money you lent, its help center suggests workarounds: a category per plan and a tracking account.
NEKO never asks for your bank login. You add what you want to track.
Upload a PDF, Excel or CSV statement (Premium). NEKO reads it and saves nothing until you've reviewed it.
Keep your data on your phone, or sign in with Apple or Google to sync your devices.
A PIN with Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint unlock.
NEKO
Free
no time limit
YNAB
$109
a year, or $14.99 a month
In the YNAB web app, use Export Plan to save your history as CSV files. Keep them as your record; NEKO starts from today's balances.
Install NEKO and enter today's balance for each account.
They fill the calendar and the Safe to Spend number.
Upload your bank's statements with statement import (Premium) and review them before they're saved.
Partly. You set a monthly total, split it across categories, and a meter shows how much is left to assign. Unlike YNAB, NEKO doesn't require that money to be in your accounts already, and the budget can reset on any day of the month, such as your payday.
Yes. Run both side by side for a few weeks, with the same bills in each, and cancel YNAB only once NEKO fits how you plan.
Yes. Most features work without internet, and if you sign in, your data syncs when you're back online. Statement import needs a connection.
