A sneak peek at YNAB 3.
There are a lot of great budgeting software products in the market, many of them free. But a lot of the free financial tools are browser based, and while there are certainly a lot of people who are mighty fine with having their information stored and transacted via the web, there are still those folks who are more comfortable with desktop tools, especially when it comes to managing their budget or net worth. If you prefer to do your money management transactions in your own personal “space”, then a desktop tool may suit you better.
The dominant product in the market right now is Quicken software, now that Microsoft Money has been retired. However, I’d like to bring up a lesser known desktop budgeting product that I’ve actually written about before called YNAB or You Need A Budget, which is a great alternative to Quicken. If you check Amazon ratings, you’ll find that YNAB smokes Quicken in the rankings and positive feedback.
Money Management Software For The Desktop: YNAB 3 Review
YNAB 3 is the newest reincarnation of You Need A Budget, and it’s much anticipated. It’s finally available and if you happen to have YNAB Pro (the previous version), you can get a discount if you upgrade to the latest version.
To see how YNAB 3 looks like, check out the following screenshot: click on this link or the image below for a sneak peek.
If you want to see YNAB 3 in action, you can view these demos: here’s a video walkthrough that covers Categories and Notes. Here’s another video that shows how the “Spending Tool Tip” feature works.
You Need A Budget! YNAB 3 Features
YNAB 3 promises some great improvements, as its new features attest. Let’s have a quick run through of the changes you’ll see in this version:
1. Runs on the Mac. YNAB 3 running on the Mac should make a few budget-minded folks happy. A good number of us have been eager to try out YNAB but haven’t been able to, in the past, due to software platform restrictions.
2. Reports. It’s my opinion that all software tools (particularly financial ones) should have reporting capabilities. For those who need additional reporting beyond what YNAB 3 offers, the tool will allow you to export the data elsewhere, to work with as you wish.
3. Improved Search and Usability. The ability to undo our work or to customize fields are things we take for granted in many tools; glad to know these are now part and parcel of this version of YNAB.
4. Cash Flow Management and Asset Management. The software allows you to track both budgeted accounts vs other types of accounts (such as your mortgage, retirement accounts and car expenses), while adhering to YNAB’s core cash flow management methodology.
5. Flexibility With Accounting. There’s flexibility here with how you can account for aspects of your budget.
6. Proactive and “Smart” Budgeting. You can move your budgeted numbers seamlessly across budget categories if you prefer to do this rather than deal with negative numbers. YNAB is also “smart” enough to inform you if you’ve got errors or things out of sync between your budget and your bank account(s).
7. Better Look and Feel. Just by checking the videos above, you can see the cosmetic improvements that this version has over its predecessors.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the slider feature of seeing multiple months of the budget and results. I think you make a good point in that some do refer a desktop product. There are still great desktop apps available even though the web-based apps are so heavily talked about today. When I was a Money user I always liked that I could work on my finances without having an internet connection.
Can’t wait for the Mac version. I’ve felt left out for a looooong time.
So when exactly does “end of the year” mean? Christmas time?
Thanks for reviewing this software for us. It’s awful to buy a program, and the find out it’s not what we thought.
John DeFlumeri Jr.
Nice review. But if I wanted to pay that kind of price, I’d buy Quicken. I’d rather stick with a free option like GnuCash.
@Eric,
I believe that YNAB 3 is slated for a November to December release. The developer behind this, Jesse Mecham, is pretty excited about this launch. This product of his came out of his Excel spreadsheets, would you believe. What’s nice about YNAB is how it comes across to me as a “home grown” product that is now sharing the market with some bigger, well-known names. There’s that “grass roots” feel about it still. One other good thing about YNAB is how it’s positioned to keep you a little more disciplined about your budget as there are helpful features in the tool to assist you with your debt reduction planning.
@All
There are definitely other tools out there doing similar stuff, and you should go with what you’re most comfortable with. There sure is no shortage of new, spiffy budgeting tools staking a claim in this space, but it’s worth checking each one out to see what fits your particular requirements.
I have been waiting for the MAC version for a long time. I think it is coming at the end of the year.
I guess what jumps off the page is the lack of an investment portfolio manager, unless I’m missing something.
Probably is OK for those who just want to control their spending, but no competition for Quicken when it comes to an overall, electronically updated net worth statement or tracking your stock holdings.
We still need a good replacement for Quicken in the Mac environment.
I’ve been using this product for about 3 years. I’m out of debt, and I know where my money is going! It’s a wonderful combination of everything I ever wanted in a budgeting program but couldn’t find all in one place. YNAB is the place! I put off trading in my PC for a Mac specifically because this program didn’t run on Macs. No more excuses! I’m very happy about this.