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Personal Finance · head to head

Fidelity vs YNAB

Fidelity logo

Fidelity

Personal Finance

Building a better financial future

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
YNAB logo

YNAB

Personal Finance

You Need A Budget

From
$14.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission; YNAB subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • They diverge on capability: Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fidelity and YNAB actually diverge.

Attributes where Fidelity and YNAB differ
AttributeFidelityYNAB
Starting priceOn request$14.99/month
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Founded19462004

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Fidelity

  • Commission-free trading
  • Retirement planning
  • Advisory services
  • Research tools
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • IOS support

Only in YNAB

  • Zero-based budgeting
  • Bank sync
  • Goal tracking
  • Reports
  • Multi-device sync
  • Bank connections
  • Plaid
  • Bank-level encryption

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Fidelity

  • Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFsnot YNAB
  • Holding IRAs, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accountsnot YNAB
  • Trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one accountnot YNAB

YNAB

  • Individual budget tracking with 34-day free trial before subscription commitmentnot Fidelity
  • Household budget management with wife-on-plan sharing for up to 6 household membersnot Fidelity
  • Manual transaction entry for banks outside the supported import listnot Fidelity

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Fidelity

  • Options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission
  • Non Fidelity mutual funds carry a 49.95 USD transaction fee per purchase
  • Secondary market bonds cost 1.00 USD per bond, while new issues are free
  • A foreign settlement fee of 50 USD applies per trade
  • Margin rates are tiered by debit balance, from 11.825 percent below 25,000 USD down to 7.50 percent at 1 million USD or more, against a base rate of 10.575 percent effective 12 December 2025
  • Margin liquidation by the broker costs 32.95 USD per liquidation

YNAB

  • Subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • Multi-currency support restricted to one currency per spending plan
  • Bank import limited to select institutions in US, Canada, UK, and EU only
  • Household plan can only be shared with up to 6 people; additional members cannot access shared plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Fidelity

On request
  • Brokerage$undefined/month
    • Commission-free trading
    • Research tools
  • Advisory$undefined/month
    • Personal advisor
    • Wealth management

YNAB

$14.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the YNAB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fidelity if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Fidelity review

Choose YNAB if

  • You need zero-based budgeting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want bank sync.
YNAB review

Questions people ask

Is Fidelity or YNAB better?
Neither clearly leads. Fidelity starts at On request and YNAB at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fidelity or YNAB?
Fidelity starts at On request and YNAB at $14.99/month.
Does Fidelity or YNAB run on more platforms?
Fidelity runs on Web, IOS, Android. YNAB runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Fidelity best used for?
Fidelity is most often used for commission free trading of us stocks and etfs, holding iras, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accounts, trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one account. Of those, commission free trading of us stocks and etfs and holding iras, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accounts are not what YNAB is typically brought in for.
What can Fidelity do that YNAB cannot?
Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Advisory services, Research tools. YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting, Bank sync, Goal tracking, Reports. Both handle Web support, Android support.
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