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Software · head to head

Wally vs YNAB

W

Wally

Software

Smart expense tracking for travel and daily life

From
Free
Rated
-
Full review
YNAB logo

YNAB

Software

You Need A Budget

From
$14.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Wally has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Wally the Internet Archive's capture of wally.me on 2 January 2019 stated the app is free ('Control your money seamlessly. And, it's free.'), and claimed rankings as the #1 finance app in 22 countries and top 10 in 52 countries at that time.; YNAB subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • They diverge on capability: Wally covers Receipt OCR scanning, YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Wally and YNAB actually diverge.

Attributes where Wally and YNAB differ
AttributeWallyYNAB
Starting priceFree$14.99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20092004

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Wally

  • Receipt OCR scanning
  • Expense tracking
  • Receipt storage
  • Category management
  • Cloud storage
  • IOS support

Only in YNAB

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

Both cover

  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Wally

  • Budget Managementnot YNAB
  • Expense Trackingnot YNAB
  • Investment Trackingnot YNAB

YNAB

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

Where each one falls short

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

Wally

  • The Internet Archive's capture of wally.me on 2 January 2019 stated the app is free ('Control your money seamlessly. And, it's free.'), and claimed rankings as the #1 finance app in 22 countries and top 10 in 52 countries at that time.

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

Wally

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Receipt scanning
    • Expense tracking
    • Basic reports
  • Premium$9.99/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Unlimited storage
    • Cloud sync

YNAB

$14.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the YNAB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Wally if

  • You need receipt ocr scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Wally 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 Wally or YNAB better?
Neither clearly leads. Wally starts at Free and YNAB at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Wally or YNAB?
Wally has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Wally and $14.99/month for YNAB.
Does Wally or YNAB run on more platforms?
Wally runs on IOS, Android. YNAB runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Wally for free?
Yes. Wally has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. YNAB starts at $14.99/month.
What is Wally best used for?
Wally is most often used for budget management, expense tracking, investment tracking. Of those, budget management and expense tracking are not what YNAB is typically brought in for.
What can Wally do that YNAB cannot?
Wally covers Receipt OCR scanning, Expense tracking, Receipt storage, Category management. YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting, Bank sync, Goal tracking, Reports. Both handle Android support.
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