The quick version
| Feature | Lemonbudget | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 40 CHF/year (~$45) | $109/year |
| Multi-currency | Native, automatic conversion | No native support |
| Couple/family sharing | Included in Pro | Not built-in |
| Budget rollover | Yes | Yes |
| Bank sync | No (manual only, by design) | Yes (Plaid-based) |
| Encryption at rest | AES-256-GCM, password-derived keys | Standard server-side |
| Budget start day | Any day of the month (payday-aligned) | 1st of the month only |
| CHF support | Native, priced in CHF | USD-centric |
| Receipt OCR | On-device AI (Pro) | No |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | 34 days |
| Platform | Web PWA + offline | Web + native iOS/Android |
| Community & education | New, growing | Massive, mature |
Where Lemonbudget wins
1. Native multi-currency
If you earn in CHF and spend in EUR on weekends, or you're an expat juggling two currencies, YNAB makes this painful. Lemonbudget handles multi-currency natively with automatic conversion — no workarounds, no manual exchange-rate math.
2. Privacy & encryption
Sensitive fields (names, descriptions, notes) are encrypted with keys derived from your password — we never store your password or raw keys. Amounts stay queryable for budgeting math. We're not zero-knowledge, and we say so. YNAB uses standard server-side encryption. Neither app connects to your bank by default, but YNAB heavily promotes Plaid-based bank sync.
3. Price
40 CHF/year (~$45) vs. YNAB's $109/year. That's roughly a third of the cost. Both include a free trial. Lemonbudget locks your price forever — no annual increases.
4. Couple/family sharing
Workspace sharing is included in Lemonbudget Pro at no extra cost. YNAB doesn't have built-in household sharing — most couples share a single login, which means no personal budgets or per-user views.
5. Payday-aligned budgets
Lemonbudget lets you set any start day for your budget period. Get paid on the 25th? Your budget month starts on the 25th. YNAB locks you to the 1st of the month.
Where YNAB wins
Native mobile apps
YNAB has dedicated iOS and Android apps with years of polish. Lemonbudget is a PWA — it works on mobile and can be installed, but a native companion app with widgets is still planned.
Bank sync
If you want automatic transaction imports, YNAB has deep Plaid integration. Lemonbudget is manual-only by design for privacy. We may add optional sync later, but it will never be required.
Community & education
YNAB has a decade-old community, extensive workshops, and a budgeting methodology with a loyal following. Lemonbudget is new. If peer support and structured education matter to you, YNAB's ecosystem is hard to beat.
Migrating from YNAB
Lemonbudget Pro includes YNAB import — export your data from YNAB and import your full transaction history, categories, and accounts. You don't start from scratch.
The bottom line
YNAB is a great product with a great community. If you're happy with it, there's no reason to switch. But if you need multi-currency, want encryption beyond server-side defaults, prefer manual entry for privacy, or simply want to pay a third of the price — Lemonbudget is built for you.