YNAB teaches a method. Mitten does the bookkeeping.
Upload the statement your bank already gives you. Penny names and sorts every line, and everyone at home sees the same numbers. No bank login, no list of supported banks, one price for up to five people.
Free for 14 days, no card needed.
An example statement, read by Penny for Sofia and James. The line SQ *CORNERSTONE CAFE 0412 becomes Cornerstone Café, 18 dollars 40, which Penny suggests moving from Other to Dining Out at 93 percent confidence, with a confirm waiting beside it. TGT 00043 MPLS MN becomes Target under Groceries, and SHELL OIL 57442119 becomes Shell under Transportation.
Five reasons households pick Mitten over YNAB.
Nobody in your house types in transactions.
Drop in a PDF or CSV statement from your bank. Penny turns a line like ‘SQ *CORNERSTONE CAFE 0412’ into Cornerstone Café, files it under Dining Out, and asks you about any line she isn't sure of.
YNAB: Without a connected bank you enter transactions by hand or import files, and file import works on the web and iPad only.
The household is the account.
Up to five people, each with their own login, share one ledger, one set of envelopes and one debt plan. Everyone sees the same lines and who added each one, and nobody has to forward receipts to the person who ‘does the money’.
YNAB: YNAB Together shares one subscription with up to six people. Each plan has an owner, who chooses whether to share it.
Your bank login never leaves your hands.
Mitten never connects to a bank and never asks for a bank password. You download the statement yourself, for the accounts and months you choose.
YNAB: Direct Import links your bank through MX or Plaid.
It works wherever you bank.
A household in Brisbane, Dubai or Dublin gets exactly the same Mitten as one in Boston. There is no list of supported banks to check first.
YNAB: Direct Import covers the US, Canada, the UK and selected European countries. Australia is not covered.
You can start budgeting tonight.
Mitten's setup proposes envelope amounts from your own past months. Choose zero-based, 50/30/20 or your own split, and change your mind later. No method to learn before the first budget.
Mitten is $12 a month or $89 a year for the whole household, up to five people. YNAB is $14.99 a month or $109 a year. That is $20 a year less, with Penny and the debt planner included.
What the plan includesMitten and YNAB, row by row.
- Price for the household
Mitten
$12 a month or $89 a year, for up to five peopleYNAB
$14.99 a month or $109 a year, plus tax where it applies, for up to six people- How transactions get in
Mitten
Upload a PDF or CSV statement. Penny names each line and suggests a category, and asks about the ones she is unsure of.YNAB
Direct Import from a linked bank, typed in by hand, or CSV, QFX, OFX and QIF files on the web or an iPad- Bank login needed
Mitten
Never. Mitten has no bank connection.YNAB
For Direct Import, which is optional and links through MX or Plaid- Banks and countries
Mitten
Any country, with no list of supported banksYNAB
Direct Import in the US, Canada, the UK and selected European countries. Not Australia.- People on one plan
Mitten
Up to five, each with their own login, in one shared householdYNAB
Up to six on one subscription with YNAB Together, each with their own login- Budgeting styles
Mitten
Zero-based, 50/30/20 or your own split, with starting amounts from your past monthsYNAB
The YNAB Method: give every dollar a job- Debt payoff
Mitten
An avalanche or snowball plan for the debts you add, shared with the householdYNAB
A loan planner and payoff simulator, on the web- Phone
Mitten
Runs in the phone browser, built for the phone first. Nothing to install.YNAB
Native iPhone and Android apps, plus the web
| What you are comparing | Mitten | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| Price for the household | $12 a month or $89 a year, for up to five people | $14.99 a month or $109 a year, plus tax where it applies, for up to six people |
| How transactions get in | Upload a PDF or CSV statement. Penny names each line and suggests a category, and asks about the ones she is unsure of. | Direct Import from a linked bank, typed in by hand, or CSV, QFX, OFX and QIF files on the web or an iPad |
| Bank login needed | Never. Mitten has no bank connection. | For Direct Import, which is optional and links through MX or Plaid |
| Banks and countries | Any country, with no list of supported banks | Direct Import in the US, Canada, the UK and selected European countries. Not Australia. |
| People on one plan | Up to five, each with their own login, in one shared household | Up to six on one subscription with YNAB Together, each with their own login |
| Budgeting styles | Zero-based, 50/30/20 or your own split, with starting amounts from your past months | The YNAB Method: give every dollar a job |
| Debt payoff | An avalanche or snowball plan for the debts you add, shared with the household | A loan planner and payoff simulator, on the web |
| Phone | Runs in the phone browser, built for the phone first. Nothing to install. | Native iPhone and Android apps, plus the web |
What couples ask before switching.
- Is Mitten a good YNAB alternative for couples?
- Yes, if you want one shared budget without linking a bank, and you would rather upload a statement than type transactions. If automatic bank feeds are what keep you budgeting, YNAB is the better fit. Our guide to budgeting as a couple works with either.
- Does Mitten connect to my bank?
- No. You upload a PDF or CSV statement you downloaded yourself. Penny files the lines she is sure of and asks you about the rest.
- Can I keep budgeting zero-based in Mitten?
- Yes. The setup offers zero-based, 50/30/20 or your own split, and you can switch later.
Sources
Every YNAB detail on this page comes from these pages, read on . Prices and features change, so their site has the final word.
- YNAB pricing (ynab.com/pricing) (external site)
- YNAB home page, apps and trial (ynab.com) (external site)
- The YNAB Method (ynab.com/ynab-method) (external site)
- How Direct Import works (support.ynab.com) (external site)
- My bank isn't listed (support.ynab.com) (external site)
- Direct Import in Europe (support.ynab.com) (external site)
- File-based import guide (support.ynab.com) (external site)
- YNAB Together (support.ynab.com) (external site)
- Loan planner and payoff simulator (support.ynab.com) (external site)
Try it on last month's statement.
Free for 14 days, no card needed.