Rant: Mint vs YNAB for budgeting is no contest once you try both

I used Mint for 3 years and it was fine (mostly automated tracking), but after switching to YNAB last month I realized I was basically just watching my money disappear instead of actually planning where it goes. Has anyone else found that the "zero-based" approach forces you to face bad habits you were ignoring?

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brookekelly2mo ago

Hate to nitpick but Mint actually does have a zero-based budget option now. They added it last year I think? It's buried in the settings though so most people never find it. YNAB definitely makes it more obvious and front-and-center though. I tried Mint's zero-based mode for like two weeks and it just felt clunky compared to YNAB. The rule of "give every dollar a job" really sticks with you on YNAB in a way Mint never managed for me.

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spencer_thomas42mo ago

Did you give it a full month or at least a few weeks? I tried YNAB first but it was TOO rigid for me, so I ended up just using a simple spreadsheet and that did the trick.

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