Forward vs. YNAB vs. EveryDollar

Plan each paycheck, not just the month.

YNAB and EveryDollar both do envelope budgeting well. Neither shows what you've planned next to the cash you actually have, or looks past this month. Every claim about them below is read from their own pages.

Start free Import from YNAB
Forward's Budget tab by paycheck: the Campus Library paycheck of $330.00 marked Arrived, with Giving showing what's Assigned, Funded and still not covered.
Feature comparison

Side by side.

Feature Forward YNAB EveryDollar
Envelope budgeting Yes Yes Yes, zero-based
Paycheck planning Every paycheck planned ahead, across months Budgets by month Premium, current month only
Assigned vs. Funded Two numbers: the plan vs. the actual reality One number: Assigned, with what's Available One number: Planned, with what's Remaining
Look-ahead forecast 30, 60 and 90-day forecast, 180-day paycheck runway None past this month None past this month
Bank sync Yes, through Plaid, with founding membership Members Yes, through Plaid and MX Premium, through Plaid and Mastercard
Receipts Snap, upload or forward; matched and split for you Members Attach a photo to a transaction Not offered
Connect an AI assistant Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP assistant Members No built-in connection; developers can build on its API None; you categorize by hand, by design
Passkeys and MFA Passkeys and authenticator-app codes, never SMS Two-step verification Passkeys, and two-factor codes by text
Category suggestions Suggested for you; approve one at a time or a batch at once Reuses the payee's last category Premium "Fast Track" suggestions, no rules
Household sharing Your partner joins free Up to 6 people on one subscription Couples share one budget
Import YNAB and EveryDollar, about five minutes n/a No file import (CSV, QIF, OFX)
Export Any time, free Yes Premium, one month per CSV
Price Free to start. $79 for your first two years, then $79 a year $109 a year or $14.99 a month ynab.com, read Oct 8, 2026 Free; Premium $79.99 a year or $17.99 a month ramseysolutions.com, read Oct 8, 2026

YNAB and EveryDollar claims are read from each company's own pages.

Only in Forward

What you get by switching.

  • Assigned and Funded, so a plan never pretends to be cash.
  • A 30, 60 and 90-day forecast that warns before a bill lands ahead of the paycheck that covers it.
  • 10,000+ automated tests on every change, and an append-only ledger where undo never erases.
  • Passkeys and multi-factor sign-in, with authenticator-app codes and never SMS.
  • Our staff can't open your budget unless someone in your household shares it with support from the Household screen, and access ends after 14 days or sooner. The one exception is fixing an outage that affects everyone, and every use of it is logged.
See every feature
Forward's 30, 60 and 90-day forecast timeline: each upcoming paycheck and bill in date order, with January's rent flagged as projected $1,395.00 short.
Rent's category sheet: $697.50 Available, with $1,395.00 Assigned next to $697.50 Funded, and Assign and Fund buttons.

Switch in five minutes.

Bring your YNAB or EveryDollar budget, check every number, then decide.

Start free Read the import guide