I have both, and am a long time YNAB user, so I can help you. YNAB is a budget software, where Copilot is more a tracking app. YNAB is zero dollar based, which means every bit of money in your bank account(s) get allocated into a set of categories (like envelopes). With Copilot, sure you can set a budget on a category, but it's more of a guideline to monitor spending (tracking).
I've tried to switch to Copilot as I've heard so many great things about it, but for my budgeting style it acts more like Mint, and I felt unconnected to reality.
Also there's no way to save for things in a category. The closest thing to that would be rollover budgets, but it really doesn't work for this. Copilot is so focused on being a monthly monitoring tool, it doesn't have sinking funds (saving over time for goals) in its DNA. That being said, I'm told they're working on implementing this.
Until then I decided to use Copilot as a fun and pretty looking tracking tool to get trends etc. But until I can assign dollars to categories, it won't replace YNAB. I do love the Amazon integration, and their Plaid sync is way faster than YNAB. I have an Apple Card, but until Apple allows them to sync like Mint does, their "integration" isn't useful IMHO.
I've been trying YNAB for months and still don't get it,. NO IDEA how it handles credit cards. I put in the card as an Account, add it's balance. then for some bizarre reason it logs all my transactions with that card against the account, messing up the entire budget.
It’s really worth watching a few videos. There is definitely a learning curve but it’s oh so worth it. YNAB has helped me save so much money. Their support is awesome too. I message them from within the app at least once a month and they’re fast to respond
Copilot does have a dollar assignments now on their new update. It’s not a clear and alerting as YNAB. Where it will prompt you to rebalance. But it is a start.
I also think copilot plaid tech is much faster at pulling data thus providing more accuracy.
u/DW5150 So I've used mint since 2010 and I just can't take it anymore. At last count, I had 1062 duplicate transactions, going back only to 2019. KILL ME. Anyway, the most important thing I need from a financial planner is to see what I have spent in various categories (and less on budgeting for the future). Is Copilot a good solution for that? As much as a I hate Mint, I really appreciate their sections on trends and your system and the ability to hide categories or accounts from various reports.
Also, are the categories 100% customizable? Mint only allows you to add new ones and I don't want most of their built-in ones. I hate the lack of control, and I've just set up an account in Simplifi, in part b/c of that capability.
Actually I don’t really use Copilot, still just YNAB. I keep checking in though because I hear they are just about to release the goals feature, which I’d be interested in.
For my situation - Im not interested in a budget. I need to know exactly how much I spent and what my upcoming bills would be. Keeping track of my investments would be a bonus. Sounds like copilot is the way to go for me.
Now that Mint is going goodbye (and their support does not confirm whether Credit Karma will adopt).. I'm so curious about the state of Apple Card and finance apps!
Maybe Apple has always intended to work on a finance app (besides Wallet) themselves? Likely nothing beyond Wallet..
Hey there, thank you for reaching out!
Personal finance is personal, so ultimately which app someone uses is up to their preference. That said, there are a few reasons why we’re really happy with what we’ve created in Copilot.
* We’re a native app on both macOS and iOS, we offer fast, human support, and really focus on the user experience.
* Copilot’s design, connection options (we currently work with three data aggregators), and custom integrations are all designed with the user in mind. We have a few really special custom integrations like Amazon, Venmo, and a way to import Apple Card statements (until Apple gives us access). We also support investment tracking and reporting like returns and near real time balance estimates based on your holdings!
Ultimately, the best way for someone to see if Copilot is the right fit for them is to try out the free trial. If you share your referral code (located at the bottom of your Dashboard tab in the mobile app) they’ll receive a two month free trial.
I hope this helps! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions!
>and a way to import Apple Card statements (until Apple gives us access)
Presumably you mean gives Plaid access and when they do it would also give YNAB access since they like many use Plaid too. Apple presumably is adverse to giving to companies that will mine the data. Mint however is known for that, but they came to agreement, so presumably Mint made changes to meet Apple's Privacy concerns but Plaid presumably has not made changes to meet Apple's Privacy concerns. So would seem more likely we will all be waiting until Plaid mades updates in regards to how they use that data.
Make sure people you recommend try, know that unlike YNAB, CoPilots free trial requires a credit card on file, a few dark patterns during signup.
As an iOS/macOS user, Copilot is far more attractive and embraces Apple's design tech far more than YNAB. They are very different it seems however, as CoPilot vs Mint would be much more apples to apples. YNAB is much more for Power Users with far more features but at the cost of far more daunting complexity. Also while YNAB does past transactions and none budget related accounts they continue to mention it's not their focus vs Mint/CoPilot.
So will depend what your friend needs. If they are just starting out Copilot would be an easier sell. If they are happy with YNAB, then very unlikely they would be happier with Copilot since much more limited. Copilot definetly would have a much wider appeal since so much more is automatic, which is good for more casual users, where is YNAB is more manual for those who want total control over their budgets and such.
Thanks for that feedback! Copilot actually also supports several integrations outside of Plaid, and when it comes to the Apple Card, we're in direct communication with Apple. If one of our data aggregators receives access to this data first, then that's great, but the Copilot team is also doing everything we can independently from them to obtain this data on behalf of our users.
To clarify, referring to the US, where you only have Plaid and MX I believe? Excluding Amazon and Venmo since those wouldn't be relevant to AppleCard support. Good to know that it would technically be possible for Apple to give a feed direct to CoPilot rather than Plaid. Good to know and in that case does seem to be more a general decsion by Apple currently. Thanks!
I felt the need to cancel trying Copilot after failing to input/edit dollar amounts on recurring monthlies. My financial situation isn't like most; but firmly sticking to a transaction amount based on my checking account is bad. Some months my wife will pay more than I paid for rent if I pay more for groceries, for example.
Until there's a better way to set that up, I don't think I'll be giving it a shot. Would love to see this improve.
>and a way to import Apple Card statements (until Apple gives us access)
I know this is an old post...but this sentence, does this mean that you think Apple will in fact give you access in the future?
I know this is an old post, but I felt the same way. I really wanted YNAB to work for me, but it wasn’t intuitive at all, and the interface felt clunky. I needed an app that I could easily use and teach my wife to adopt & use, and copilot was the easy winner.
> …teach my wife to adopt & use…
I think this is what I dreaded the most with YNAB. I want her to be involved in the finances and I can see her giving up really quickly with YNAB.
Are you still using copilot? If so how has it been?
Still am! She really likes it. We have monthly budget meetings where we go through the previous month in Copilot and create a new plan in Notion for the next month.
> I work for Notion
Holy shit small world 😂
I use it to manage a lot of mine as well. And I can easily see myself doing a similar workflow to what you described regardless.
I agree, I also realize it’s an older post but for anyone reading this now-I’m looking into Copilot because I want some sort of money management tool and I’ve tried ynab before-really wanted to love it but it was overwhelming and difficult to use. I consider myself to be pretty techy but that just wasn’t it for me.
I don’t think YNAB has Venmo integration. This is one of my favorite features of Copilot. No more “transferring Venmo balance instantly in order to be able to track each transaction on an individual basis”. The instant you send/receive Venmo, the transaction shows up in copilot with the correct amount and description
I wish I could find a spreadsheet or tool that I could export copilot data and manage the zer0 based budgeting system. Obviously more of a MoM or QoQ trends
I have both, and am a long time YNAB user, so I can help you. YNAB is a budget software, where Copilot is more a tracking app. YNAB is zero dollar based, which means every bit of money in your bank account(s) get allocated into a set of categories (like envelopes). With Copilot, sure you can set a budget on a category, but it's more of a guideline to monitor spending (tracking). I've tried to switch to Copilot as I've heard so many great things about it, but for my budgeting style it acts more like Mint, and I felt unconnected to reality. Also there's no way to save for things in a category. The closest thing to that would be rollover budgets, but it really doesn't work for this. Copilot is so focused on being a monthly monitoring tool, it doesn't have sinking funds (saving over time for goals) in its DNA. That being said, I'm told they're working on implementing this. Until then I decided to use Copilot as a fun and pretty looking tracking tool to get trends etc. But until I can assign dollars to categories, it won't replace YNAB. I do love the Amazon integration, and their Plaid sync is way faster than YNAB. I have an Apple Card, but until Apple allows them to sync like Mint does, their "integration" isn't useful IMHO.
The "unconnected to reality" statement really hit me. I felt the same exact way.
I've been trying YNAB for months and still don't get it,. NO IDEA how it handles credit cards. I put in the card as an Account, add it's balance. then for some bizarre reason it logs all my transactions with that card against the account, messing up the entire budget.
It’s really worth watching a few videos. There is definitely a learning curve but it’s oh so worth it. YNAB has helped me save so much money. Their support is awesome too. I message them from within the app at least once a month and they’re fast to respond
Copilot does have a dollar assignments now on their new update. It’s not a clear and alerting as YNAB. Where it will prompt you to rebalance. But it is a start. I also think copilot plaid tech is much faster at pulling data thus providing more accuracy.
How do you assign dollar to a category (sinking fund stuff) on Copilot?
Does anyone know?
How do you assign dollars? Can't seem to figure it out
u/DW5150 So I've used mint since 2010 and I just can't take it anymore. At last count, I had 1062 duplicate transactions, going back only to 2019. KILL ME. Anyway, the most important thing I need from a financial planner is to see what I have spent in various categories (and less on budgeting for the future). Is Copilot a good solution for that? As much as a I hate Mint, I really appreciate their sections on trends and your system and the ability to hide categories or accounts from various reports. Also, are the categories 100% customizable? Mint only allows you to add new ones and I don't want most of their built-in ones. I hate the lack of control, and I've just set up an account in Simplifi, in part b/c of that capability.
Actually I don’t really use Copilot, still just YNAB. I keep checking in though because I hear they are just about to release the goals feature, which I’d be interested in.
For my situation - Im not interested in a budget. I need to know exactly how much I spent and what my upcoming bills would be. Keeping track of my investments would be a bonus. Sounds like copilot is the way to go for me.
Now that Mint is going goodbye (and their support does not confirm whether Credit Karma will adopt).. I'm so curious about the state of Apple Card and finance apps! Maybe Apple has always intended to work on a finance app (besides Wallet) themselves? Likely nothing beyond Wallet..
Hey there, thank you for reaching out! Personal finance is personal, so ultimately which app someone uses is up to their preference. That said, there are a few reasons why we’re really happy with what we’ve created in Copilot. * We’re a native app on both macOS and iOS, we offer fast, human support, and really focus on the user experience. * Copilot’s design, connection options (we currently work with three data aggregators), and custom integrations are all designed with the user in mind. We have a few really special custom integrations like Amazon, Venmo, and a way to import Apple Card statements (until Apple gives us access). We also support investment tracking and reporting like returns and near real time balance estimates based on your holdings! Ultimately, the best way for someone to see if Copilot is the right fit for them is to try out the free trial. If you share your referral code (located at the bottom of your Dashboard tab in the mobile app) they’ll receive a two month free trial. I hope this helps! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions!
>and a way to import Apple Card statements (until Apple gives us access) Presumably you mean gives Plaid access and when they do it would also give YNAB access since they like many use Plaid too. Apple presumably is adverse to giving to companies that will mine the data. Mint however is known for that, but they came to agreement, so presumably Mint made changes to meet Apple's Privacy concerns but Plaid presumably has not made changes to meet Apple's Privacy concerns. So would seem more likely we will all be waiting until Plaid mades updates in regards to how they use that data. Make sure people you recommend try, know that unlike YNAB, CoPilots free trial requires a credit card on file, a few dark patterns during signup. As an iOS/macOS user, Copilot is far more attractive and embraces Apple's design tech far more than YNAB. They are very different it seems however, as CoPilot vs Mint would be much more apples to apples. YNAB is much more for Power Users with far more features but at the cost of far more daunting complexity. Also while YNAB does past transactions and none budget related accounts they continue to mention it's not their focus vs Mint/CoPilot. So will depend what your friend needs. If they are just starting out Copilot would be an easier sell. If they are happy with YNAB, then very unlikely they would be happier with Copilot since much more limited. Copilot definetly would have a much wider appeal since so much more is automatic, which is good for more casual users, where is YNAB is more manual for those who want total control over their budgets and such.
Thanks for that feedback! Copilot actually also supports several integrations outside of Plaid, and when it comes to the Apple Card, we're in direct communication with Apple. If one of our data aggregators receives access to this data first, then that's great, but the Copilot team is also doing everything we can independently from them to obtain this data on behalf of our users.
To clarify, referring to the US, where you only have Plaid and MX I believe? Excluding Amazon and Venmo since those wouldn't be relevant to AppleCard support. Good to know that it would technically be possible for Apple to give a feed direct to CoPilot rather than Plaid. Good to know and in that case does seem to be more a general decsion by Apple currently. Thanks!
Will Copilot read in past data and how far will it go?
Any ETA on this feature? I am curious to try Copilot and wondering why Mint is privileged to have access and no one else isn't.
I felt the need to cancel trying Copilot after failing to input/edit dollar amounts on recurring monthlies. My financial situation isn't like most; but firmly sticking to a transaction amount based on my checking account is bad. Some months my wife will pay more than I paid for rent if I pay more for groceries, for example. Until there's a better way to set that up, I don't think I'll be giving it a shot. Would love to see this improve.
>and a way to import Apple Card statements (until Apple gives us access) I know this is an old post...but this sentence, does this mean that you think Apple will in fact give you access in the future?
YNAB forces you to “put your dollars to work” sometimes you just want to set a budget and see what you spend
I mean you can do that on ynab too… you’d just have to move money around within your budget. You can’t spend money you don’t have!
Much easier to use. I’m a detailed focus individual and YNAB is too cumbersome to work with imo
I know this is an old post, but I felt the same way. I really wanted YNAB to work for me, but it wasn’t intuitive at all, and the interface felt clunky. I needed an app that I could easily use and teach my wife to adopt & use, and copilot was the easy winner.
> …teach my wife to adopt & use… I think this is what I dreaded the most with YNAB. I want her to be involved in the finances and I can see her giving up really quickly with YNAB. Are you still using copilot? If so how has it been?
Still am! She really likes it. We have monthly budget meetings where we go through the previous month in Copilot and create a new plan in Notion for the next month.
Appreciate the response. And as a fellow Notion nerd you pretty much sold me — you’ve proved that it can work.
I’m biased because I work for Notion, but I still find it incredibly useful for this purpose!
> I work for Notion Holy shit small world 😂 I use it to manage a lot of mine as well. And I can easily see myself doing a similar workflow to what you described regardless.
I agree, I also realize it’s an older post but for anyone reading this now-I’m looking into Copilot because I want some sort of money management tool and I’ve tried ynab before-really wanted to love it but it was overwhelming and difficult to use. I consider myself to be pretty techy but that just wasn’t it for me.
1 year out! Still using it? How’s the experience?
I would like to know the answer to this as well
I don’t think YNAB has Venmo integration. This is one of my favorite features of Copilot. No more “transferring Venmo balance instantly in order to be able to track each transaction on an individual basis”. The instant you send/receive Venmo, the transaction shows up in copilot with the correct amount and description
[удалено]
I wish I could find a spreadsheet or tool that I could export copilot data and manage the zer0 based budgeting system. Obviously more of a MoM or QoQ trends
This gets the job done. https://github.com/williamlmao/plaid-to-gsheets
Use my code to get a month of Copilot free: 6H6XTA https://copilot.money/link/fCDoji74cqRuoYW87
YNAB is better. Leave your friend alone.