Brandwave

How popular isYNAB?

In September 2026, people searched for YNAB by name about 131,000 times worldwide, a 33.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 37.1% of all global personal budgeting app searches, placing YNAB first out of seven apps. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about personal budgeting apps, YNAB appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

YNAB is the most searched of 7 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. YNABShare of searches 37.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. Monarch MoneyShare of searches 32.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. Quicken SimplifiShare of searches 14.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. PocketGuardShare of searches 5.6%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  5. Copilot MoneyShare of searches 5.5%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

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Top personal budgeting apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, YNAB appeared in all five answers. YNAB is the second most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Monarch Money1st
  2. YNAB2nd
  3. Quicken Simplifi3rd
  4. Empower4th
  5. Goodbudget5th
  6. PocketGuard6th
  7. Copilot Money7th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • YNAB5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Monarch Money5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Quicken Simplifi4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Goodbudget4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Empower4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • PocketGuard2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Copilot Money1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about personal budgeting apps

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which personal budgeting apps compete with YNAB?

YNAB against personal budgeting apps worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for YNAB, Monarch Money, Quicken Simplifi, PocketGuard, Copilot Money, Goodbudget. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthYNABMonarch MoneyQuicken SimplifiPocketGuardCopilot MoneyGoodbudgetEmpower
Oct 202543%24.8%12.1%8%3.5%6%2.7%
Nov 202545.5%22.4%12.3%8.8%3.8%5.3%1.9%
Dec 202542.8%23.6%13%7.6%6%5.6%1.4%
Jan 202643.9%23.4%14.6%5.3%5.9%5.5%1.4%
Feb 202643.9%23.1%14.3%8.2%4.7%4.4%1.3%
Mar 202642.2%22.5%14.1%9.9%5.6%4.3%1.3%
Apr 202643.2%22.4%14%9.9%5.6%3.5%1.3%
May 202645.3%23.9%12.9%7.5%6%3.1%1.4%
Jun 202647.3%24.7%13.5%5.5%5.1%2.6%1.4%
Jul 202639%33.7%12.4%4.8%5.8%2.9%1.3%
Aug 202637.4%33.5%14.1%4.8%5.7%2.9%1.6%
Sep 202637.1%32.3%14.5%5.6%5.5%3.4%1.5%

  1. 1.YNAB

    37.1%

    Held 1st. 131K estimated branded searches, -16% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  2. 2.Monarch Money

    32.3%

    Held 2nd. 114K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  3. 3.Quicken Simplifi

    14.5%

    Held 3rd. 51.2K estimated branded searches, -12.6% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  4. 4.PocketGuard

    5.6%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 19.6K estimated branded searches, -0.56% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  5. 5.Copilot Money

    5.5%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 19.4K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  6. 6.Goodbudget

    3.4%

    Held 6th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  7. 7.Empower

    1.5%

    Held 7th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between YNAB and its closest rivals

Every comparison with YNAB

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for YNAB changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for YNAB worldwide fell from 196K to 131K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YNAB’s share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide decreased from 43% to 37.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YNAB’s share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide peaked at 47.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 37.1% in September 2026.

How did search popularity change for personal budgeting apps worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, PocketGuard overtook Copilot Money to rank 4th among personal budgeting apps worldwide, with 5.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Goodbudget gained share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide, from 2.9% to 3.4%.

  3. In September 2026, Monarch Money lost share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide, from 33.5% to 32.3%.

  4. YNAB’s share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 47.3% to 37.1% in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Copilot Money worldwide rose 22.1% over 12 measured months, from 15.9K to 19.4K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Empower worldwide fell 55.4% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 5.4K in September 2026.

How are YNAB’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using YNAB’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ynab
  • ynab app
  • ynab budget
  • ynab budget app

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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