Monarch Money vs YNAB:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, YNAB had more branded searches than Monarch Money among personal budgeting apps worldwide. YNAB had about 131,000 branded searches, while Monarch Money had 114,000. YNAB made up 37.1% of all personal budgeting app searches we track, and Monarch Money accounted for 32.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about personal budgeting apps, both Monarch Money and YNAB appeared in all five answers. Monarch Money was mentioned before YNAB in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
YNAB, about 15% more searches than Monarch Money
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Monarch Money, named ahead of YNAB in 4 of 5 answers
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Top personal budgeting apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Monarch Money and YNAB showed up in all five answers. Monarch Money was listed before YNAB in four of them.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Monarch Money1st
- YNAB2nd
Quicken Simplifi3rd
Empower4th
Goodbudget5th
PocketGuard6th
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
Asked ChatGPT
“Which personal budgeting app should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best personal budgeting apps?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best personal budgeting app for tracking spending?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best budgeting app”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“budget app”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Monarch Money or YNAB more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Monarch Money and YNAB by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven personal budgeting apps we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for YNAB, Monarch Money. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | YNAB | Monarch Money | Quicken Simplifi | PocketGuard | Copilot Money | Goodbudget | Empower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 43% | 24.8% | 12.1% | 8% | 3.5% | 6% | 2.7% |
| Nov 2025 | 45.5% | 22.4% | 12.3% | 8.8% | 3.8% | 5.3% | 1.9% |
| Dec 2025 | 42.8% | 23.6% | 13% | 7.6% | 6% | 5.6% | 1.4% |
| Jan 2026 | 43.9% | 23.4% | 14.6% | 5.3% | 5.9% | 5.5% | 1.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 43.9% | 23.1% | 14.3% | 8.2% | 4.7% | 4.4% | 1.3% |
| Mar 2026 | 42.2% | 22.5% | 14.1% | 9.9% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 1.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 43.2% | 22.4% | 14% | 9.9% | 5.6% | 3.5% | 1.3% |
| May 2026 | 45.3% | 23.9% | 12.9% | 7.5% | 6% | 3.1% | 1.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 47.3% | 24.7% | 13.5% | 5.5% | 5.1% | 2.6% | 1.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 39% | 33.7% | 12.4% | 4.8% | 5.8% | 2.9% | 1.3% |
| Aug 2026 | 37.4% | 33.5% | 14.1% | 4.8% | 5.7% | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| Sep 2026 | 37.1% | 32.3% | 14.5% | 5.6% | 5.5% | 3.4% | 1.5% |
How has the Monarch Money and YNAB comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- YNAB was ahead of Monarch Money in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Monarch Money’s share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide moved from 24.8% to 32.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 113K to 114K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YNAB’s share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide moved from 43% to 37.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 196K to 131K.
How did search popularity change for personal budgeting apps worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Monarch Money lost share of searches among personal budgeting apps worldwide, from 33.5% to 32.3%.
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.
How are branded searches counted?
7 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Monarch Money’s and YNAB’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Monarch Money
3 branded search terms
- monarch money
- monarch money app
- monarch money budget
YNAB
4 branded search terms
- ynab
- ynab app
- ynab budget
- ynab budget app
Other head-to-heads among personal budgeting apps
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