The envelope method, in Canadian dollars.
YNAB is excellent at one thing: the envelope method, taught with discipline. Yoseri keeps it, and adds the rest of your money, in your currency and with your tax shelters.
If you live in the United States, YNAB is a good choice.
From Canada, the friction adds up: billed in US dollars, an interface in English only, bank connections designed first for the United States. And YNAB budgets; it does not track your investments, the order in which to pay off your debts, or your retirement.
Your language
English and French, on equal footing, in the app and in support. Reply within 24 business hours.
Your currency
Canadian dollars, with no conversion and no surprise on your card statement. GST and QST itemized on the invoice.
Your institutions
129 Canadian institutions with automatic connection, including Desjardins, RBC, BMO, CIBC, Scotia, National Bank and Questrade.
What YNAB does, and what Yoseri adds.
A comparison written by the company selling one of the two tools is suspect by design. This one also names what YNAB does better.
| YNAB | Yoseri | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Envelopes, every dollar has a job | Seven envelopes, with envelope carry-over and the calendar of planned outflows |
| Price | Billed in US dollars, yearly | $0 with manual entry; $8.99 or $17.99 CAD a month with bank connection |
| Language | English | English and French |
| Currency and plans | US dollars, US accounts | Canadian dollars, TFSA, RRSP, FHSA |
| Investments | Not tracked | Stocks and ETFs, crypto assets, real estate, returns net of fees |
| Debt | A repayment envelope | Three methods compared: avalanche, snowball, minimum, without choosing one for you |
| Retirement | Not covered | Three 30-year scenarios, assumptions shown and editable |
| Account access | Read-only | Read-only: no transfer possible, by design |
| What YNAB does better | Years of teaching, a community, live workshops | Yoseri explains its method in the app and on the site, with no workshops and no community |
Every dollar has a job. Yoseri also says which one still has to go out.
What’s left this month is not your balance: it is your balance minus what still has to go out before the end of the month. Yoseri calculates it from your dated outflows (rent, insurance, subscriptions) and says it per day.
- Seven envelopes, fixed, variable, recurring or catch-all. The cap is suggested from your median.
- Carry-over, as in YNAB: what is left moves to the next month, what was overspent is deducted.
- A 14-day calendar, which shows the low point of the month before it arrives.
The rest of your money, in the same place.
A budget does not tell you whether your debt is expensive or what your ETF really returned. Yoseri puts everything in one statement, and every finding comes with its math.
- Debt: weighted average rate, principal and interest shares, three methods compared. Free.
- Investments: returns separated from contributions, fees deducted everywhere, prices refreshed at least every 60 minutes.
- Plan ahead: real return 5.0%, inflation 2.1%, the Bank of Canada target. You change every assumption.
No coach, no lecture.
YNAB teaches a method. Yoseri calculates, shows the method, and stops there.
No moral categories
A restaurant is a restaurant. The budget says whether it fits in the envelope, not whether you deserved it.
No made-up numbers
What’s left this month comes from your lines, entered or imported. If a piece of data is missing, the number says so.
No advice
Yoseri produces sourced findings. It recommends no investment and earns no commission.
The budget is free. The connection is paid for.
In Canadian dollars, before taxes, no commitment, no card to start. People on the waitlist keep 50% off for as long as their subscription runs.
What YNAB users ask
Can I import my YNAB budget?
The transactions, yes, with a CSV export from YNAB and then an import into Yoseri: it is in the free plan, with no limit on months. YNAB’s categories do not carry over one for one: you place your lines in your envelopes.
Is there envelope carry-over?
Yes. What is not spent in an envelope moves to the next month, or goes back to the cushion: you choose the rule once. What was overspent is deducted, as in YNAB.
Why does Yoseri cost less than YNAB?
Because the budget itself is free: only bank connection is paid for, $8.99 or $17.99 a month, in Canadian dollars, before taxes, with no currency conversion.
Does Yoseri give financial advice?
No, never. It states findings (the transactions, the period, the confidence) and stops where it stops knowing. No recommended product, no referral commission, and never the professional title that is protected in Quebec.
Coming from YNAB? Write to support@yoseri.com. Someone who knows the product replies, within 24 business hours. And if the answer is “Yoseri cannot know that”, it is written too.
Start for free. Stay if it is useful.
Four minutes, no bank credentials required, and you can stop at any step. The private beta opens in waves.