Loam vs YNAB: a calm YNAB alternative with net worth

YNAB is a hands-on, zero-based budgeting method: you give every dollar a job and reconcile often. Loam asks much less of you. Expenses record themselves from your bank’s texts, and the focus is your total wealth, your runway and where you are heading.

Feature by feature

	Loam	YNAB
Price
Price	$30 a year or $3 a month	$109 a year or $14.99 a month
Free trial	30 days, no payment details needed	34 days on the web, no card
Free plan	No, the trial is the free part	No; students get a free year
Ads	None	None in the app
Privacy and your data
Account required	None, not even an email	Yes
Bank login	Never	Optional, through Plaid or MX, plus Apple Wallet
Where your data lives	On your phone, plus your own iCloud or Google device backup	YNAB’s servers in the US
AI and your finances	Never sees your finances. Only a bank text format Loam has never seen goes out, until Loam learns its pattern	Its policy allows AI for categorising, insights and support; vendors not named
Analytics and tracking	None	Google Analytics, session recording, marketing pixels and ad partners
App lock	Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint	Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint or PIN
Export	CSV or JSON	CSV of plan and transactions, on the web
Getting transactions in
Bank sync	No, by design	Optional, refreshed once or twice a day
Bank text messages	Yes, read on the phone. Automatic on Android; a Shortcut on iPhone	No
Manual entry	Yes	Yes, plus CSV and OFX import
Voice entry	Siri, without opening the app	Siri Shortcuts on iPhone
Receipt scanning	No	Photos attached to transactions; no scanning
Categorising	Merchant rules you set, suggested once you file a shop by hand twice	Payee rules and default categories
What it tracks
Credit cards	Yes, with statements and installment plans	Credit card payment categories; no statement cycles
Deposits and CDs	Yes: interest payouts, floating rates and maturity	As a manual tracking account
Stocks and ETFs	Yes, with average cost and gain	No live prices; balances updated by hand
Crypto	Yes, priced for you	Only as a manual tracking account
Gold and silver	Gold by karat and silver by fineness, priced off spot	Only as a manual tracking account
Property	Yes	Manual value only
Loans and mortgages	Mortgages, loans and installment plans	Yes, with a loan payoff planner
Currencies	80, and totals also readable in a steadier one, such as USD	One currency per plan
Planning
Budgets	Monthly category budgets, tagged needs or wants	Zero-based: give every dollar a job
Spending insights	Per category, five months back, with what to do	Spending breakdown, trends and income vs expense
Net worth over time	No; the forecast looks forward instead	Yes, monthly
Long-term forecast	5, 10 or 20 years of your deposits and investments, with your own return per holding	No; loan payoff only
Inflation-adjusted view	Consumer prices, monetary debasement and currency devaluation, filled in for you	No
Runway	Yes: months of your budget the assets you choose would cover	No; Age of Money measures days, not months of cover
Savings goals	No goals; a monthly savings target and savings rate	Yes, category targets
Recurring charges	Spots monthly charges, their yearly cost and when one goes up	Scheduled transactions; no automatic detection
Everyday use
Apps	iPhone and Android	iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android
Web app	No	Yes, full web app
Sharing with a partner	No	Up to 6 people on one subscription
Notifications	None, ever	Imports, overspending and income alerts
Languages	English and Arabic	English
Where it works	Anywhere, with banks that text in English or Arabic	Anywhere by hand; bank sync in the US, Canada, UK and 17 other European countries

Which should you pick?

YNAB is stronger at	Loam is stronger at
A refined zero-based method with category targets and credit card payment categories. Optional bank sync in the US, Canada, the UK and 17 other European countries. A web app, Apple Watch app and sharing with up to six people. Workshops, a large how-to library and a loan payoff planner.	Budgeting without the homework: needs, wants and savings set once, and analytics that flags what is creeping up or on pace to go over. Stocks, crypto, gold and silver priced for you, with average cost and gain. YNAB takes investment balances by hand. Runway and a 5 to 20 year forecast, in today’s buying power if you want. About $80 a year less.

Pick YNAB if you want a strict, hands-on system and enjoy assigning every dollar. Pick Loam if you would rather set a budget once, let the month track itself, and keep an eye on your investments too.

More comparisons

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YNAB details are taken from its own website and app store listings in September 2026 and may have changed since. YNAB is a trademark of its owner; Loam is not affiliated with it.