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YNAB is a budgeting method with software. Contha is a ledger with the return in it.
YNAB is envelope budgeting, done well, for up to six people on one subscription: $109 a year or $14.99 a month. Its pages say nothing about business books or tax because it is not for that. People who love the method keep it; this page is for those whose problem is March.
| Capability | YNAB | Contha |
|---|---|---|
| Envelope budgeting | Yes, the method is the product | Budgets by category with a pace marker and rollover; not envelopes |
| Up to six people | Yes | Yes, a spouse with their own login, editor or viewer |
| Net worth across accounts | Yes | Yes, every account, personal and business |
| Business books, Schedule C | No | Yes, personal and business on every row, with splits; Yes, by line; one per sole proprietorship |
| Quarterly estimated tax | No | Yes, computed: four payments as a schedule, past due and next |
| Accountant handoff | No | Yes, five files and a read-only link that needs no account |
| Price | $109 a year or $14.99 a month | A free week, then Personal $5, Business $10 a month; two months free on annual billing |
Envelope budgeting
- YNAB
- Yes, the method is the product
- Contha
- Budgets by category with a pace marker and rollover; not envelopes
Up to six people
- YNAB
- Yes
- Contha
- Yes, a spouse with their own login, editor or viewer
Net worth across accounts
- YNAB
- Yes
- Contha
- Yes, every account, personal and business
Business books, Schedule C
- YNAB
- No
- Contha
- Yes, personal and business on every row, with splits; Yes, by line; one per sole proprietorship
Quarterly estimated tax
- YNAB
- No
- Contha
- Yes, computed: four payments as a schedule, past due and next
Accountant handoff
- YNAB
- No
- Contha
- Yes, five files and a read-only link that needs no account
Price
- YNAB
- $109 a year or $14.99 a month
- Contha
- A free week, then Personal $5, Business $10 a month; two months free on annual billing
Prices as of October 2026, read on their own pricing page 19 October 2026. Checked 12 October 2026, against YNAB’s own published documentation: the YNAB pricing page. If a row is out of date, tell us and it will be corrected on the page, not deleted.
The honest read
Different problem.
YNAB answers "where should each dollar go". Contha answers "what does the government get, and is it set aside".
Also against Monarch Plus, QuickBooks Solopreneur, Found, Keeper, Copilot Money, Wave, Tiller, Collective, Lili, Hurdlr, FreshBooks.
Keep YNAB if it is enough. If the tax is the reason you are here, start with Contha.
Free with one bank, no card. Personal $5 or Business $10 a month for the rest, a free week of either first. Read-only connections, cancel any time.