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YNAB is a well-known envelope-budgeting method. Quarter is built for a narrower job: reserving self-employment taxes on every deposit so you always know what's actually safe to spend.
Quarter vs YNAB. Automatic tax reserves vs manual envelopes.
SIDE BY SIDE
Different jobs, different tools.
| Dimension | Quarter | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic per-deposit tax reservation | Yes. Quarter reserves federal, self-employment, and state taxes as each deposit lands, using IRS Pub 505 bracket math. | No. YNAB does not calculate or set aside self-employment taxes, it budgets whatever categories and amounts you set up manually. |
| Core method | Safe-to-spend number: what you have, minus taxes, minus your runway reserve, updated as money moves. | Zero-based envelope budgeting ("give every dollar a job"), you assign income to spending categories yourself. |
| Built for | US freelancers and self-employed earners with variable, tax-liable income. | General household budgeting for anyone tracking income and expenses. |
| Bank connection | Read-only US bank connection via SimpleFIN. | Manual entry or bank-synced transaction import, by category. |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly price, no per-seat fees. | Tiered subscription (monthly or annual) with a free trial period. |
Feature comparison based on each product's public marketing pages, at time of writing. Verify current details on their sites before purchasing.
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