I’m happy with YNAB 4. Do I have to switch now? How much will it cost?
It’s totally up to you! While we hope you’ll see the value and choose to upgrade, if you want to keep using YNAB 4—that’s great too. We’ll officially support YNAB 4 through 2016 (which means we’ll fix critical bugs and make sure the apps work well), and unofficially, for as long as possible. And you can always write in with questions!
Are you offering a discount for YNAB 4 users?
If you decide to switch, the price is $5/month or $50/year. But we are offering a ten percent lifetime discount ($45/year) for all existing users. If you sign up for a free trial with your YNAB 4 email we will apply the discount, whenever you subscribe. If you are using a different email—or you are a Steam user—you’ll need to contact [email protected] so we can apply the lifetime discount to your account.
For new users, we will offer the ten percent lifetime discount as an incentive to subscribe by January 31, 2016, after which that offer will no longer be available to new users.
I’m a YNAB 4 user—how do I log into the new YNAB?
The new YNAB is entirely new and web-based. You can read all about it on our blog!
If you choose to try the new YNAB, you’ll need to create a new account. Your existing YNAB 4 or Dropbox email and password will not work. Then, be sure you have the new iPhone/iPad or Android app. You can sign in on mobile with the same credentials you just created and you’ll be up and running!
If you want to just keep using YNAB 4, and you use the mobile apps, be sure you have the YNAB Classic app for iOS or YNAB Classic app for Android.
What’s the deal with migrating my YNAB 4 budget to the new YNAB?
Migrating your YNAB 4 budgets’ full data into the new YNAB has been less than stellar. Okay. Bad. There are two reasons for your justified confusion and frustration:
The new YNAB and YNAB 4 have some key differences. Because of that, when YNAB 4 data is migrated successfully, it can be confusing to reconcile the changes between YNAB 4 and the new YNAB.
Performance on the migration has been up and down like a penny stock, especially if your budget is quite large. The performance hits have been extremely frustrating.
We’re sorry.
Our short-term, immediate solution is Fresh Start migration.
As you know, we’ve been heavily promoting the idea of a fresh start. It gets you up and running right away and at the perfect time of year. It’s a great move for many people. Tens of thousands of users (including the whole YNAB Team) have started fresh and found it very valuable.
A Fresh Start migration will automatically bring over your personalized categories, payees, scheduled transactions, and account names & types from YNAB 4. It will give you a familiar starting place. In terms of the history, though, it will be a Fresh Start.
Whether you were planning on doing a fresh start anyway, or just want to kick the tires of the new YNAB, we encourage you to try it. It will give you a great starting point, and does all the heavy lifting for you.
We know some of you are anxious to get started, but want all your history in your budget. It will be possible, but we can’t say when. We can say that it’s quickly become our top priority for the first quarter. We are so sorry for the wait—we’re going to get it right.
Finally—we know this is getting long!—don’t worry, once we’re able to migrate all of your history, we’ll gladly restart your trial and honor your lifetime ten percent discount!
Can I direct import from my bank outside of the US and Canada?
Currently, most supported institutions are in the US and Canada. So, you won’t be able to use direct import, but we have a couple other features designed to make entering transactions fast and easy:
Manual Import: We’re working on the manual import feature, which would allow you to import a file, downloaded from your bank’s website.
Upcoming Transactions: You can plan for future transactions, including recurring ones, right in the account register. Select the frequency of the transaction by using the drop-down menu below the calendar.
Mobile Apps: We have new mobile apps, which make it easy to enter transactions on the go.
Will YNAB still be free for college students?
We will continue giving YNAB 4 to college students for free. Just email [email protected] with proof of registration (ID card, transcript, tuition statement, etc.) and we’ll set you up with a free license good through August 31, 2016.
We’re still evaluating this program as it relates to the new YNAB. But don’t worry, we will communicate any decisions we make about the program loud and clear! The best way to stay updated is to sign up for our Weekly Roundup email.
What about the insert-feature-I-love?
One of the benefits of the new YNAB is that we can release new features and updates at a rapid pace! At the top of our list of upcoming features to release include some of the most commonly asked about: reports, search, manual import, a desktop app, and re-ordering accounts. Many of you asked about a calculator, and we just launched it! You can follow along with our new releases and updates here.
There are several other changes and new workflows that have caused a stir among existing users (reimbursements, running balance, not carrying forward negative balances, check numbers). We hear you. This feedback is important and informs a lot of our decision-making.
What about the Referral Program?
For the time being we’ve retired our existing referral program. Our growth over the years is due, in large part, to word of mouth, and the referral program has been a big part of it! We are excited to build and implement a new program, but we aren’t there quite yet. Know that it is an important part of the master plan!