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A YNAB alternative for expats in Europe

YNAB has a well-loved budgeting method, and it now syncs banks in 17 European countries and the UK. What it still can't do is put two currencies in one budget. Here's an honest comparison.

The short answer

Choose Borderless Budget if

  • Your accounts are in more than one currency
  • You want one budget with your euros, pounds and dollars together
  • You want budgets suggested from what you actually spend
  • You want net worth across countries in one figure

Choose YNAB if

  • All your money is in one currency2
  • You want the YNAB Method, with YNAB's guides and live hangouts around it3
  • You want native iPhone and Android apps2
  • You want a 34-day trial with no card3

Side by side

FeatureBorderless BudgetYNAB
Bank sync in the US and Canada3
Bank sync in Europe1UK, every EU country, Norway, Iceland and LiechtensteinUK and 17 European countries
Accounts in different currencies in one budget2, 3
Converts to your home currency2At each transaction's dateBy hand
Original amount kept on every transaction2
Budgeting style2, 3Suggested from your spendingZero-based (the YNAB Method)
Net worth across currencies3
Household sharing3Up to 4 peopleUp to 6 people
Apps2Web, works on phonesiOS, Android, web
Free trial330 days34 days, no card
Price3, 4$10/mo or $99/yr$14.99/mo or $109/yr

Verified October 2026 from each company's own website; the numbers beside each row point to its sources below. Prices are list prices before tax.

One month, three countries

Here is a month for someone who lives in Spain, still has a US card and a US student loan, and rents out a flat in the UK. In Borderless Budget it is one budget in euros, and the dollar and pound rows convert on their own.

In YNAB, the recommended setup is a separate plan per currency.2 That is three plans here, euros, dollars and pounds, and no single number for the month unless you work it out yourself.

TransactionSpentIn euros
RentSpanish current account€1,150.00€1,150.00
GroceriesSpanish current account€312.40€312.40
Streaming subscriptionUS credit card$15.49€13.34
Student loan paymentUS checking account$250.00€214.75
Council tax on a UK flatUK current account£142.00€163.26
Spent this month€1,853.75

Illustrative figures. Each foreign amount converts at the exchange rate for its own date, so a later move in the rate doesn't rewrite last month.

YNAB in Europe today

YNAB's Direct Import reaches at least one bank in 17 European countries plus the UK, from Austria to Sweden, and you can mix North American and European connections in one account.1 If you live in Spain and bank in euros, YNAB may well sync your bank.

The limit is currency. YNAB recommends a separate plan for each currency and says all accounts in a plan should use the same one.2 There is no conversion, so a dollar account and a euro account never meet unless you type in the converted amounts yourself.

Every currency in one budget

Borderless Budget connects bank accounts in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Where a bank isn't supported, CSV import and manual accounts cover it, in any currency.

You pick a home currency, and each transaction converts to it at the exchange rate for its own date, mainly from the European Central Bank, with the original amount kept beside it. Budgets, spending and net worth are in one currency, and nothing needs converting by hand.

Budgets are optional. Track spending for a month, then let the app suggest budgets from what you actually spend, or set your own.

Price

YNAB is $14.99 a month or $109 a year, billed in USD, with a 34-day trial and no card needed. One subscription covers up to 6 people.3

Borderless Budget has a 30-day free trial, then costs $10 a month or $99 a year, billed in USD, with every feature and up to 10 connected banks included.4 If YNAB's method is what you love, the workarounds post shows how far it stretches across currencies.

Where YNAB is better

  • The method. YNAB backs its zero-based approach with a get-started guide, articles and live hangouts.3
  • Native iPhone and Android apps.2 Ours is a web app that works in your phone's browser.
  • A 34-day trial with no card needed.3
  • Sharing with up to 6 people on one subscription.3
  • File-based import for banks in any other country, if you're happy to import by hand.3

Try it with your own accounts

Connect your accounts in each country you bank in and see the month in one currency. The first 30 days are free.

Get started

Sources

  1. 1. YNAB Support, "Direct Import in Europe" (country list): support.ynab.com/en_us/direct-import-in-europe-Syae1z_A9, checked 2026-10-24.
  2. 2. YNAB Support, "Using Multiple Currencies in YNAB" (one plan per currency; iOS, Android and web steps): support.ynab.com/en_us/using-multiple-currencies-in-ynab-a-guide-SyBF6PHno, checked 2026-10-24.
  3. 3. YNAB pricing (price, 34-day trial, sharing, Direct Import regions): www.ynab.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
  4. 4. Borderless Budget pricing: borderlessbudget.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
  5. 5. YNAB Support, "How to Export Plan Data" (CSV export): support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-export-plan-data-Sy_CouWA9, checked 2026-10-24.

Further reading

YNAB in Europe: common questions