cinder.fi vs YNAB, Monarch Money, Copilot.
Every budgeting app tracks where your money went. cinder.fi also shows where it's going, by connecting real spending to 50-year, tax-aware retirement projections, Monte Carlo simulations and a retirement readiness score.
For you, it’s cinder.fi.
Your real spending moves your retirement date in cinder.fi; Monarch does that in a limited way.
Tell us what you’re after. If another tool fits you better, this page says so.
I want , and I’d rather .
Tap an underlined answer to change it.
What are you looking for?
How hands-on do you want to be?
Last verified: 2026-05-26. Competitor features change; links go to their own pages.
Side by side
Showing the tools that fit what you told us.
| Feature | cinder.fiThat’s us | YNABChecked May 26, 2026 | MonarchChecked May 26, 2026 | CopilotChecked May 26, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ||||
| Price | $12/mo or $99/yr (Pro) | $14.99/mo or $109/yr | $99.99/yr (Core) or $199.99/yr (Plus) | $95/yr (iOS + Mac only) |
| Free to use | Free forever: budgeting and retirement planning, no account required | No | No | No |
| Trial | Free tier is the trial | 34-day trial | 7-day trial | Free trial |
| Budget | ||||
| Category-based budget targetsSet monthly spending limits per category | Yes (16 categories) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zero-based / envelope budgetingEvery dollar assigned a job | No | Yes | No | No |
| Budget vs actual trackingCompare planned vs real spending | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works without an accountUse immediately, no sign-up required | Yes | No | No | No |
| Your transactions | ||||
| Plaid bank syncAuto-import from your bank | Yes (1 free, unlimited Pro) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CSV importImport from bank exports (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank, generic) | Yes (6 formats) | Limited | Yes | No |
| OFX / QFX importStandard banking export format | Yes | No | No | No |
| YNAB live API syncPull budgets + transactions from YNAB automatically | Yes | n/a | No | No |
| Copilot CSV importImport Copilot Money exports with category mapping | Yes | No | No | n/a |
| Auto-categorizationMerchant-to-category learning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transfer detectionFlag same-date opposite-amount cross-account moves | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spending and retirement | ||||
| Spending feeds retirement projectionsReal spending flows into 50-year tax-aware simulations | Yes | No | Limited (Plus $200/yr) | No |
| Retirement impact from spending"Over-spending by $400/mo delays retirement by 14 months" | Yes | No | No | No |
| Purchase impact simulator"What if I spend $30K on a car?" | Yes | No | No | No |
| cinder score (retirement readiness)Composite 0-100 score with daily tracking | Yes | No | No | No |
| Monte Carlo simulation1,000+ market paths → probability of running out of money | Yes (odds free, deeper in Pro) | No | No | No |
| Tax-aware withdrawal strategiesMinimize Tax / Maximize Estate / Equalize Income | Yes | No | No | No |
| Investments | ||||
| Holdings breakdownSee individual securities + composition | Yes (Pro, via Plaid) | No | Limited | Limited |
| Per-account return ratesDifferent expected returns per account | Yes (Pro) | No | No | No |
| Real estate + rental propertiesModel home equity, rental income, and mortgage payoff | Yes | No | Limited | No |
| Canada | ||||
| Canadian bank CSV formatsRBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank auto-detection | Yes | No | No | No |
| RRSP / TFSA / FHSA contribution roomTrack registered account room, warnings on over-contribution | Yes | No | No | No |
| Canadian tax engineFederal + provincial brackets, credits, clawbacks | Yes | No | No | No |
| French-language interfaceFR + EN + ES, which matters for Quebec users | Yes | No | No | No |
| Platform | ||||
| Mobile appNative iOS / Android | iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes (iOS only) |
| Offline-firstWorks without internet, syncs later | Yes | No | No | No |
| Local-only modeData stays on device, no account required | Yes | No | No | No |
| PDF exportPrintable report for spouse or advisor | Yes (Pro) | No | Limited | No |
Full feature list
| Feature | cinder.fiThat’s us | YNABChecked May 26, 2026 | MonarchChecked May 26, 2026 | CopilotChecked May 26, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core budgeting | ||||
| Income tracking + savings rateTag income transactions, compute how much you're saving | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transaction management | ||||
| Transaction reconciliationMatch cleared transactions against bank statements | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Manual transaction entryQuick-add bar for cash purchases | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Investments & net worth | ||||
| Net worth trackingAggregate all accounts into a single number | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Investment account balancesTrack RRSP, TFSA, 401(k), IRA, brokerage accounts | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Platform & privacy | ||||
| Web appUse from any browser | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (iOS + Mac only) |
Prices and features were checked on the dates shown. They change, so each name links to its own site. “Not stated” means we couldn’t confirm it from their public pages.
Where the others are better
- YNABEnvelope-style, zero-based budgeting is what it’s built for.
- MonarchClean visuals and bank sync, with net worth tracking alongside.
- CopilotBank sync and net worth tracking, on iPhone and Mac.
Also compare
Bringing your data over
Bring your history with you. cinder.fi syncs live with YNAB, imports Copilot exports, and reads CSV and OFX files from Canadian and US banks (Pro). You can try the whole planner before you make an account.
Checking our numbers against theirs
Put your numbers into cinder.fi and compare its answer with the tool you use now. If they disagree, the “How we got” section shows every rule behind ours.
Try it with my numbersFrequently asked questions
Why compare a retirement planner to budgeting apps?
Because spending is the biggest variable in retirement planning. Most retirement tools use a single annual estimate. Most budgeting tools never connect to projections. cinder.fi does both: your real spending feeds 50-year, tax-aware projections, so you can see how this month's spending moves your retirement date.
Is cinder.fi a replacement for YNAB?
It depends on what you need. If you want envelope-style zero-based budgeting with detailed rules and reporting, YNAB is purpose-built for that. If you want category budgeting that connects to retirement projections, tax-aware withdrawal strategies, and a retirement readiness score, cinder.fi covers both in one tool. Many users run both: YNAB for daily discipline, cinder.fi for the long-term picture.
Can I import my YNAB data into cinder.fi?
Yes. cinder.fi has a live YNAB API sync. Connect with a personal access token and it pulls transactions, category budgets, and account balances automatically. It also imports YNAB CSV exports if you prefer a one-time import.
Does cinder.fi support bank sync like Monarch Money?
Yes, via Plaid. Free users get 1 institution and 1 account synced free forever. Pro users get unlimited Plaid connections. Transactions auto-categorize and feed into your retirement projections.
Is Mint still available?
No. Intuit shut down Mint in early 2024 and migrated users to Credit Karma. Credit Karma tracks spending but has no budgeting tools, no category targets, and no retirement projections. If you used Mint and want budgeting and planning in one app, that is what cinder.fi is built for.
Built by the cinder.fi team, so we have a horse in this race. Where YNAB, Monarch, or Copilot do something we don't (like envelope budgeting or an Android app), the row says so. If you spot something wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
Budget today. See the timeline.
Start with a spending pattern, then connect the real data.
Start with your situation