What’s your budget really about?
Zero-based budgeting means reviewing every dollar, both what comes in and where it goes. CountAbout gives you the method and the tools to build a budget you can defend. Starting at $19.99/year.
Start from zero. Justify everything.
Zero-based budgeting was developed by Peter Pyhrr in 1969 as a way to build budgets without assumptions. Instead of copying last year’s numbers, you start at zero and justify every line: every source of income, every recurring bill, every discretionary expense. If it can’t be justified, it doesn’t belong in the budget.
CountAbout brings that discipline to personal finance. Set up your budget annually, then track your progress monthly and year-to-date. And you don’t have to start cold: CountAbout can auto-populate categories and amounts based on your actual spending history, so you’re building on real data, not guesswork.
6 reasons people choose CountAbout
Question every line
Build your zero-based budget by reviewing every source of income and every expense category. Decide what belongs and what doesn’t. CountAbout auto-populates amounts from your spending history so you have real numbers to work with, not blank fields.
Your budget has a memory
Unlike apps that erase your progress each month, CountAbout tracks your spending monthly and year-to-date. Underspend on dining in January? That discipline still counts in March. Set your budget once for the year and watch how reality compares to the plan.
Categorize once, never again
CountAbout remembers every description/category pairing you make. Custom rules handle the rest. Three layers of smart auto-categorization mean less manual sorting over time.
See what’s coming before it hits
The Projected Register Balance shows your account balance on any future date based on scheduled transactions. Plan ahead with confidence. Most budgeting apps can’t do this.
$54.99/year, not $109
YNAB popularized a version of zero-based budgeting at $109/year. CountAbout gives you the real thing plus features YNAB doesn’t have: Projected Register Balance, Quicken import, Schedule C & E, for half the price.
Three data aggregators
CountAbout connects through MX, Plaid, and Yodlee: three independent aggregators for maximum bank coverage. If your bank doesn’t work on one service, it likely works on another.
Zero-based budgeting apps compared
See how CountAbout stacks up against other apps that support zero-based budgeting.
| Feature | CountAbout | YNAB | EveryDollar | Goodbudget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Price (with bank sync) | $54.99 | $109 | $179.99 (Ramsey+) | $70 |
| Basic Plan (no sync) | $19.99/yr | N/A | Free (limited) | Free (limited) |
| Free Trial | 45 days | 34 days | 14 days | 30 days |
| Zero-Based Budgeting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (envelope) |
| Year-to-Date Budget Tracking | ✓ | Monthly resets | ✗ | ✗ |
| Auto-Populate from History | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Smart Auto-Categorization | ✓ (3-layer) | Partial | ✗ | ✗ |
| Projected Register Balance | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Import from Quicken/Simplifi | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Multiple Data Aggregators | ✓ (3) | 1 | 1 | ✗ |
| Schedule C & E Tracking | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Receipt Attachments | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Net Worth Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FIRE Planning Widget | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free for Active Military | ✓ | ✓ (1 year) | ✗ | ✗ |
Zero-based budgeting with CountAbout
How does zero-based budgeting work in CountAbout?
Start by reviewing every income and expense category. Justify each one, set your amounts, and allocate until your budget balances to zero. CountAbout can auto-populate categories from your transaction history so you’re working with real data. As the year progresses, transactions download and get auto-categorized, and you see how actual spending compares to your plan.
Is CountAbout better than YNAB for zero-based budgeting?
YNAB uses an envelope method where you allocate available income to categories. CountAbout follows the original zero-based approach: review every source of income and every expense, then track progress monthly and year-to-date. CountAbout costs $54.99/year vs YNAB’s $109 and includes Projected Register Balance, Quicken/Simplifi import, Schedule C & E tracking, FIRE planning, and budget tracking that doesn’t erase your progress each month.
Can I also use category-based budgeting?
Yes. CountAbout supports both zero-based and category-based budgeting. You can set spending limits by category, track year-to-date progress, or combine approaches. Switch methods anytime without losing your data.
Do I have to rebuild my budget every month?
No. Set your annual budget once, then track progress monthly and year-to-date. CountAbout shows cumulative over- and under-spending across the whole year. You can adjust at any point, but you never lose your progress at the end of the month.
Is there a free zero-based budgeting app?
CountAbout offers a 45-day free trial of all features, the longest free trial anywhere, period. After the trial, the Basic plan starts at $19.99/year. Active military members receive a permanent free Basic plan.
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True zero-based budgeting with smart tools that learn your patterns. See why people are switching to CountAbout.
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