Best budget spreadsheet in 2026: one-time templates vs subscription apps
Should I buy a budget spreadsheet or pay for a budgeting app?
If you are happy to type or paste your transactions, a one-time spreadsheet costs less than one month of most budgeting apps and works offline in Excel or Google Sheets. If you want bank sync done for you, a subscription service such as YNAB or Tiller does that for a yearly fee.
How we compared
- One-time or subscription
- Bank sync or manual entry
- Price as published
The options
| Option | Published price | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centwren Budget Planner (CyberMax) | from $12 | Monthly budget, 12 month tabs, sinking funds and net worth; Excel and Google Sheets; One payment, no subscription | Store page |
| YNAB | $14.99/month or $109/year | Pick it if you want bank sync and the YNAB method in an app | Their page |
| Tiller | $99/year | Pick it if you want bank transactions fed into your own spreadsheet automatically | Their page |
| Smart Budgeting Template (Kappa Templates, Gumroad) | $15 | Pick it if you prefer that template's layout | Their page |
Rival prices as shown on each seller's own page, checked 2026-10-17. Prices change; check the seller's page before buying. Options whose price we could not confirm on that day are left out.
What Centwren Budget Planner includes
- Monthly budget, 12 month tabs, sinking funds and net worth
- Excel and Google Sheets
- One payment, no subscription
- Free printable preview
Centwren Budget Planner: Know where every dollar goes, all year
from $12Know where every dollar goes, all year
Secure checkout · 14-day fix-or-refund if it doesn't work as described (terms)Free how-tos
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Free: the Free Planner Sampler
4 printable previews (budget, debt payoff, focus planner, habit tracker), then 5 short emails with formulas that make a budget stick.