★ GitHub Connect
YNAB alternative

Looking for a YNAB MCP server?

YNAB has no official MCP server, so it can't live inside Claude or ChatGPT. MyFinance MCP does the same tracking by conversation: no envelope homework, no subscription, free and open source.

The short answer

No, YNAB has no hosted MCP server.

No official one. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT use outside tools. Community-built YNAB bridges exist on GitHub, but they need your YNAB API token, a server you run yourself and some configuration; there is no hosted, sign-in-and-go option from YNAB. MyFinance MCP is MCP-native: paste one URL into your AI client, sign in, done.

What you get instead

The same tracking, just by talking

log

Plain-language logging

"Spent 24.50 eur on groceries at Lidl" is the whole workflow. Category, currency and date extracted for you.

scan

Receipt photos

Snap a receipt; your AI parses it in the chat and saves the line items. Images never reach the server.

import

Statement import

Drop a CSV or PDF export: hundreds of rows in one call, duplicates detected, totals reconciled.

cap

Budgets

Monthly caps per category or overall, with live progress. Alerts only when you actually exceed one.

fx

Any currency

Log in whatever you paid in; summaries answer in your base currency with the rate frozen at transaction date.

own

Open source and yours

MIT-licensed. Full CSV export anytime, instant account deletion, self-hosting supported.

YNAB vs. MyFinance MCP

How they stack up

YNAB

  • No official MCP server; community bridges need your API token and a server you run
  • The envelope method works only if you keep working it
  • About $109/year at the time of writing
  • Bank import centered on US and Canada

MyFinance MCP

  • Hosted MCP server: paste the URL, sign in, done
  • Zero method: say what you spent, budgets are optional caps
  • Free while in beta, open source (MIT)
  • Any currency, any bank via statement import

YNAB's envelope method genuinely works for people who work the method. This page is for everyone who stopped.

Moving from YNAB

Leaving the envelopes behind

YNAB's power comes from a discipline: give every dollar a job, reconcile, repeat. When life gets busy the envelopes drift, and the app turns into a chore backlog. Conversational tracking removes the ceremony: you log by saying what happened, and budgets are simple monthly caps that alert only when exceeded.

Moving is quick. Export your register as CSV from YNAB, drop it into the chat, and the importer deduplicates and reconciles it. Your history survives; the homework does not.

How to switch

Connect in under a minute

Works with any MCP client that supports OAuth 2.0 with PKCE. On first connect you sign in with Google or register with an email and password.

  1. Open Claude and click Customize
  2. Click Connectors
  3. Click +, then Add custom connector
  4. Name it, for example "MyFinance"
  5. Paste https://myfinance-mcp.com/mcp into Remote MCP server URL
  6. Leave the OAuth Client ID and Client Secret fields empty
  7. Click Add, then Connect and sign in

On ChatGPT: Settings, then Apps, then Create app with the same URL using OAuth. Full guide on the home page.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Does YNAB have an MCP server?

No official hosted one. YNAB cannot run inside Claude or ChatGPT directly. MyFinance MCP is built as an MCP server, so it connects with one URL and an OAuth sign-in.

Can I import my YNAB data?

Yes. Export your register as CSV from YNAB and drop it into the chat. The importer handles deduplication and reconciles the total.

Is MyFinance MCP free?

Yes, free while in beta. No ads, no card required. It is open source under MIT, so self-hosting is always an option too.

Does it work with ChatGPT?

Yes. Settings, then Apps, then create a custom app with the server URL using OAuth. It works on every ChatGPT plan, and with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf and any MCP client with OAuth.

Is my data private?

Your data is linked to your account and only you can access it. EU hosting, row-level isolation, no amounts or merchants in server logs, and receipt photos never reach the server at all.

Last updated: July 16, 2026.

Mint, YNAB, Monarch Money, Lunch Money, Copilot Money, Actual Budget, Firefly III, PocketGuard and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. MyFinance MCP is an independent, open-source project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Comparisons reflect publicly available information at the time of writing and may change.

Track money inside the AI you already use.

Free and open source. It works with Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP client.