Mint & spreadsheets only tell you what you've spent, while YNAB lets you decide & adjust before you spend. YNAB lets you completely control categories, while Mint does not, & spreadsheets typically don't capture this unless very complicated or limited. Mint is linked electronically to your accounts; YNAB does not, which I think is safer, yet it supports importing downloaded transactions to replace entering manually. Even if you decide to initially not budget, YNAB gives you excellent check registers that show you cleared & uncleared balances, & easily reports on your income & expense categories. If you choose, it can run on all your computer, smartphone, & tablet devices -- I didn't have this kind of portability with a spreadsheet.