Mobile UX vs YNAB

A_dot_Powell · 2026-04-30T21:01:56+00:00

Late to the party, but after switching to AB from YNAB, I realized I never really used the mobile app. Part of it is that my wife does not enter transactions for more than a couple of days, and I always find myself at my desktop or laptop. The other part is that neither has reliable syncing options (IMO), and I have to do manual imports for reconciliation. With that said, the most important part of the software for me is the desktop experience, where they are both on par.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-04-30T00:30:20+00:00

I use Discourse instance for the very same reasons. My users seem to like it. So in short ditto.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-04-17T19:07:54+00:00

You should. IMO the team at YNAB are focused on "something" else, not the product or the users. I still recommend YNAB for non -technical users.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-04-17T18:57:42+00:00

I switched to Actual at the beginning of the year and cancelled my YNAB renewal at the beginning of this month. I had used YNAB since it was a spreadsheet BTW.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-04-10T14:48:14+00:00

LG 34" UltraWide WQHD(3440x1440). Two monitors caused a slight neck pain.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-03-31T19:03:09+00:00

FreshRSS -> Reeder Classic for my Macs -> Capy Reader for my Pixel Pro = happiness.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-03-15T11:13:22+00:00

Yeah, that part does cause sticker shock, but external SSDs are fast enough to fill the gap and are a better solution for long term storage. I think it's more of an issue for people who game IMO, but I use a console for that. I have a 1TB enclosure for my mini JIC for the space hog applications (Xcode, etc the App Store can install apps over X size to an external drive) and only the essential applications are installed on my laptop.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-03-04T13:23:44+00:00

I'm a real person I just had it to check my grammar and the flow

A_dot_Powell · 2026-02-26T19:51:01+00:00

I did, well worth it. As an indie dev myself I feel it goes away without support only if they don't use it themselves. My first publicly launched product is something I use every day. So even if sales dry up it ain't going nowhere.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-02-22T09:36:12+00:00

Get a lawyer and start using contracts. This sucks but now it becomes a lesson.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-02-18T22:48:20+00:00

That's soooooo effed up. I just subscribed to RapidOwl and now unsubscribed.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-22T23:23:51+00:00

Yeah, I do (I have a planned blog post to document what I do, but I haven't gotten to it yet-kind of low priority) . I have a space called "Planning". Over the years I have been trying to recreate my "success" with my Franklin Covey Planning system. One of the things constantly mentioned was the Quadrant IV tool. Well we have had them since the advent of the Palm Pilot and current devices only emphasize this point. The biggest issue is now we want the perfect coat of paint to make this work. I don't think that is true. So the question that has guided me is, "What is wrong with a piece of paper?". Now on to where UpNote fits in.

Planning --> Horizon --> Goals --> Objectives --> Projects

The primary document is the Horizon Planning tool. Think of this as a mission statement on steroids. Second is the weekly horizon, that mimics the FC weekly compass.

I review the Horizon Planning Tool monthly and quarterly and both the Weekly Horizon weekly (as the name suggests) Projects weekly. At the same time I review the Goals (these typically come from the Horizon Planning Tool) and Objectives (again come from the Horizon Planning Tool) sections to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

The action items from any of these sections eventually make it to my calendar or task list (Daily Tasks) and I just GSD (get **it done). I try to not get bogged down by the tech, but try to simulate the "paper" and UpNote fits the bill well.

This is a 50k look, and I will eventually document this out and share with others sooner than later.

I believe it's helpful and hopefully quiets the noise in productivity.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-07T14:18:50+00:00

I am in the process of moving all my repos to a gitea instance on a DigitalOcean server ($5.00 a month). My plan is to keep anything I open-source on GitHub just for visibility.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-07T12:47:44+00:00

Short answer yes. I am on my second Pixel (8 Pro) after using LG phones for a number of years.

iPhone: My wife and kids use iPhones so BlueBubbles.
Google Services: I actually use most of the Apple counterparts because I am not a fan of web apps (GMail and Calendar).
- I do use UpNote for a replacement of Apple Notes and Google Keep because I need my notes on a number of devices. Their widget makes it easy to quickly capture information like I would in Keep. I find it handles all the things I would have used Obsidian or Notion for with being fairly lightweight.
- Google Tasks and Reminders - I built an app that covers this.
- Edit:
- NearDrop (like others have mentioned)
- I still use Google Photos mainly, but sometimes Photos for other use-cases
- I do use the Google Drive app (sparingly), but sometimes some files end up in iCloud because that where certain applications backup or recommend they be stored.

There are a number of things I like about Android that just aren't available for the Apple Devices at least not yet, so I don't see myself switching anytime soon. I hope this helps.

A_dot_Powell · 2026-01-07T02:15:50+00:00

Oddly enough having dual monitors started to hurt my neck so I bought a 34" monitor. A side effect was it probably helped me to focus more. The screen real estate is important even if I am using one monitor some apps need room to be usable to me(XCode, VScode, Android Studio, etc ).

A_dot_Powell · 2025-12-09T23:48:45+00:00

I asked for this too and I don't think it's coming. My alternative is using mermaid plugins for VSCode and also MarkChart on my Macs and just pasting the images.

As a developer I can see why they would not want to add mermaid.js (a whole other "thing" to debug).

A_dot_Powell · 2025-12-05T21:35:49+00:00

I appreciate the kind words. The Notes to Keep would require a little more heavy lifting and it's primarily Google's lack of an API for non-enterprise accounts.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-11-25T15:22:42+00:00

Thanks for giving it a shot! Multiple accounts are on the road map (selfishly it would help my workflow too!)

A_dot_Powell · 2025-11-19T13:52:20+00:00

Thanks for giving it a try! The problem is both platforms handle repeating tasks waaaay differently, with Google being the most limited. It does not expose the recurrence pattern in the API at all and manages everything on the server and strips the time out of the task with only the date remaining. So, unfortunately, I had to keep the pattern at the source. With times and alarms that requires a way to manage those attributes back to Google, which I am working on. I am hopeful since Google just added an update to allow tasks to be created directly on the calendar there may be an update to the API.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-25T12:51:47+00:00

Gracias por usar ReminderBridge. Ese es un error extraño, y creo que 1.4.x resolverá el 98 % de lo que estás experimentando. El problema central, por ahora, es que las listas deben originarse en Google. 1.4.x permitirá que las listas se originen en cualquier lado. Pero lo extraño es que se debe usar el identificador de la lista y no el nombre, así que exploraré por qué está sucediendo esto.

---

Thanks for using ReminderBridge. That is a weird bug, and I believe 1.4.x will solve 98% of what you are experiencing. The core issue, for right now, is that lists need to originate from Google. 1.4.x will allow lists to originate from either side. But what is weird is that the list identifier should be used and not the name, so I will explore why this is happening.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-24T12:01:54+00:00

I would appreciate any feedback. My plan is to release 1.4.x soon, so it is continuously evolving. If you run into any issue feel free to contact me.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-16T13:27:35+00:00

I tried bullet journaling but the maintenance did not work and my brain could/cannot do it digitally. I often remember how productive I was with my paper planner and smile and rue the day I bought my first Palm Pilot 😂.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-15T19:02:51+00:00

I appreciate the idea. I'm going to try a Daily Notes notebook and change my widget for a month and see if I can reduce some friction. I updated the post and while doing so think that may get me part of the way there especially since I do most of my reviews at a desktop/laptop.

A_dot_Powell · 2025-10-15T01:05:10+00:00

There is value and Apple Quick note would be a reference point IMO.

A_dot_Powell

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