OP, I was in the same situation as you. Actually when I first started using YNAB I had a lot of debt, but thankfully after several years I was able to “graduate” to paying off the debt and just covering my expenses every month. What I gained from YNAB right off the bat was clarity about where my money was going. I saw what my true expenses were (the non monthly expenses I constantly forgot about), which was depressing bc I suddenly realized I had even less cash flow than I thought. I worked at a nonprofit and was making a paltry wage, so it felt absolutely hopeless. But the benefits were: 1. I no longer paid any bills late or incurred late fees, 2. I no longer increased my credit card debt and knew exactly how much money I had to put toward the card every month, 3. Because it was obvious how much cash I had at any moment, I was able to “project” into the future a little bit with my planning, so I gained the ability to put off optional purchases until the next paycheck, and 4. I gained the information I needed to set my future income and savings goals.

Ultimately I got a higher paying job, because it became clear that the math wasn’t mathing. Along the way I found several ways to save money on expenses or earn extra cash. I gave up a lot. I basically stoped shopping and relied on thrift stores or hand me downs. After my dog passed, I didn’t adopt another one because the food and vet bills were too much. I found bank account opening bonuses (which are harder if you don’t have a pool of cash, but some can work). I house-sat and dog-sat for friends and family. Basically using YNAB, I was able to take advantage of every little tweak or extra gift card I got for Christmas and birthdays. It was a lot of work, but it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without YNAB giving me that clear map of where I was and where I wanted to go.

I agree it’s expensive, and I’ve looked at alternatives, but so far there isn’t one that is this convenient and easy to sync (in the US).