Local-first personal finance tool based on zero-sum budgeting, supporting synchronization across devices, custom rules, manual transaction importing (from QIF, OFX, and QFX files), and optional….
- MIT
- TypeScript
- Docker
- Actively maintained
Finance & Budgeting comparison
Actual Budget vs Firefly III: which should you self-host in 2026?
Pick Actual Budget for fast, local-first envelope budgeting that syncs across devices; pick Firefly III for detailed double-entry tracking of every account with rules and reports.
Both are open source and run on your own server. Below: a side-by-side of license, stack and features, live GitHub activity, and our verdict on who should pick which.
Firefly III is a modern financial manager. It helps you to keep track of your money and make budget forecasts. It supports credit cards, has an advanced rule engine and can import data from many….
- AGPL-3.0
- PHP
- Docker
- Actively maintained
Head-to-head
Actual Budget vs Firefly III, side by side
Hand-checked differences first, then live numbers from GitHub, refreshed with every catalog update.
| Aspect |  Actual Budget |  Firefly III |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language/stack | TypeScript (Node.js) sync server with a React app | PHP on Laravel |
| Architecture | Local-first: data lives on each device and syncs end-to-end via the server | Classic server app with MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite |
| Budgeting model | Envelope (zero-based) budgeting | Double-entry bookkeeping with budgets, categories and piggy banks |
| Bank import | File import plus optional bank sync via GoCardless or SimpleFIN | Separate Data Importer tool for files and bank providers |
| Mobile apps | Responsive web app usable on phones, plus desktop apps | No official app; third-party clients use its REST API |
| GitHub stars | 29,330 | 24,832 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 1,392 | 2,574 |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v26.10.0Oct 2, 2026 | v6.7.7Oct 3, 2026 |
| Main language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| Repository | actualbudget/actual | firefly-iii/firefly-iii |
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps. GitHub figures come from the public API. Highlighted values are the higher of the two.
Verdict
Actual Budget is the better choice if you budget with envelopes (YNAB style) and want a fast app that works offline and syncs through a small server. Firefly III is a full personal finance manager built on double-entry bookkeeping, with a powerful rules engine, recurring transactions and detailed reports, suited to people who want to track everything rather than plan a budget.
Best for
Choose Actual Budget for
YNAB-style zero-based budgeting with offline-first sync.
Best for
Choose Firefly III for
Detailed double-entry tracking, rules and reporting.
Deploy either in minutes
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Is Actual Budget a YNAB alternative?
Yes. It uses the same envelope, zero-based budgeting method and is commonly used as a self-hosted YNAB replacement.
Can Firefly III connect to my bank?
Through the separate Firefly III Data Importer, which imports CSV files and supports some bank data providers.
Which is lighter to run?
Actual's sync server is very small because most work happens in the client. Firefly III needs a PHP stack and a database, though it still runs on a small VPS.
Which is more popular on GitHub, Actual Budget or Firefly III?
Actual Budget has 29,330 GitHub stars against 24,832 for Firefly III. Over the last twelve months Actual Budget received 1,392 commits and Firefly III received 2,574, so Firefly III is the more actively developed of the two right now. Stars measure interest, not fit, so weigh them against the differences above.