# Actual Budget vs Firefly III

> 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.

## 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 Actual Budget: YNAB-style zero-based budgeting with offline-first sync
- Best for Firefly III: Detailed double-entry tracking, rules and reporting

## Key differences

| 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 numbers

| Metric | Actual Budget | Firefly III |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 29,330 | 24,832 |
| Forks | 3,093 | 2,317 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 1,392 | 2,574 |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v26.10.0 | v6.7.7 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| License type | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| Repository | https://github.com/actualbudget/actual | https://github.com/firefly-iii/firefly-iii |

App pages: [Actual Budget](https://appsgit.com/apps/actual), [Firefly III](https://appsgit.com/apps/firefly-iii)

## FAQ

### 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.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/actual-vs-firefly-iii
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