Actual Budget
FreeOpen-source envelope budgeting app
About Actual Budget
Actual Budget is an open-source personal finance app built with JavaScript and React, using a local-first SQLite database that syncs via a lightweight self-hosted server. Around 15K GitHub stars. It was a paid product before Actual HQ shut down and released the code as open-source in 2022; the community has actively maintained and extended it since. The budgeting methodology is zero-based — every dollar gets assigned to a category, similar to YNAB — and users who commit to the approach report meaningful improvement in spending awareness. Import works from YNAB exports and OFX/QFX/CSV bank files. The sync server runs in a single Docker container. Reddit's r/selfhosted and r/personalfinance consistently recommend it as the best YNAB alternative for privacy-conscious users. Complaints: no investment tracking or net worth views, the React Native mobile app is functional but not as polished as YNAB's, and initial bank account setup requires manual category work. Compared to HomeBank (desktop-only) and GnuCash (accounting-focused), Actual has the best UX.
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Self-Hosted
- Free forever
- All features
- Your own server
Managed Hosting
- PikaPods/ElfHosted
- No setup required
- Automatic updates
Bank Sync Add-on
- SimpleFIN Bridge
- US/Canada banks
- Auto-import transactions
Pros
- Completely free with all features
- Local-first — fast and responsive
- End-to-end encrypted sync
- Dead simple self-hosting (single container)
- Active community development (MIT license)
- 70% cheaper than YNAB even with add-ons
Cons
- Mobile apps deprecated (web app only)
- Bank sync US/Canada only
- No investment tracking
- No REST API for automation
- Credit card handling assumes full payoff
- Plugin system not yet shipped
Best For
- YNAB users who want the same methodology without the subscription
- Privacy-conscious personal finance tracking with self-hosted sync
- Zero-based budgeting approach for households
- People who got burned by Mint shutting down
Not Ideal For
- Users who need investment portfolio tracking
- People wanting fully automated bank transaction sync (requires manual import or third-party sync tools)
Potential Deal Breakers
- No investment or net worth tracking
- Mobile app is less polished than YNAB
- Bank sync requires manual import or third-party tools — no native automatic sync
Data & Privacy
Open-source personal finance. Self-hosted keeps all financial data on your server. Optional sync server uses end-to-end encryption. No telemetry. No data collection. Complete financial data sovereignty.
Who Is This For?
Hands-on tested May 2026
Signup Experience
No account needed — download the desktop app or deploy the server version via Docker. The self-hosted server runs in minutes and the web interface is accessible immediately. First-time setup asks you to create a budget file and walks through adding your accounts with opening balances. Importing existing transactions from a bank export in OFX or QIF format populates the register immediately. The envelope budgeting workflow assigns every dollar a category before spending — the interface guides you through this on first use.
For Home Users
The best free alternative to YNAB for households committed to envelope budgeting. Self-hosting is free with no subscription, no usage limits, and no data leaving your machine. The budgeting methodology — assign income to categories before spending it — is identical to YNAB and effective for anyone who has struggled with traditional budget spreadsheets. The interface is clean and the mobile app syncs with the self-hosted server. Trade-offs versus YNAB: no direct bank connection (manual import or OFX files), and the setup requires more technical comfort. For households willing to do manual imports, Actual Budget delivers the same methodology at zero cost.
For Business Users
Actual Budget is a personal finance tool with no meaningful business features. There are no multi-user accounts, no accounts payable or receivable workflows, no invoicing, and no tax reporting. Small business accounting requires a dedicated tool like Wave, QuickBooks, or Xero. Actual Budget is best treated as a personal household budgeting tool and evaluated only against other personal finance apps rather than business accounting software.
Our Verdict
Actual Budget is the best self-hosted personal finance app and the zero-based methodology works. The mobile app is passable but not YNAB-level polished. If you're paying YNAB $99/year and want the same approach for free, this is your answer.