Actual Budget
Actual Budget (community / Maybe Finance maintainers)
Open-source local-first envelope budgeting app. Free if you self-host on a server, Pi, or your own machine; the project also offers a paid hosted sync service.
Last updated: June 10, 2026
Best for
- Technical users who want maximum data control
- Households comfortable running a small server or container
- Privacy maximalists who want budgeting that never touches a vendor's database
Not ideal for
- Non-technical users who don't want to run a server
- Users who want a polished native mobile app
- Users who want US bank sync via Plaid (Plaid is not supported)
Pricing
$0/month
$0 self-hosted (open source). Optional managed hosting via PikaPods at approximately $1.50/month. Self-hosters never pay anything.
Platforms
| Web | Yes |
|---|---|
| iOS | Unknown |
| Android | Unknown |
| Desktop | Yes |
Features
| Bank sync | Yes |
|---|---|
| Plaid support | No |
| Manual transactions | Yes |
| Envelope budgeting | Yes |
| Zero-based budgeting | Yes |
| Couples / shared budget | Yes |
| Google Sheets integration | No |
| CSV import | Yes |
| CSV export | Yes |
| Recurring transactions | Yes |
| Bill calendar | Unknown |
| Net worth tracking | Unknown |
| Investment / portfolio tracking | Unknown |
| Savings goals | Unknown |
| Receipt scanning | Unknown |
| Stock watchlist / price alerts | Unknown |
| Annual analytics | Unknown |
Privacy
Self-hosted by default — budget data lives on the user's own machine or server. Bank sync uses SimpleFIN (US/Canada) or GoCardless (EU/UK), not Plaid. The optional hosted sync service stores end-to-end encrypted data.
Open-source code is auditable. Sync uses CRDT-based distributed-systems primitives.
Pros
- Open source and auditable
- Self-hosted option means data never leaves your infrastructure
- True envelope budgeting with multi-device sync
Cons
- Self-hosting requires technical setup (Docker / VPS / Raspberry Pi)
- No Plaid support — bank sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless only
- No first-party native iOS or Android app
Compared head-to-head
- Okane vs Actual Budget — Okane vs Actual Budget compared on data ownership, setup cost, bank sync, and platform. Both prioritize the user owning their data; the difference is whether you want to run a server.
- YNAB vs Actual Budget — YNAB vs Actual Budget: same envelope method, opposite product philosophy. YNAB is a polished $109/year hosted app; Actual is free, open source, and self-hostable.
Featured in
Alternatives
- Okane Budgeting — Mobile zero-based budgeting app backed by a Google Sheet on the user's Drive. The free tier covers budgeting, savings goals, bills, and annual analytics; $5/month Premium adds Plaid sync, on-device AI, net worth, and investment portfolio tracking.
- YNAB (You Need A Budget) — Subscription envelope-budgeting app built around the zero-based method. Web-first with iOS and Android companions. Mature ecosystem and large community; no permanent free tier.
- Tiller — Tiller pipes daily bank transactions into a Google Sheet or Excel workbook you control. Less an app than a spreadsheet automation layer with prebuilt budgeting templates.
- Goodbudget — Manual envelope-budgeting app with shared partner access. Free tier exists with envelope and account caps; the Plus tier raises the limits and adds bank import.
Sources
- Actual Budget homepage — bank sync and self-hosting — Actual Budget. Accessed May 2, 2026.
- Actual Budget — PikaPods managed hosting — Actual Budget. Accessed June 10, 2026.Verified 2026-06-10: Self-hosted is free (open source). PikaPods managed hosting approximately $1.50/month.
- Actual Budget GitHub — Actual Budget. Accessed May 2, 2026.