Budgeting apps ranked by where your data lives, what they store on their servers, and how their architecture limits exposure of your financial history.
Last updated: May 2, 2026
| Rank | App | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Actual Budget | Open source, self-hostable. The budget literally never leaves the user's infrastructure on the self-hosted path. Hosted sync uses end-to-end encryption per the project. |
| 2 | Okane Budgeting Operator-affiliated | Budget data is stored in a Google Sheet on the user's Google Drive — Okane does not retain a server-side copy. AI categorization runs on-device. Bank credentials handled by Plaid, not Okane. Operator-affiliated. |
| 3 | Tiller | Transactions land in a spreadsheet on the user's own Google Drive or OneDrive. Less local than Actual, less sealed than Okane (Tiller's pipeline is the aggregation layer), but the data file itself is the user's. |
| 4 | Goodbudget | Free tier is manual-only — no aggregator handles bank credentials at that tier, which removes one entire category of privacy concerns. Budget itself is stored on Goodbudget's servers. |
We rank by privacy architecture, not marketing language. Higher-ranked apps either store the budget on the user's own infrastructure (Google Drive, self-hosted server) or run categorization on-device. We do not include apps that have only published a privacy policy without an architectural distinction. App makers can submit corrections via the contact page.
See the full methodology page for how Lumis Finance handles ranking criteria, verification, and editorial disclosure.
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.
Why it's on this list: Open source, self-hostable. The budget literally never leaves the user's infrastructure on the self-hosted path. Hosted sync uses end-to-end encryption per the project.
Mobile envelope budgeting app whose backing store is a Google Sheet on the user's own Drive. Free tier with unlimited envelopes; $5/month Premium adds Plaid bank sync and on-device AI categorization.
Why it's on this list: Budget data is stored in a Google Sheet on the user's Google Drive — Okane does not retain a server-side copy. AI categorization runs on-device. Bank credentials handled by Plaid, not Okane. Operator-affiliated.
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.
Why it's on this list: Transactions land in a spreadsheet on the user's own Google Drive or OneDrive. Less local than Actual, less sealed than Okane (Tiller's pipeline is the aggregation layer), but the data file itself is the user's.
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.
Why it's on this list: Free tier is manual-only — no aggregator handles bank credentials at that tier, which removes one entire category of privacy concerns. Budget itself is stored on Goodbudget's servers.
Three architectural questions matter more than any privacy policy: (1) where the budget data is stored, (2) whether categorization happens on-device or in the cloud, and (3) who handles bank credentials. Apps that score well on these are structurally safer than apps with strong privacy language but cloud-by-default architecture.
Those apps all store transaction history on their servers as a core architectural choice. Some have good privacy policies; none have an architecture that prevents server-side access. They are not in this list because the question is privacy-first design, not privacy-aware policy.
Plaid sees bank credentials briefly during the link flow, then exchanges them for an access token. It is the standard mechanism in US fintech, used by Venmo, Robinhood, and most budgeting apps that have bank sync. Avoiding Plaid usually means either manual entry (Goodbudget free, Okane free, Actual self-host with no aggregator) or non-Plaid aggregators like SimpleFIN.