FIFirefly III
Use with conditions
Self-host personal income, expenses, budgets, and financial reports, keeping records in a system you manage.
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ACActual Budget
Finance & Bookkeeping
Organize personal income, expenses, and budgets using local-first envelope budgeting.
Use with conditions
Last updatedRelease 2026-09-01
Open source licenseMIT
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
DeploymentDesktop
About this project
Actual Budget is a local-first personal finance application for organizing spending and budgets. It offers device synchronization alongside desktop and server-based ways to run the software. A user can work with a local desktop application or operate an instance that their devices connect to. These deployment choices determine how the application is run and maintained.
Its envelope-budgeting workflow assigns money already available to categories such as rent, groceries, and utilities. Spending draws on those allocations, which can be adjusted as priorities change. When new income arrives, users fund the categories that need it. The guide also describes holding money for the next month instead of treating future income as money already available.
The repository lists local applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Docker self-hosting, and hosted options including PikaPods and Fly.io. Choosing a server involves maintaining that instance separately from everyday budgeting. Migration has its own documentation, so moving an existing budget requires selecting a process appropriate to the source of the records being transferred.
Decision guide
01
Why it is worth a look
- Envelope budgeting and account management in one application
- First-party usage or installation documentation is available
- A verifiable formal release record is available
02
Before you use it
- The desktop application can be used locally
- Cross-device and bank synchronization require an additional server
- Bank synchronization availability requires separate verification of region, provider, and account
- Keep an independent budget backup
Manual setupLow
With an AI agentLow
DeploymentDesktop
Additional requirementsNot verified
Download the desktop application from the official page; Some requirements have not been verified. Check the official setup instructions.
03
What it can do
- Envelope budgeting
- Account management
- Locally stored budget data
- Optional cross-device synchronization
Who it fits
Good for
People who want to manage budgets locally; People willing to organize personal financial records regularly
Not a fit
Unwilling to organize financial records and maintain local backups; Only accepting a workflow without checking permissions and data backups
Getting started
- Download the desktop application from the official page
- Create a local budget and accounts
- Allocate funds using envelope budgeting
- Choose an officially listed synchronization deployment when cross-device access is needed