Actual Budget
Actual Budget is a privacy‑focused, open‑source personal budgeting app built around envelope (zero‑based) budgeting. It stores primary data locally, offers an offline‑first client experience across desktop and PWA platforms, and supports optional end‑to‑end encrypted multi‑device sync.
This tool is aimed at people who want strict category‑based budgeting while retaining full control over their financial data — especially privacy‑minded users and technically capable individuals or organizations that may want to self‑host the sync backend.
Use Cases
- Individuals practicing envelope or zero‑based budgeting who want a focused, category‑driven workflow.
- Privacy‑conscious users who prefer data kept on their devices and only synced via encrypted channels they control.
- Technical users or small teams that want to run a self‑hosted sync server (Docker support) to retain ownership of backend infrastructure and data.
- Users who need reliable offline operation and cross‑platform access (Windows, macOS, Linux, PWA for mobile).
- People who value open‑source transparency and the ability to export or audit their financial data.
Strengths
- Local‑first data model: Primary data lives on the user’s device, improving privacy and enabling offline use.
- Envelope (zero‑based) budgeting: Designed to assign every dollar a purpose, which helps compare planned vs. actual spending and enforce discipline.
- Optional end‑to‑end encrypted sync: Multi‑device convenience without handing readable data to a third party; encryption keys are user‑controlled.
- Self‑hostable sync server (Docker friendly): Official guidance and images make it practical to run your own sync backend for full data ownership.
- Cross‑platform clients and PWA: Desktop apps for major OSes plus a Progressive Web App give broad device coverage.
- Standard finance tooling: Built‑in accounts, scheduled transactions, reporting, and export capabilities for portability.
- Open source and active community: Public code, documentation, and a steady release cadence increase transparency and maintenance visibility.
Limitations
- Limited bank integrations: Compared with many commercial platforms, Actual Budget emphasizes manual entry and has fewer built‑in bank aggregation features.
- Self‑hosting requires technical skill: Running a sync server entails Docker, hosting, TLS, backups, and updates — not ideal for non‑technical users.
- Mobile experience is PWA‑centric: Native iOS/Android apps are less central; some mobile behaviors and notifications may be less polished.
- Feature parity: Certain advanced features present in mature paid services may be missing or still evolving; audit for critical gaps before migrating.
- Operational responsibility: If you self‑host, you must handle backups, uptime, and updates yourself.
Final Thoughts
Actual Budget is a strong choice when control, privacy, and a disciplined envelope workflow matter more than automated bank imports. Self‑hosting the sync server is worthwhile if you or your organization value owning the backend and can accept the sysadmin overhead.
Practical advice: if you are not comfortable operating infrastructure, use the official hosted sync or follow community turnkey guides. If you self‑host, prioritize automated backups, HTTPS/TLS, regular updates, and test device sync before relying on it for daily budgeting.