Actual Budget
$9.00 / month with a 7-day free trial and a $1.00 sign-up fee
Self-hosted, local-first envelope budgeting — the YNAB-style workflow without YNAB’s $109/year, and the Mint replacement Intuit’s shutdown left a hole for.
A managed instance of Actual Budget on ElfHosted — open-source, local-first envelope budgeting. The web app + iOS / Android / desktop clients all sync against your hosted Actual Server. Same envelope-style (“give every dollar a job”) workflow as YNAB, with no annual subscription. MIT-licensed.
Mint is gone. YNAB is $109/year. The community answer is Actual — built by ex-YNAB users, open-source, and structurally non-commercial.
What is Actual Budget?
Actual Budget is an open-source, local-first envelope-budgeting app. The model is YNAB-style ("give every dollar a job", every dollar is assigned to a category before you spend it) — the user base overlaps heavily with ex-YNAB users frustrated with YNAB's pricing, ex-Mint users displaced by Intuit's 2024 shutdown, and self-hosters who don't want their finances inside a SaaS at all.
The architecture matters: Actual is local-first, so the web app and mobile apps work fully offline. Sync happens through the Actual Server (this hosted product). Your transaction data is encrypted client-side before reaching the server, end-to-end — even ElfHosted can't read it.
Features
- 💰 Envelope budgeting (YNAB-style) — assign every incoming dollar to a category; track spending against budgeted amounts; carry over or true-up at month end.
- 📊 Reports & budget views — net worth over time, spending by category, income vs expense, year-over-year trends.
- 📱 iOS, Android, desktop, web — official apps for iOS (small one-off via App Store) and Android (free via Play Store + F-Droid); macOS / Windows / Linux desktop builds; web app accessible from any browser.
- 🔒 End-to-end encryption — your data is encrypted client-side before reaching the Actual Server. The server stores ciphertext; you (the client) hold the key. ElfHosted can't read your finances.
- 🏦 Bank syncing via SimpleFIN / GoCardless — optional automatic transaction import via SimpleFIN Bridge or GoCardless (formerly Nordigen, EU-focused). Brings the auto-import feature most users came from Mint for.
- 📥 Direct CSV / OFX / QIF import — every bank exports something Actual can ingest.
- 📜 Schedules & rules — recurring transactions ("electricity bill, 1st of month, $120"), category-rename rules, payee normalisation.
- 📤 Full data export — JSON / CSV bulk export. Your data is yours.
- 👥 Multi-user (sort of) — file sharing across devices for the same user; for genuinely separate budgets per family member, run multiple files.
- 🔓 FOSS & MIT-licensed — no premium tier, no ads, no upsell.
Actual Budget vs Other Budgeting Apps
- vs. Mint (RIP) — Intuit shut Mint down in 2024. Most ex-Mint users moved to either Credit Karma (Intuit's "successor"), Monarch, or self-hosted Actual. Actual is the answer for "I don't want my finances inside a SaaS that might shutter the moment my data isn't profitable any more".
- vs. YNAB — YNAB invented the envelope-budgeting workflow Actual implements; YNAB is also $109/year. Actual is the open-source equivalent for users who want the methodology without the subscription. Slightly less polished mobile experience; functionally close on the core workflow.
- vs. Monarch / Empower / Copilot — newer commercial budgeting/net-worth apps. Polished UIs, automatic bank-sync, varying pricing. Right for users who want SaaS polish; Actual is for users who want their data on their own server.
- vs. Firefly III — Firefly III is the other major self-hosted finance tool. Different shape: Firefly is double-entry accounting, more powerful for advanced workflows (multiple currencies, complex transfers, business-style ledger tracking) but heavier on UX. Actual is the lighter, envelope-focused choice. Pick Actual if you came from YNAB / Mint mental model; Firefly if you want full accounting.
- vs. a spreadsheet — works for simple budgets. Falls down on bank-sync, multi-device sync, mobile-friendly entry, recurring schedules, and the categorisation workflow that envelope budgeting actually requires.
Why Run Actual Budget on ElfHosted?
You can run Actual entirely locally without a server (the desktop / web apps work standalone). The hosted server is what enables multi-device sync — the iPhone app reads the same budget your laptop is editing, in real time:
- HTTPS with auto-renewing TLS — required for the iOS / Android apps to sync over cellular without VPN.
- Persistent backed-up storage — financial data deserves real backups, not "the SD card on a Pi in a closet".
- External hosting — your budget tracker shouldn't go down when your home internet does.
- End-to-end encryption is preserved — ElfHosted hosts the ciphertext; the keys never leave your client devices.
- Updates handled — Actual ships releases regularly with new features and bank-sync improvements.
- Single subscription: $9/month all-in.
Technical Specifications
- 🛠️ Software: Actual Budget (FOSS, MIT)
- 📱 Clients: iOS, Android (Play Store + F-Droid), macOS / Windows / Linux desktop, web (any modern browser)
- 🏦 Bank-sync: SimpleFIN Bridge (US-focused, paid third-party, ~$15/year), GoCardless (EU-focused, free for personal use)
- 📥 Manual import: CSV / OFX / QIF / QFX
- 🔒 Encryption: end-to-end via the Actual Server (ciphertext at rest)
- 📤 Export: full JSON / CSV bulk export
- 🔑 Subscription: $9/month — Actual itself is fully free (bank-sync via SimpleFIN/GoCardless billed separately by those services if used)
- 🌐 Access: HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain
- 🔄 Updates: handled by ElfHosted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I run Actual Budget without self-hosting it?
Add it to your ElfHosted subscription — managed Actual Server with HTTPS, persistent backed-up storage, automatic updates. Install the iOS / Android / desktop app, point at your ElfHosted subdomain, log in.
Is the data really end-to-end encrypted?
Yes — Actual encrypts client-side before sending to the server. The Actual Server stores encrypted blobs and serves them back; the encryption keys live in your client devices. ElfHosted (or anyone with access to the server) sees ciphertext, not transactions. This matters for finances more than for most other apps.
Can I auto-import transactions from my bank?
Yes, via SimpleFIN Bridge (US-focused, ~$15/year for unlimited accounts) or GoCardless (EU/UK-focused, free for personal use). Both connect to your bank's open-banking API and push transactions into Actual nightly. Pricing for those services is separate from the ElfHosted subscription.
I'm migrating from Mint. What's the path?
Mint's export gives you CSVs per account. Import each via Actual's CSV import wizard; recategorise as needed (Actual's categories don't 1:1 match Mint's). Most users start with one or two months of historical data and live forward; importing years of history is supported but rarely worth the effort.
I'm coming from YNAB. Will Actual feel familiar?
Yes — Actual was built by ex-YNAB users specifically to provide the envelope-budgeting workflow as open-source software. The UI is similar; the mental model (give every dollar a job; carry over or true-up monthly) is identical. Some YNAB-specific features (Goals, the YNAB rules engine) are simpler in Actual but cover the core workflow.
How is Actual different from Firefly III?
Actual is envelope-budgeting-focused (assign dollars to categories, track spending against budget). Firefly III is double-entry accounting (full ledger, multi-currency, business-style tracking). Different mental models. Pick Actual for personal envelope budgeting; Firefly for "I want to track my finances like an accountant".
Can my partner / family share a budget?
Yes — share the same Actual file across multiple devices. All sign in to the same account; edits sync. For separately-budgeted family members (each running their own envelopes), use separate files within the same instance.
Actual Budget is the open-source, local-first, end-to-end-encrypted answer to "Mint shut down and YNAB costs $109/year". Envelope-budgeting workflow, real mobile apps, bank-sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless. Hosted on ElfHosted with HTTPS, encrypted at rest, automatic updates for $9/month.
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