Actual Budget Review (2026)
Actual Budget is a free, open-source envelope budget that keeps your data on your own devices and syncs through a server you control. It suits people who like the YNAB style of budgeting but do not want a subscription or a company holding their data. Expect some setup: syncing between devices needs a server, and US bank sync goes through SimpleFIN Bridge at $15 a year.
By Wealthy Pot Editorial · Facts checked October 18, 2026
Facts checked October 18, 2026 against Actual Budget's own pricing, help and policy pages (11 sources, listed below). We re-check prices about once a month. We do not earn a commission from Actual Budget.
Actual Budget at a glance
| Price | Free, open source (MIT license) [2] |
|---|---|
| Hosted option | PikaPods, about $1.50 a month (as of November 2025), with a $5 sign-up credit [6] |
| US bank sync | SimpleFIN Bridge: $1.50 a month or $15 a year, plus tax, up to 25 institutions [8] |
| Other bank sync | Enable Banking (Europe), Akahu (New Zealand), Pluggy.ai (Brazil) [7] |
| Platforms | Desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux; web app from your server [4] |
| Phones | No native app; the web app can be installed on a phone and works offline [4] |
| Self-hosting | Docker image (actualbudget/actual-server), command-line server, or from source [5] |
| File import | QIF, OFX, QFX, CAMT.053, CSV; importers for YNAB 4 and the current YNAB [1] |
| Budgeting method | Envelope budgeting: you budget only money you already have [1] |
| Encryption | Optional end-to-end encryption of budget data [9] |
| Maintenance | Monthly releases; latest v26.10.0 on October 2, 2026 [10] |
What Actual Budget costs
| Plan | Paying monthly, 1 year | Annual plan, 1 year | 3 years (cheapest way) | Annual plan saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedesktop app or your own server | $0 | - | $0 | - |
| PikaPods hostingoptional; about $1.50 a month as of November 2025 | $18 | - | $54 | - |
| SimpleFIN Bridgeoptional US bank sync; plus tax | $18 | $15 | $45 | $3 (17%) |
Our arithmetic from the listed prices, before sales tax, assuming today's prices hold; subscriptions can renew at a different rate. Actual itself is free. You pay only for optional extras from other companies: a hosted server (PikaPods, about $1.50 a month per Actual's docs, with a $5 credit at sign-up that covers roughly 3 months) and US bank sync (SimpleFIN Bridge, $15 a year plus tax). Running the server on your own computer or home server costs nothing extra. PikaPods donates 20% of the fees from Actual servers to the project.
How Actual Budget works
Actual is local-first: your budget lives on your device and syncs in the background through a server. You can run the desktop app alone on one computer, run the server yourself with Docker, or rent one on PikaPods. The server also serves a web version you can install on a phone.
Budgeting follows the envelope method: you budget only the money you have and move it into categories. A hypothetical month: $3,200 lands in checking, and you fill Rent with $1,300, Groceries with $500, Utilities with $200, Savings with $400 and spread the remaining $800 across smaller envelopes. When you overspend Dining by $40, you cover it from another envelope, and money left in a category rolls into next month.
Transactions arrive by file import (OFX, QFX, QIF, CSV, CAMT.053) or, if you set it up, through bank sync with your own provider account. Rules clean up payees and categories, schedules handle recurring bills, and reports cover net worth, cash flow and custom views. If you are leaving YNAB, built-in importers bring your history over.
Pros
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Your data stays on your devices, with optional end-to-end encryption
- Imports YNAB history and the common bank file formats
- Active project with monthly releases
- Bank sync available in the US, Europe, New Zealand and Brazil
Cons
- Syncing between devices means running or renting a server
- No native iPhone or Android app
- US bank sync is a separate paid service you set up yourself
- Help comes from docs, Discord and GitHub, not a support team
Who Actual Budget fits, and who should skip it
A good fit if
- You like YNAB-style envelope budgeting but do not want a subscription.
- You want your budget data on your own devices or your own server.
- You are comfortable running a Docker container, or will pay a few dollars for PikaPods to do it.
Look elsewhere if
- You do not want any setup: YNAB does the same method as a hosted service.
- You want polished native phone apps: Monarch Money has them.
- You want strict double-entry accounting with investments: Firefly III or GnuCash go further.
Limitations to know
- Bank sync needs a server and your own account with a provider such as SimpleFIN Bridge. [7]
- Automatic bank sync is off by default and runs only while Actual is open. [7]
- GoCardless, a former European provider, is not accepting new accounts; new European users need Enable Banking. [7]
- There are no native mobile apps; phones use the installable web app. [4]
Actual Budget compared with alternatives
| App | Price | Free plan | Bank sync | Platforms | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual Budget | Free (self-host); hosting about $1.50/mo (PikaPods); US bank sync needs SimpleFIN ($15/yr) | Yes | Via SimpleFIN ($15/yr), US | Web, Desktop, Self-host | Envelope / zero-based, local-first |
| YNAB | $14.99/mo · $109/yr (34-day trial; free 365-day trial for college students) | No | Yes (Plaid, MX) | iOS, Android, Web | Zero-based envelope |
| Firefly III | Free (self-host only) | Yes | Via Data Importer (SimpleFIN or Sophtron in the US) | Web, Self-host | Double-entry + rules |
| Goodbudget | Free (10 regular + 10 annual envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices); Premium $10/mo · $80/yr | Yes | Premium only (Plaid), US banks | iOS, Android, Web | Digital envelope (manual) |
| Tiller | $99/yr (30-day trial; annual only) | No | Yes (Yodlee, Plaid) | Web | Spreadsheet (Sheets/Excel) |
- Pick YNAB if you want the same envelope method with no setup and native phone apps.
- Pick Firefly III if you want a self-hosted, double-entry system with more accounting detail.
- Pick Goodbudget if you want free envelopes in a hosted app and will enter spending by hand.
- Pick Tiller if you would rather have bank feeds in a spreadsheet you control.
Security and privacy
- Actual is a local app: data is stored on your device and synced through a server you choose. [1]
- End-to-end encryption of budget data is optional and must be turned on. [9]
- Bank sync tokens stored on the server are not covered by end-to-end encryption, so whoever runs the server (you, or a host such as PikaPods) can access them. [9]
- The source code is public on GitHub, so anyone can inspect how data is handled. [3]
Recent changes
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | Release 26.10.0: faster transaction editing, an in-app Notifications page and an experimental sidebar with account groups. [11] |
| Invalid Date | GoCardless listed as not accepting new accounts; Enable Banking, Akahu and Pluggy.ai listed as bank-sync providers. [7] |
Actual Budget FAQ
Is Actual Budget really free?
Yes. The software is free and open source under the MIT license. Optional extras from other companies cost money: hosting on PikaPods (about $1.50 a month) and US bank sync through SimpleFIN Bridge ($15 a year plus tax).
Can Actual Budget connect to US banks?
Yes, through SimpleFIN Bridge, which you subscribe to separately. You need a running Actual server to use bank sync.
Do I need to self-host Actual Budget?
Not for one computer: the desktop app works on its own. To sync between devices or use it on a phone, you need a server, either your own or a hosted one such as PikaPods.
Can I import my YNAB budget into Actual?
Yes. Actual has built-in importers for both YNAB 4 and the current YNAB.
Is there an Actual Budget app for iPhone or Android?
There is no native app. You install the web app from your server on your phone, and it works offline.
How we researched this review
We did not get paid or receive a free account for this page. We read Actual Budget's own pricing page, help center, security and privacy pages and app-store listing on October 18, 2026, quoted each fact from those pages, and link every one below. We did not run a long-term hands-on test, so we do not score the app; where a point rests on what the company says rather than something we can check, we attribute it to Actual Budget. Cost figures are our own arithmetic. We re-check prices and plans about once a month and log changes in the table above.
Sources
- Actual Budget, Homepage, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget on GitHub, LICENSE (MIT), checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget on GitHub, Repository, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget Docs, Installing Actual, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget Docs, Docker, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget Docs, PikaPods, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget Docs, Bank sync, checked October 18, 2026.
- SimpleFIN Bridge, Pricing, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget Docs, Syncing data and end-to-end encryption, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget on GitHub, Release v26.10.0, checked October 18, 2026.
- Actual Budget Blog, Release 26.10.0, checked October 18, 2026.
See every option in our budgeting apps comparison, and set your category targets with the free budget calculator.
This review is for general information, not financial advice. Prices and features change; check the vendor's site before you subscribe.