Kresus Review (2026): France only
Kresus is a free, self-hosted web app that pulls transactions from French banks, about 85 bank modules in all, and lets you categorize them and set a budget. It is not usable with US bank accounts: its bank list has no US checking or savings banks. It fits people with French accounts who run their own server.
By Wealthy Pot Editorial · Facts checked October 18, 2026
Facts checked October 18, 2026 against Kresus'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 Kresus.
Kresus at a glance
| Price | Free and libre, runs on your server [1] |
|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later [4] |
| Latest release | 0.26.0, September 25, 2026 [6] |
| Maintenance | Active; commits through October 9, 2026 [7] |
| Banks | 85 active bank modules, almost all French; no US checking or savings banks [5] |
| How it connects | Logs into your bank's website with your username and password through Woob, a browser-imitating tool [3] |
| Install options | npm, Docker, YunoHost, an Arch Linux package, or from source [2] |
| Requirements | Node.js 24 or newer; Woob (Python) for bank fetching [4] |
| File import | OFX files and Kresus JSON backups [9] |
| Platforms | Web app from your server, tested on mobile browsers; no native app [11] |
| Budgets and alerts | Categories, charts, a budget view, and email alerts when a transaction or balance crosses a threshold [1] |
What Kresus costs
| Plan | Paying monthly, 1 year | Annual plan, 1 year | 3 years (cheapest way) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | - | $0 |
Our arithmetic from the listed prices, before sales tax, assuming today's prices hold; subscriptions can renew at a different rate. Kresus has no paid tier or hosted service; the developers accept donations through Liberapay. Your only cost is the server you run it on.
How Kresus works
Kresus runs on your server and fetches transactions each night. To do that it uses Woob, which imitates a web browser and logs into your bank's website with your own username and password. There is no bank API or aggregator in between, which is why it only works where a Woob bank module exists.
A hypothetical setup: you hold a checking account at a French bank and set a monthly budget of 400 euros for groceries. Each night Kresus pulls new transactions, you assign them to categories (or rename them so they are easier to read), and an email alert fires if any single charge goes over 100 euros or your balance drops below a threshold you set.
For accounts without a bank module, a manual provider lets you enter transactions yourself, and you can import OFX files. The bank list does include a few US card issuers, such as American Express and Citibank, but no US checking or savings banks, so a US household could not track its main accounts with it.
Pros
- Automatic nightly import from about 85 French bank modules
- Email alerts on large transactions and low balances
- Several install routes, including Docker and YunoHost
- Independent, actively developed open-source project
Cons
- No US checking or savings banks
- Needs your bank login stored on your server
- Standalone mode leaves data, including the bank password, unencrypted
- No native phone app
Who Kresus fits, and who should skip it
A good fit if
- You have bank accounts in France and want them pulled automatically.
- You self-host and are comfortable with npm, Docker or YunoHost.
- You want charts, budgets and threshold alerts without a commercial service.
Look elsewhere if
- Your accounts are at US banks: Actual Budget (SimpleFIN for US bank sync) or Firefly III are self-hosted options that can work with US banks.
- You do not want your bank password stored on your server: HomeBank works from bank files you download.
- You do not want to run a server at all: Monarch Money is a hosted app for US and Canadian users.
Limitations to know
- The bank list has 85 active modules, almost all French; no US checking or savings banks appear. [5]
- Bank fetching depends on screen-scraping your bank's website, so it works only where a Woob module exists. [3]
- You need Node.js 24 or newer plus Woob, a separate Python tool, on your server. [4]
Kresus compared with alternatives
| App | Price | Free plan | Bank sync | Platforms | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kresus | Free (self-host) | Yes | French banks only (Woob scraping) | Web, Self-host | Tagging + rules |
| 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 |
| Firefly III | Free (self-host only) | Yes | Via Data Importer (SimpleFIN or Sophtron in the US) | Web, Self-host | Double-entry + rules |
| HomeBank | Free | Yes | Bank file import only (OFX/QFX/QIF/CSV) | Desktop | Category + reports |
| Money Manager Ex | Free | Yes | Bank file import only (QIF/CSV/OFX) | Desktop, iOS, Android | Category budgets |
- Pick Actual Budget if you bank in the US and want a self-hosted budget with optional bank sync.
- Pick Firefly III if you want a self-hosted app with rules, an API and US bank import through SimpleFIN or Sophtron.
- Pick HomeBank if you would rather import bank files than store your bank password.
- Pick Money Manager Ex if you want a free desktop tracker with an encrypted database.
Security and privacy
- Kresus logs into your bank with your real credentials, so your bank password has to be stored on your server. [3]
- The FAQ warns that in standalone mode no data is encrypted, not even your banking password, and advises encrypting the disk. [3]
- The developers say they are independent and not affiliated with Woob or any company. [1]
Recent changes
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | Kresus 0.26.0 released. [8] |
Kresus FAQ
Does Kresus work with US banks?
No. Its bank modules are almost all French; a few US card issuers are listed, but no US checking or savings banks.
Is Kresus safe?
It stores your bank login on your own server. The FAQ says standalone mode encrypts nothing, not even the bank password, and recommends encrypting the disk.
How do I install Kresus?
Through npm, Docker, YunoHost, an Arch Linux package or from source. It needs Node.js 24 or newer, plus Woob for bank fetching.
Is Kresus free?
Yes. It is free software under AGPL-3.0-or-later, and the developers accept donations through Liberapay.
How we researched this review
We did not get paid or receive a free account for this page. We read Kresus'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 Kresus. Cost figures are our own arithmetic. We re-check prices and plans about once a month and log changes in the table above.
Sources
- Kresus, Homepage, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, Installation, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, FAQ, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, package.json, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, Bank module list (banks.json), checked October 18, 2026.
- npm, kresus package, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, Commit history (GitHub mirror), checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, Releases (GitHub mirror), checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, Import settings source, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, Bank providers source, checked October 18, 2026.
- Kresus, GitHub mirror, checked October 18, 2026.
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This review is for general information, not financial advice. Prices and features change; check the vendor's site before you subscribe.