OpenBudgeteer Review (2026)
OpenBudgeteer is a free, self-hosted budgeting web app that uses bucket budgeting, an approach inspired by YNAB and Buckets. It suits self-hosters who want that method without a subscription and are fine importing bank CSV files by hand. It is a one-person project with no code changes since December 2025, so weigh that before you commit your records to it.
By Wealthy Pot Editorial · Facts checked October 18, 2026
Facts checked October 18, 2026 against OpenBudgeteer's own pricing, help and policy pages (7 sources, listed below). We re-check prices about once a month. We do not earn a commission from OpenBudgeteer.
OpenBudgeteer at a glance
| Price | Free, open source (AGPL-3.0); self-hosted only [1] |
|---|---|
| Latest release | 1.11, December 17, 2025 [2] |
| Maintenance | Last commit December 17, 2025; about 10 months without changes as of October 18, 2026 [4] |
| Method | Bucket budgeting, inspired by YNAB and Buckets [1] |
| Server needs | A database (MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL) plus Redis; Docker image axelander/openbudgeteer [5] |
| Built with | .NET, with a Blazor Server web front end [1] |
| Platforms | Web app in a browser, served from your own server; no native phone or desktop app [1] |
| Bank connections | None; CSV files only, with your own delimiter and text qualifier [6] |
| Login | Web app authentication added in 1.11 (December 2025) [2] |
| Developer | One developer (TheAxelander); support through GitHub issues [1] |
What OpenBudgeteer 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. There is no paid plan or hosted version. Your only cost is the server you run it on.
How OpenBudgeteer works
OpenBudgeteer splits your money into buckets (rent, groceries, a car fund), grouped into bucket groups. Money that arrives gets assigned to buckets, spending draws them down, and the 1.11 release added a Distribute Budget action, recurring transactions, a transfer dialog and report charts per bucket and bucket group.
A hypothetical month: $3,000 of pay lands in your account. You put $1,200 in Rent, $500 in Groceries, $200 in Car Repairs and spread the remaining $1,100 over other buckets. You then download a CSV from your bank and import it; once you assign a $95 grocery charge to the Groceries bucket, that bucket shows $405 left.
Every transaction comes in through a CSV file, since there is no bank connection. Running it needs more than one container: the docs say OpenBudgeteer requires a connection to a database and to Redis.
Pros
- Free bucket budgeting you control
- Distribute Budget action and per-bucket reports in 1.11
- Official Docker image
- Documented API
Cons
- No code changes since December 2025
- Needs a database server and Redis, not just one container
- CSV import is the only way to get transactions in
- No phone app
Who OpenBudgeteer fits, and who should skip it
A good fit if
- You self-host and want YNAB-style bucket budgeting with no subscription.
- You are fine downloading a CSV from your bank every week or month.
- You already run MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL and can add Redis.
Look elsewhere if
- You want an actively developed self-hosted budget: Actual Budget uses a similar method and has optional US bank sync.
- You want the bucket method with no server at all: YNAB is the hosted app that inspired it, or try Goodbudget for free envelopes.
- You want automatic rules, bank sync and an API on your own server: Firefly III has all three.
Limitations to know
- The repository has had no commits since December 17, 2025, so bug fixes and new features may not come. [4]
- It needs a database (MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL) and a Redis connection. [5]
- Import supports CSV files only; there is no bank sync and no OFX or QIF import. [6]
OpenBudgeteer compared with alternatives
| App | Price | Free plan | Bank sync | Platforms | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenBudgeteer | Free (self-host) | Yes | No (CSV import only) | Web, Self-host | Bucket (YNAB-like) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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) |
- Pick Actual Budget if you want a self-hosted envelope budget that is still updated often.
- Pick Firefly III if you want a self-hosted app with rules, an API and optional bank sync.
- Pick YNAB if you want the bucket method in a hosted app with bank sync.
- Pick Goodbudget if you want free envelope budgeting without running a server.
Security and privacy
- A login for the web app arrived only in version 1.11 (December 2025); if you run an older version, upgrade before exposing it to a network. [2]
- Everything sits on your own server and database, so backups and access control are yours to set up. [5]
- The code is open source under AGPL-3.0. [1]
Recent changes
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2025 | Version 1.11: web app authentication, transfer dialog and new bucket report charts. [2] |
| Apr 2025 | Version 1.10 released. [3] |
OpenBudgeteer FAQ
Is OpenBudgeteer still maintained?
Its last release, 1.11, came out on December 17, 2025, and the code has not changed since then as of October 2026.
Can OpenBudgeteer connect to my bank?
No. You import transactions from CSV files, setting the delimiter and text qualifier to match your bank's file.
What do I need to run OpenBudgeteer?
A server that runs its Docker image, plus a MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL database and Redis.
Is OpenBudgeteer like YNAB?
It is inspired by YNAB and Buckets and assigns money to buckets before you spend it, but it is self-hosted, free and has no bank sync.
How we researched this review
We did not get paid or receive a free account for this page. We read OpenBudgeteer'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 OpenBudgeteer. Cost figures are our own arithmetic. We re-check prices and plans about once a month and log changes in the table above.
Sources
- OpenBudgeteer, GitHub repository, checked October 18, 2026.
- OpenBudgeteer, Release 1.11, checked October 18, 2026.
- OpenBudgeteer, Release 1.10, checked October 18, 2026.
- OpenBudgeteer, Commit history, checked October 18, 2026.
- OpenBudgeteer docs, Installation, checked October 18, 2026.
- OpenBudgeteer docs, How to, checked October 18, 2026.
- OpenBudgeteer docs, API, 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.