app·Money & Budgeting

Actual Budget

Open-source envelope budgeting app you can self-host or sync—no SaaS subscription required.

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Setup guide · 45–60 min

Visit Actual Budget →

Quick facts

Price model: Open source
Starting price: Free (self-hosted or local)
Best for: Couples splitting household bills · Envelope-style monthly budgeting · Families tired of $100/year budget apps
Replaces: YNAB, Monarch Money, Simplifi
Platforms: WebMacWindowsLinuxSelf-hosted
Last verified: 2026-06-22

Why it's listed

Serious budgeting without $100/year SaaS—your budget file isn't hostage to a startup.

Actual Budget brings YNAB-style zero-based budgeting with optional self-hosting and local data. Community edition is free; hosted sync service has its own pricing if you choose it.

The catch

Jump to setup guide ↓

Setup takes effort; less hand-holding than commercial apps.

How to set up Actual Budget

Local-first envelope budget on your machine—YNAB-style clarity without $100/year SaaS. Desktop app path first; self-hosting is optional later.

Time: 45–60 min
Difficulty: Moderate
Verified: 2026-06-22

Before you start

Know your monthly take-home income and fixed bills (rough numbers are fine)
macOS, Windows, or Linux for the desktop app
Optional: Docker only if you plan to self-host on a NAS/server

Install the desktop app
Download Actual Budget from actualbudget.com for your OS. Install and open—it runs a local server in the background and opens the budget in your browser at localhost.
Create your budget file
Create a new budget. Store the .db file somewhere backed up (Documents/Finance). This file is yours—export and migration stay possible.
Add accounts
Create checking, savings, and credit card accounts to mirror real life. Start with balances as of today—you're not connecting banks yet unless you choose to.
Build envelope categories
Add categories: Rent, Groceries, Subscriptions, Fun, etc. Budget this month's income into categories until To budget hits $0. That's the core loop.
Enter recent transactions
Import a CSV from your bank or add transactions manually for the last 2–4 weeks. Categorize each one. Accuracy beats automation on week one.
Optional — sync with a partner
Actual offers end-to-end encrypted sync as a paid service—or self-host the sync server per official docs. Many couples share one machine or one budget file via Syncthing instead.
Optional — self-host with Docker
For NAS users: follow Actual's Docker guide on GitHub. Only if you're comfortable updating containers. Desktop app is enough for most households.

Troubleshooting

Browser won't open localhost: Restart the Actual app. Check nothing else is using the port. Firewall blocking localhost is rare—try 127.0.0.1 manually.
Categories don't match spending: Normal first month. Adjust envelopes next month—budgeting is iterative, not perfect day one.
Bank import fails: Use CSV export from your bank instead. Many users run happily on manual + CSV without aggregators.