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Personal Finance · head to head

Actual Budget vs EveryDollar

Actual Budget logo

Actual Budget

Personal Finance

Free, open source, local-first envelope budgeting with optional self-hosted sync

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
EveryDollar logo

EveryDollar

Personal Finance

Budget every dollar, build wealth faster

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Actual Budget self-hosting the sync server requires basic comfort with running and updating a small application, which is a real barrier for non-technical users.; EveryDollar the free version has no bank connection, so every transaction is entered by hand
  • They diverge on capability: Actual Budget covers Envelope budgeting, EveryDollar covers Zero-based budgeting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Actual Budget and EveryDollar actually diverge.

Attributes where Actual Budget and EveryDollar differ
AttributeActual BudgetEveryDollar
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee; optional paid hosted sync and subscription tierfreemium
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, AndroidWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Actual Budget

  • Envelope budgeting
  • Local-first data
  • Self-hosted sync
  • Bank sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless
  • Rules engine
  • Reports

Only in EveryDollar

  • Zero-based budgeting
  • Transaction tracking
  • Budget planning
  • Financial insights
  • Bank accounts
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Actual Budget

  • A former YNAB user who wants the same envelope method without an ongoing subscriptionnot EveryDollar
  • Someone who wants their financial data to stay on hardware they control, using a home server for syncnot EveryDollar
  • A technically comfortable household running a small self-hosted stack who wants budgeting alongside itnot EveryDollar
  • A user who is fine paying a small hosted fee for sync convenience without wanting a full YNAB-style subscriptionnot EveryDollar

EveryDollar

  • Zero based monthly budgeting using the Ramsey methodnot Actual Budget
  • Tracking bills and sinking funds by categorynot Actual Budget
  • Automatically importing bank transactions into a budget on Premiumnot Actual Budget

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Actual Budget

  • Self-hosting the sync server requires basic comfort with running and updating a small application, which is a real barrier for non-technical users.
  • Bank sync depends on SimpleFIN or GoCardless connectors rather than a broad built-in aggregator network, so coverage of smaller banks varies by region.
  • There is no dedicated customer support line, only community Discord and GitHub issues, which suits technical users but frustrates people expecting vendor support.
  • The mobile apps are less mature than the web and desktop experience, and some budgeting workflows are easier on desktop.
  • Because it is a smaller open source project, feature development depends on maintainer time and community contribution rather than a funded product roadmap.

EveryDollar

  • The free version has no bank connection, so every transaction is entered by hand
  • CSV export of budget data is Premium only
  • Spending reports and historical comparisons are Premium only
  • Premium costs $17.99 per month billed monthly, and the $6.67 headline rate requires paying $79.99 for a year up front
  • The free trial lasts 14 days and is limited to new users

Pricing, plan by plan

Actual Budget

Free
  • Actual BudgetFree
    • Full budgeting features
    • Self-hosted sync server
    • Community support only
  • Actual Budget$7.99/month
    • Managed hosted sync
    • Mobile app access
    • No server to maintain

EveryDollar

Free
  • EveryDollar FreeFree
    • monthly budget creation
    • unlimited custom categories
    • manual transaction tracking
  • EveryDollar Premium Annual$79.99/year
    • automatic bank connectivity
    • transaction imports
    • custom reports
  • EveryDollar Premium Monthly$17.99/month
    • automatic bank connectivity
    • transaction imports
    • custom reports

Which should you pick?

Choose Actual Budget if

  • You need envelope budgeting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want local-first data.
Actual Budget review

Choose EveryDollar if

  • You need zero-based budgeting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want transaction tracking.
EveryDollar review

Questions people ask

Is Actual Budget or EveryDollar better?
Neither clearly leads. Actual Budget starts at Free and EveryDollar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Actual Budget or EveryDollar?
Actual Budget starts at Free and EveryDollar at Free.
Does Actual Budget or EveryDollar run on more platforms?
Actual Budget runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android. EveryDollar runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Actual Budget for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Actual Budget best used for?
Actual Budget is most often used for a former ynab user who wants the same envelope method without an ongoing subscription, someone who wants their financial data to stay on hardware they control, using a home server for sync, a technically comfortable household running a small self-hosted stack who wants budgeting alongside it, a user who is fine paying a small hosted fee for sync convenience without wanting a full ynab-style subscription. Of those, a former ynab user who wants the same envelope method without an ongoing subscription and someone who wants their financial data to stay on hardware they control, using a home server for sync are not what EveryDollar is typically brought in for.
What can Actual Budget do that EveryDollar cannot?
Actual Budget covers Envelope budgeting, Local-first data, Self-hosted sync, Bank sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless. EveryDollar covers Zero-based budgeting, Transaction tracking, Budget planning, Financial insights.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Actual Budget: Is Actual Budget really free?

The core app and self-hosted sync are free and open source; there is also an optional paid hosted sync subscription if you do not want to run a server.

EveryDollar: What is the cost of EveryDollar Premium?

EveryDollar Premium costs $79.99 per year when billed annually ($6.67/month) or $17.99 per month when billed monthly.

Source
Actual Budget: Do I need a server to use it?

Only if you want to sync a budget across multiple devices; a single-device budget works without any server at all.

EveryDollar: Is there a free version of EveryDollar?

Yes. EveryDollar offers a free version with no time limit that includes monthly budget creation, unlimited custom categories, manual transaction tracking, and device access.

Source
Actual Budget: Does it connect to my bank automatically?

Yes, through SimpleFIN or GoCardless connectors, though coverage is narrower than commercial aggregators used by YNAB or Lunch Money.

EveryDollar: Can you cancel EveryDollar Premium anytime?

Yes. Premium subscribers can cancel anytime through account settings and downgrade to the free version instead of deleting the account.

Source
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