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Personal Finance · head to head

Actual Budget vs Moneydance

Actual Budget logo

Actual Budget

Personal Finance

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Moneydance logo

Moneydance

Personal Finance

Cross-platform personal finance management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Actual Budget has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Moneydance the free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • They diverge on capability: Actual Budget covers Envelope budgeting, Moneydance covers Bill tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Actual Budget and Moneydance differ
AttributeActual BudgetMoneydance
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee; optional paid hosted sync and subscription tierone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2001

Identical on both: 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 Moneydance

  • Bill tracking
  • Investment monitoring
  • Budget tracking
  • Financial forecasting
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • OFX import
  • Windows 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 Moneydance
  • Someone who wants their financial data to stay on hardware they control, using a home server for syncnot Moneydance
  • A technically comfortable household running a small self-hosted stack who wants budgeting alongside itnot Moneydance
  • A user who is fine paying a small hosted fee for sync convenience without wanting a full YNAB-style subscriptionnot Moneydance

Moneydance

  • Desktop personal finance management on macOS, Windows and Linuxnot Actual Budget
  • Importing and reconciling bank and credit card transactions locallynot Actual Budget
  • Tracking investments and budgets without a cloud-only servicenot 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.

Moneydance

  • The free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • A one-time Buy Once purchase covers Moneydance 2024 plus one free upgrade to the next major release, not all future versions
  • Bank connection features are sold separately as the Moneydance Plus subscription rather than included in the one-time purchase
  • Business use requires one licence per computer, while the household licence covers personal use only

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

Moneydance

On request
  • Perpetual License$59.99/month
    • Full feature set
    • Free updates

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 Moneydance if

  • You need bill tracking.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
  • You also want investment monitoring.
Moneydance review

Questions people ask

Is Actual Budget or Moneydance better?
Neither clearly leads. Actual Budget starts at Free and Moneydance at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Actual Budget or Moneydance?
Actual Budget has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Actual Budget and On request for Moneydance.
Does Actual Budget or Moneydance run on more platforms?
Actual Budget runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android. Moneydance runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
Can I use Actual Budget for free?
Yes. Actual Budget has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Moneydance starts at On request.
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 Moneydance is typically brought in for.
What can Actual Budget do that Moneydance cannot?
Actual Budget covers Envelope budgeting, Local-first data, Self-hosted sync, Bank sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless. Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Investment monitoring, Budget tracking, Financial forecasting.

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.

Moneydance: How much does Moneydance cost?

Moneydance pricing is not disclosed on the main website; customers must visit the purchase page to view rates. The software includes a 90-day money back guarantee.

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.

Moneydance: Is there a free trial?

Yes, Moneydance offers a free trial that is fully functional but limited to entering up to 100 manually entered transactions.

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.

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