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Personal Finance · head to head

Actual Budget vs Spendee

Actual Budget logo

Actual Budget

Personal Finance

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendee logo

Spendee

Personal Finance

Budget and money management made easy

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.; Spendee the free Basic plan allows one cash wallet and one budget
  • They diverge on capability: Actual Budget covers Envelope budgeting, Spendee covers Expense tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Actual Budget and Spendee differ
AttributeActual BudgetSpendee
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee; optional paid hosted sync and subscription tierfreemium
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, AndroidWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2013

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 Spendee

  • Expense tracking
  • Budget management
  • Shared wallets
  • Financial analytics
  • 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 Spendee
  • Someone who wants their financial data to stay on hardware they control, using a home server for syncnot Spendee
  • A technically comfortable household running a small self-hosted stack who wants budgeting alongside itnot Spendee
  • A user who is fine paying a small hosted fee for sync convenience without wanting a full YNAB-style subscriptionnot Spendee

Spendee

  • Tracking personal spending across cash and bank accountsnot Actual Budget
  • Sharing a budget or wallet with a partner or householdnot 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.

Spendee

  • The free Basic plan allows one cash wallet and one budget
  • Shared wallets are excluded from the free plan
  • Premium at $5.99 a month is triple the $1.99 Plus plan, and the pricing page does not quantify what separates them beyond shared wallets
  • Bank sync depends on a supported bank list rather than being universal

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

Spendee

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Expense tracking
    • Budget creation
    • 3 wallets
  • Premium$6.99/month
    • Unlimited wallets
    • Advanced analytics
    • Investment tracking

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 Spendee if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want budget management.
Spendee review

Questions people ask

Is Actual Budget or Spendee better?
Neither clearly leads. Actual Budget starts at Free and Spendee at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Actual Budget or Spendee?
Actual Budget starts at Free and Spendee at Free.
Does Actual Budget or Spendee run on more platforms?
Actual Budget runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android. Spendee 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 Spendee is typically brought in for.
What can Actual Budget do that Spendee cannot?
Actual Budget covers Envelope budgeting, Local-first data, Self-hosted sync, Bank sync via SimpleFIN or GoCardless. Spendee covers Expense tracking, Budget management, Shared wallets, Financial analytics.

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.

Spendee: Does Spendee offer free and paid plans?

Yes. Spendee offers both Spendee Premium and Spendee Plus paid tiers. The site does not display pricing amounts on the homepage but directs users to a dedicated pricing page for costs.

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.

Spendee: How much does Spendee cost?

Pricing details are not available on the homepage. Spendee maintains a dedicated pricing page where Premium and Plus subscription costs are listed.

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.

Spendee: Is there a free tier for Spendee?

The site mentions paid tiers but does not specify whether a free tier exists. Full details are available on the pricing page.

Source
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