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Personal Finance · head to head

Copilot Money vs Firefly III

Copilot Money logo

Copilot Money

Personal Finance

AI-powered personal finance assistant

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Firefly III logo

Firefly III

Personal Finance

Free, open source, self-hosted personal finance manager with double-entry style accounting

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Copilot Money apple only: web, iPhone, iPad and Mac, with no Android app; Firefly III there is no official managed hosting, so a non-technical user has no easy on-ramp the way Actual Budget offers with its paid hosted sync.
  • They diverge on capability: Copilot Money covers AI-powered insights, Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Copilot Money and Firefly III actually diverge.

Attributes where Copilot Money and Firefly III differ
AttributeCopilot MoneyFirefly III
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, Linux, Docker
Founded2020Unknown

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 Copilot Money

  • AI-powered insights
  • Spending analysis
  • Budget optimization
  • Financial planning
  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Web support
  • IOS support

Only in Firefly III

  • Double-entry style ledger
  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Bill and subscription tracking
  • Rule engine
  • Reports and charts
  • API access

What people use each for

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

Copilot Money

  • Tracking spending across connected accountsnot Firefly III
  • Budgeting by category with automatic transaction taggingnot Firefly III
  • Investment and net worth trackingnot Firefly III
  • Reviewing recurring subscriptionsnot Firefly III

Firefly III

  • A self-hoster already running a home server or NAS who wants their financial ledger on the same infrastructurenot Copilot Money
  • Someone who wants double-entry style accuracy rather than simple envelope budgetingnot Copilot Money
  • A privacy-focused user who refuses to put financial data on any third-party server, hosted or otherwisenot Copilot Money
  • A developer who wants API access to build custom bank import scripts for accounts with no standard connectornot Copilot Money

Where each one falls short

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

Copilot Money

  • Apple only: web, iPhone, iPad and Mac, with no Android app
  • No free tier; $95 a year billed annually, which works out at $7.92 a month
  • The trial only starts once accounts are connected

Firefly III

  • There is no official managed hosting, so a non-technical user has no easy on-ramp the way Actual Budget offers with its paid hosted sync.
  • The double-entry-influenced model is less intuitive for newcomers than simple envelope budgeting, and the learning curve is real.
  • Automatic bank sync depends on the community-run importer and third-party connectors, and coverage and reliability vary a lot by bank and country.
  • Mobile access is via a web interface rather than a polished native app, which is a step behind Actual Budget or Lunch Money on phones.
  • Because there is no company behind it, security patching and feature development depend entirely on volunteer maintainer time.

Pricing, plan by plan

Copilot Money

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • No credit card required
    • Limited access to test the app
  • Paid Subscription$95/year
    • No ads
    • No hidden fees
    • Private data handling

Firefly III

Free
  • Firefly IIIFree
    • Full functionality, self-hosted
    • No usage limits
    • Community support, donations accepted

Which should you pick?

Choose Copilot Money if

  • You need ai-powered insights.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want spending analysis.
Copilot Money review

Choose Firefly III if

  • You need double-entry style ledger.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Docker.
  • You also want multi-currency accounts.
Firefly III review

Questions people ask

Is Copilot Money or Firefly III better?
Neither clearly leads. Copilot Money starts at Free and Firefly III at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Copilot Money or Firefly III?
Copilot Money starts at Free and Firefly III at Free.
Does Copilot Money or Firefly III run on more platforms?
Copilot Money runs on Web, IOS, Android. Firefly III runs on Web, Linux, Docker.
Can I use Copilot Money for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Copilot Money best used for?
Copilot Money is most often used for tracking spending across connected accounts, budgeting by category with automatic transaction tagging, investment and net worth tracking, reviewing recurring subscriptions. Of those, tracking spending across connected accounts and budgeting by category with automatic transaction tagging are not what Firefly III is typically brought in for.
What can Copilot Money do that Firefly III cannot?
Copilot Money covers AI-powered insights, Spending analysis, Budget optimization, Financial planning. Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Multi-currency accounts, Bill and subscription tracking, Rule engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Copilot Money: How much does Copilot Money cost?

Copilot Money costs $95 per year when billed annually, which equals $7.92 per month. A free trial is available with no credit card required. A monthly subscription option exists but the specific monthly price is not listed on the website.

Source
Firefly III: Can I pay someone to host Firefly III for me?

Not through the core project; some third-party providers sell Firefly III hosting independently, but there is no official managed service.

Copilot Money: Does Copilot Money have any hidden fees?

No, Copilot Money explicitly states there are no ads, no hidden fees, and your data stays private with the company focused on building the product.

Source
Firefly III: Does it support multiple currencies?

Yes, natively, including accounts and transactions in different currencies.

Firefly III: Is it really free with no paid tier?

Yes, the software is free and open source under the AGPL; the project accepts donations but sells nothing.

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