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Personal Finance · head to head

EveryDollar vs Firefly III

EveryDollar logo

EveryDollar

Personal Finance

Budget every dollar, build wealth faster

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: EveryDollar the free version has no bank connection, so every transaction is entered by hand; 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: EveryDollar covers Zero-based budgeting, 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 EveryDollar and Firefly III actually diverge.

Attributes where EveryDollar and Firefly III differ
AttributeEveryDollarFirefly III
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, Linux, Docker
Founded2014Unknown

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 EveryDollar

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

EveryDollar

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

Firefly III

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

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

Firefly III

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

Which should you pick?

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

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 EveryDollar or Firefly III better?
Neither clearly leads. EveryDollar 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, EveryDollar or Firefly III?
EveryDollar starts at Free and Firefly III at Free.
Does EveryDollar or Firefly III run on more platforms?
EveryDollar runs on Web, IOS, Android. Firefly III runs on Web, Linux, Docker.
Can I use EveryDollar for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is EveryDollar best used for?
EveryDollar is most often used for zero based monthly budgeting using the ramsey method, tracking bills and sinking funds by category, automatically importing bank transactions into a budget on premium. Of those, zero based monthly budgeting using the ramsey method and tracking bills and sinking funds by category are not what Firefly III is typically brought in for.
What can EveryDollar do that Firefly III cannot?
EveryDollar covers Zero-based budgeting, Transaction tracking, Budget planning, Financial insights. Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Multi-currency accounts, Bill and subscription tracking, Rule engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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.

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
Firefly III: Does it support multiple currencies?

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

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
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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