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Personal Finance · head to head

Firefly III vs Moneydance

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
Moneydance logo

Moneydance

Personal Finance

Cross-platform personal finance management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Firefly III has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Moneydance the free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • They diverge on capability: Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Moneydance covers Bill tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Firefly III and Moneydance actually diverge.

Attributes where Firefly III and Moneydance differ
AttributeFirefly IIIMoneydance
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, DockerWindows, 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 Firefly III

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

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.

Firefly III

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

Moneydance

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

Firefly III

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

Moneydance

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

Which should you pick?

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

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 Firefly III or Moneydance better?
Neither clearly leads. Firefly III 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, Firefly III or Moneydance?
Firefly III has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Firefly III and On request for Moneydance.
Does Firefly III or Moneydance run on more platforms?
Firefly III runs on Web, Linux, Docker. Moneydance runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
Can I use Firefly III for free?
Yes. Firefly III has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Moneydance starts at On request.
What is Firefly III best used for?
Firefly III is most often used for a self-hoster already running a home server or nas who wants their financial ledger on the same infrastructure, someone who wants double-entry style accuracy rather than simple envelope budgeting, a privacy-focused user who refuses to put financial data on any third-party server, hosted or otherwise, a developer who wants api access to build custom bank import scripts for accounts with no standard connector. Of those, a self-hoster already running a home server or nas who wants their financial ledger on the same infrastructure and someone who wants double-entry style accuracy rather than simple envelope budgeting are not what Moneydance is typically brought in for.
What can Firefly III do that Moneydance cannot?
Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Multi-currency accounts, Bill and subscription tracking, Rule engine. Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Investment monitoring, Budget tracking, Financial forecasting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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
Firefly III: Does it support multiple currencies?

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

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
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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