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Personal Finance · head to head

Firefly III vs Robinhood

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
Robinhood logo

Robinhood

Personal Finance

Investing for everyone

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Robinhood robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial
  • They diverge on capability: Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Robinhood covers Commission-free trading.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Firefly III and Robinhood differ
AttributeFirefly IIIRobinhood
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsWeb, Linux, DockerWeb, 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 Firefly III

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

Only in Robinhood

  • Commission-free trading
  • Options trading
  • Crypto trading
  • Fractional shares
  • Bank accounts
  • Crypto wallets
  • Web support
  • IOS 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 Robinhood
  • Someone who wants double-entry style accuracy rather than simple envelope budgetingnot Robinhood
  • A privacy-focused user who refuses to put financial data on any third-party server, hosted or otherwisenot Robinhood
  • A developer who wants API access to build custom bank import scripts for accounts with no standard connectornot Robinhood

Robinhood

  • Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFs from a phonenot Firefly III
  • Options and futures trading for retail investorsnot Firefly III
  • Holding an IRA with a contribution matchnot 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.

Robinhood

  • Robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial
  • The 3.35 percent APY on brokerage cash is available only to Gold subscribers
  • The 3 percent IRA contribution match requires keeping the Gold subscription for one year and leaving the assets in the IRA for five years, and is capped at 225 USD against 2026 contribution maximums
  • Reduced contract fees of 0.50 USD per futures contract and 0.35 USD per index option apply only to Gold subscribers
  • Management fees are waived only above 100K USD in expert managed portfolios

Pricing, plan by plan

Firefly III

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

Robinhood

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Commission-free trading
    • Real-time data
    • Mobile app
  • Gold$4.99/month
    • All Free features
    • Extended hours trading
    • Premium research

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 Robinhood if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want options trading.
Robinhood review

Questions people ask

Is Firefly III or Robinhood better?
Neither clearly leads. Firefly III starts at Free and Robinhood at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Firefly III or Robinhood?
Firefly III starts at Free and Robinhood at Free.
Does Firefly III or Robinhood run on more platforms?
Firefly III runs on Web, Linux, Docker. Robinhood runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Firefly III for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Robinhood is typically brought in for.
What can Firefly III do that Robinhood cannot?
Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Multi-currency accounts, Bill and subscription tracking, Rule engine. Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Options trading, Crypto trading, Fractional shares.

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.

Robinhood: What is the minimum amount needed to open a Robinhood account?

You can get started with as little as $1.

Source
Firefly III: Does it support multiple currencies?

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

Robinhood: What does Robinhood Gold cost and what does it include?

Robinhood Gold is $5 per month and includes zero management fees on portfolios exceeding $100,000 through Robinhood Strategies.

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.

Robinhood: Are there trading commissions on Robinhood?

Robinhood offers 24/5 commission-free stock and ETF trading. Other fees may apply to your brokerage account as detailed in the RHF Fee Schedule.

Source
Robinhood: What cash back rate does Robinhood's credit card offer?

The Robinhood Agentic Credit Card offers 3% cash back on purchases.

Source
Robinhood: How much FDIC insurance coverage do Robinhood Cash Card accounts have?

Cash Card accounts are covered up to $250,000 through FDIC insurance via Sutton Bank.

Source
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