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Personal Finance · head to head

Firefly III vs Spendee

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
Spendee logo

Spendee

Personal Finance

Budget and money management made easy

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.; Spendee the free Basic plan allows one cash wallet and one budget
  • They diverge on capability: Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Spendee covers Expense tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Firefly III and Spendee differ
AttributeFirefly IIISpendee
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 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.

Firefly III

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

Spendee

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

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

Firefly III

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

Spendee

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

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 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 Firefly III or Spendee better?
Neither clearly leads. Firefly III 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, Firefly III or Spendee?
Firefly III starts at Free and Spendee at Free.
Does Firefly III or Spendee run on more platforms?
Firefly III runs on Web, Linux, Docker. Spendee 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 Spendee is typically brought in for.
What can Firefly III do that Spendee cannot?
Firefly III covers Double-entry style ledger, Multi-currency accounts, Bill and subscription tracking, Rule engine. Spendee covers Expense tracking, Budget management, Shared wallets, Financial analytics.

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.

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
Firefly III: Does it support multiple currencies?

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

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
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.

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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