Actual

Judgement

What it is

Complete system

What it does

A local-first envelope budgeting app, similar to YNAB, with an optional self-hosted sync server, bank import and rules.

Adopt it when

You want zero-based budgeting without a subscription and are willing to run a small sync server for multiple devices.

Watch out

Automatic bank sync depends on third-party providers (GoCardless, SimpleFIN) with limited regional coverage.

Ready for

Production-ready

Runs as

Self-hosted server and desktop app

Built with

TypeScript, React, Node.js and SQLite

How established

Established: started 4 years ago, latest release v26.11.0.

What the license allows

You can build it into a product you sell, as long as you keep its copyright notice.

Judged on 2026-11-03 from the project's README and GitHub data. The license and age lines are worked out directly.

Compare Actual

Built from

Follow it down: Actual → TypeScript → Go → runs on a microchip

How compilers were built, back to punched paper tape

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