Head-to-Head Comparison · Alternative to YNAB · 💰 personal finance
YNAB vs Actual Budget
Envelope budgeting, imports and rules on your own disk; bank sync is optional, not the landlord. Here is how Actual Budget ($0/mo open source) stacks up against YNAB ($14.99/mo) across cost, hosting, data privacy, and real-world trade-offs.
Actual Budget
$0.00/mo · MIT
YNAB vs Actual Budget Specification Matrix
facts verified 2026-08-11
| Dimension | YNAB (Paid) | Actual Budget (Replacement) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $14.99 / mo | $0 / mo |
| 1-Year Cost (1 seat) | $180 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $180) |
| 1-Year Cost (5 seats) | $899 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $899) |
| 1-Year Cost (10 seats) | $1,799 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $1,799) |
| Source & License | Proprietary SaaS | open source MIT |
| Where It Runs | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud) |
| Platforms | Web / Cloud | desktopwebself-hostedone-click install |
| GitHub Stars | — | ★ 28k (active aug 2026) |
Deep Dive: Switching from YNAB to Actual Budget
Trade-offs, installation & data architecture
What you trade away
Actual reproduces envelope budgeting well but lacks YNAB's polished mobile coaching, educational method, support community, and turnkey bank connections.
How to deploy Actual Budget
Native desktop app for local-only use, or the official Docker/Node server for browser access and device sync
Where your data lives
Each client works from a local SQLite budget; the server keeps account metadata plus budget blobs under its data directory, and optional end-to-end encryption covers budget contents but not bank-sync tokens.
Why fork Actual Budget instead of vibe-coding a YNAB clone?
A zero-based budget app with accounts, categories, envelopes, and reports is very buildable; bank sync and habit coaching are the main paid value.
YNAB vs Actual Budget FAQ
Is Actual Budget a good free alternative to YNAB?+
Yes. Actual Budget is a verified open-source (MIT) replacement for YNAB. Envelope budgeting, imports and rules on your own disk; bank sync is optional, not the landlord.
What is the catch when switching from YNAB to Actual Budget?+
Actual reproduces envelope budgeting well but lacks YNAB's polished mobile coaching, educational method, support community, and turnkey bank connections.
How much do you save switching from YNAB to Actual Budget?+
YNAB costs $14.99/mo ($180/yr) per seat, whereas Actual Budget is $0/mo. Switching saves $180/yr for a solo user, $899/yr for a 5-person team, and $1,799/yr for a 10-person team.
How do I install or self-host Actual Budget instead of YNAB?+
Install: Native desktop app for local-only use, or the official Docker/Node server for browser access and device sync.
