Actual Budget review
At a glance
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Free self-hosted; hosted from $6/mo |
| Our rating | 8/10 |
| Category | Envelope Budgeting |
| Best for | Envelope-budgeting fans who value open source and privacy. |
| Not for | Users focused specifically on subscription optimisation. |
| Verdict | Open-source, local-first envelope budgeting app with strong recent momentum — subscription tracking is a category. |
Data last updated 2026-10-09. Checked by the LemSubs research team.
Actual Budget was the paid product Shopify's Maple team spun out and eventually open-sourced. Since going open, it has developed a strong community and a modern UI that competes well with proprietary peers like YNAB. The core is envelope-method budgeting done well: monthly categories, rollover, targets, and multi-account handling.
Data is local-first, syncing between your devices via an end-to-end encrypted sync layer. Self-hosting is a genuine option; a hosted plan exists for people who don't want to run their own server. Subscriptions are categories — there is no dedicated subscription surface, and no arbitrage/overlap/refund-window intelligence.
But the underlying data model is clean enough that you can build the reports you want. Excellent pick for envelope-budgeting fans who value open source and privacy. Not a dedicated subscription tracker.
What works
- Open source and self-hostable
- Modern design
- End-to-end encrypted sync
- Strong community momentum
What does not
- Subscriptions are just categories
- Envelope method has a learning curve
- Self-hosting is real work
- No subscription intelligence
Scores by area
| Area | What we found | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Openness | Genuinely open source | 10/10 |
| Design | Modern and clean | 9/10 |
| Privacy | Local-first with E2E sync | 9/10 |
| Subscription surface | None — just categories | 3/10 |
| Learning curve | Envelope method takes effort | 6/10 |
| Subscription intelligence | None | 2/10 |
Best for
Envelope-budgeting fans who value open source and privacy.
Not for
Users focused specifically on subscription optimisation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Actual Budget really free?
Yes if you self-host. A hosted option exists for convenience.
Does it detect subscriptions?
No — subscriptions are just categories or scheduled transactions.
How does it compare to LemSubs?
Actual Budget is an open-source envelope budgeter; LemSubs is a dedicated subscription tracker with intelligence Actual Budget does not attempt.