Actual Budget vs Buddy
Actual Budget
actualbudget.org
Buddy
buddy.downloadSide by side
| Figure | Actual Budget | Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · Personal Budgeting and Expense Tracking Apps | 8.7 (#2) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Spec score · Personal Finance Software | 8.7 (#18) | 8.3 (#57) |
| Spec score · Budgeting And Expense Tracking | 8.7 (#4) | 8.8 (#3) |
| Account sync | both | both |
| Bill tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Budgeting tools | Yes | Yes |
| Net-worth tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The documentation directs users to the maintainers and community for help and support. | Buddy lists [email protected] for questions about its services and privacy notice. |
Plans
Buddy
- Premium monthlyPrice not published
- Premium yearlyPrice not published
- FreeFree
- Premium$9.99 a month
- Buddy Premium$49.99 a year
In their own words
Actual Budget
Actual Budget is a privacy-focused finance app built around envelope budgeting. It lets users assign only cash they have on hand, manage split transactions and transfers, and track bills and net worth. The app stores data on the local device and a selected Actual server, and it works without a network connection. Reports include net worth and cash flow, alongside a custom report engine, and users can export reports. Actual imports QIF, OFX, QFX, CAMT.053 and CSV files. Bank syncing requires actual-server and credentials from a chosen provider, and automatic syncing is off by default. Optional end-to-end encryption prevents the server from accessing encrypted budget data, but it does not cover bank sync tokens; losing the encryption password without a local copy means the encrypted data cannot be recovered. Desktop clients are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, with web access and several self-hosting options. The free, MIT-licensed plan costs nothing.