FinX compared with Firefly III, Actual Budget and Monarch
All four apps help you track your money, but they differ in hosting, price and platforms. This comparison uses each product's own documentation and website, checked in October 2026.
At a glance
| Feature | FinX | Firefly III | Actual Budget | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | Source-available (Apache 2.0 with the Commons Clause) | Open source (AGPL-3.0) | Open source (MIT) | Commercial cloud service |
| Hosting | On your phone, managed at myfinx.app, or self-hosted | Self-hosted only | Local-first, optional self-hosted sync server | Cloud only |
| Price | Free; FinX Pro 5.99 EUR a month or 59.99 EUR a year | Free, donations welcome | Free | From 14.99 USD a month or 99.99 USD a year |
| Android app | Official native app | Third-party apps only | No official app; the web app works offline on mobile | Official app |
| Web and desktop | Web app (managed with Pro, or self-hosted) | Web app | Web app and desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux | Web app |
| Bank sync | SimpleFIN, on managed hosting with Pro | Separate Data Importer (Enable Banking, SimpleFIN, Lunch Flow) | Optional: Enable Banking, SimpleFIN, Akahu, Pluggy.ai | Built in (Plaid, Finicity, MX), US and Canada only |
| Budgeting | Budgets and savings goals | Category budgets with limits per period | Envelope budgeting | Flex budgeting or category budgets |
| Interface languages | 10 | 34 | Several, with uneven coverage | English |
Where FinX fits
FinX fits if you want a native Android app and a choice of where your data lives: only on the phone, on managed hosting, or on your own server. Of the four, it is the only one with both an official Android app and a self-hosting option.
Limits: bank sync supports SimpleFIN only and needs managed hosting, and there is no iOS or desktop app. Details are on the features page.
Where Firefly III fits
Firefly III is a self-hosted web app under the AGPL-3.0 licence. It suits people who run their own server and are happy with a web interface or a third-party mobile app. It supports multiple currencies, has category budgets with limits per period and does not do zero-based budgeting. Bank import runs through a separate Data Importer.
Where Actual Budget fits
Actual Budget is a local-first envelope budgeting app under the MIT licence, with desktop apps and an optional sync server. It suits people who plan every euro in advance and want optional end-to-end encryption. It has no multi-currency support. Optional bank sync uses your own provider credentials and runs only while Actual is open.
Where Monarch fits
Monarch is a paid cloud service with automatic bank sync for more than 13,000 institutions in the US and Canada and official mobile apps. It suits households in those countries that want bank sync without running anything themselves. Data is stored in US-based AWS data centres. Prices as of October 2026: 14.99 USD a month or 99.99 USD a year, with the first week free.
Sources
- Firefly III on GitHub
- Firefly III: what it is not
- Firefly III: third-party apps
- Actual Budget on GitHub
- Actual Budget: bank sync
- Actual Budget: multi-currency
- Monarch: pricing
- Monarch website
- Monarch: FAQ
- Monarch: data providers
- Monarch: security
Note: Checked on 10 October 2026. Prices and features of other products change, so check their websites before you decide.