FlyBudget

Open source alternative to YNAB (You Need A Budget), Monarch Money and EveryDollar

131 stars
AGPL-3.0
Active this week
Last commit 1 day ago

Last verified Oct 21, 2026

Track personal finances with zero-based budgeting, bank sync, and no subscription. Local-first for Windows, macOS, Linux, or self-hosted.

Visit website GitHub131 Deploy on Hostinger

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs, the quick start and the FAQ

who it's for

Who FlyBudget is for#

Households moving off YNAB or EveryDollar

FlyBudget applies the same zero-based budgeting method without the subscription. The category, rules, and carry-over model will feel familiar to YNAB users. Bank sync through Plaid works the same way, and the desktop app installs on Windows, macOS, or Linux in one step.

Skip if:

Skip if you need to import your existing YNAB budget history automatically. YNAB import is on the roadmap but not yet available; you would need to set up categories and opening balances from scratch.

Privacy-focused individuals who want local-first finance

All data stays on your computer or your own server. No telemetry, no crash reporting, and no FlyBudget account is required. The desktop app stores the budget in a single local file; the self-hosted server only contacts external services when bank sync calls Plaid or SimpleFIN.

Skip if:

Skip if you need cross-device sync today. The current architecture does not sync between devices; multi-device sync is planned but not yet released.

Self-hosters running a home server or VPS

Docker Compose brings up the server on port 3001, password-protected and accessible from any browser on your network or over a VPN. The container is unprivileged and read-only. Images for amd64 and arm64 are published, so it runs on a Raspberry Pi as well as a standard server.

Skip if:

Skip if you want the app running in under five minutes with no server to manage. The desktop app installs in one step; the self-hosted path requires basic server setup and ongoing maintenance.

the problem

The problem it solves#

The leading zero-based budgeting apps are subscription products. Your transaction history, account balances, and spending patterns end up on a company's servers, and access to your own data stops when you cancel or the company changes its pricing. Bank sync, a critical feature for keeping transactions current without manual entry, is often reserved for higher subscription tiers.

The cloud-first model means a third party holds a complete picture of your finances. None of the major tools offer self-hosting or an installable desktop version, so moving off one means exporting your history before a deadline and rebuilding your budget from scratch.

how FlyBudget solves it

How it solves it#

Zero-based budgeting with monthly carry-over

Assign every dollar to a category before spending it. Amounts left unspent at the end of the month carry forward automatically. Each category shows planned, actual, and remaining at a glance, with bars that turn amber near the limit and red when exceeded.

Bank sync via SimpleFIN and Plaid

Connects to bank accounts automatically through SimpleFIN or Plaid, or accepts CSV imports from any institution with duplicate detection. Bank credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM under an OS-protected key, so a copied database file cannot access your bank.

Transaction rules engine

Define rules with conditions on payee name, amount, date, or account. Each rule can rename the payee, assign a category, add a note, or split the transaction. Rules apply to incoming transactions automatically and can be run on past transactions with a preview.

17 account types with net worth tracking

Tracks checking, savings, credit cards, loans, investments, and property in a single view. Net worth updates as you reconcile accounts. Accounts in other currencies convert at the day's exchange rate using typed-in values or ECB rates when enabled.

Customizable report dashboards

Includes dashboards for net worth, spending trends, cash flow, and a transaction calendar. Widgets are repositionable. A custom report builder covers anything the preset dashboards do not, including category-level history and spending comparisons.

Mobile layout with offline support

Every page has a layout for small screens. Transactions added without a connection are queued and synced when the connection returns. The self-hosted server opens from any browser, including a phone on your home network or over a VPN.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

No subscription and no vendor dependencyFlyBudget is free to run indefinitely. Your budget stays on your own hardware, no account or cloud service is required, and the app continues to work if the project stops receiving updates. YNAB, Monarch Money, and EveryDollar all require ongoing subscriptions and cloud access.
Verifiable releases and a hardened security modelEvery desktop download and Docker image ships with signed build provenance from GitHub Actions, verifiable with the GitHub CLI. Bank credentials use AES-256-GCM encryption. The self-hosted server runs in a read-only, unprivileged container with a scrypt-hashed password and rate-limited sign-in.
Full feature set with no paid tierBank sync, transaction rules, custom reports, goals, multiple currencies, and all 17 account types are available to every user at no cost. There is no premium tier or feature gating.
CI-tested with property-based and end-to-end coverageProperty-based tests check the budget math, rules engine, and recurrence dates against hundreds of generated cases. Playwright end-to-end tests drive the desktop app, the self-hosted server, a phone-sized screen, and the demo on every commit. The repo received its last push in October 2026.

Trade-offs

-Early-stage project launched in April 2026FlyBudget had 132 GitHub stars and 13 open issues at the time of this review. Several features on the roadmap are not yet built, including YNAB import, investment projections, a FIRE calculator, and multi-device sync. Users moving from another budgeting app will need to re-enter or manually import their history.
-No multi-device sync in the current releaseThe architecture stores the budget in one file or one self-hosted server. Two people sharing a budget need the self-hosted server path; the desktop app does not sync between separate machines. Multi-device sync is listed on the roadmap but is not yet available.
-AGPL-3.0 requires source disclosure for network-accessible forksAGPL-3.0 lets you run FlyBudget for yourself and your household with no restrictions. If you modify the code and run it as a service that others access over a network, you must offer those users the modified source. Personal and internal team use are unrestricted.

versus alternatives

FlyBudget vs alternatives#

FlyBudget vs YNAB

YNAB (You Need A Budget) and FlyBudget both apply zero-based budgeting with categories, carry-over between months, and guided onboarding. YNAB is a paid subscription product with cloud-hosted data. FlyBudget keeps all budget data on your own computer or server, requires no account, and costs nothing to run.

Feature	FlyBudget	YNAB
License	AGPL-3.0	Proprietary
Self-hosting	Yes (Docker)	No
Cost	Free	Subscription
Bank sync	SimpleFIN, Plaid, CSV	Paid sync
Zero-based budgeting	Yes	Yes

FlyBudget is the better choice when your priority is data ownership and no subscription cost. YNAB is worth considering if you want a product with more years of feature development; FlyBudget launched in April 2026 and some features it plans, including YNAB budget imports, are not yet available.

FlyBudget vs Monarch Money

Monarch Money is a paid personal finance product and one of the tools FlyBudget aims to replace. FlyBudget covers zero-based budgeting, all 17 account types including investments and property, net worth across accounts, bank sync, and custom report dashboards. Investment projections and a FIRE calculator are on the FlyBudget roadmap but are not in the current release.

Feature	FlyBudget	Monarch Money
License	AGPL-3.0	Proprietary
Self-hosting	Yes (Docker)	No
Cost	Free	Subscription

FlyBudget is the better choice if you want zero-based budgeting with full data privacy and no subscription. Monarch Money may suit users who prefer a fully managed cloud product with a broader financial planning feature set that FlyBudget has not yet built.

install · quick start

Quick start#

bash

Self-hosting deploys FlyBudget on your own server using Docker Compose with a one-time setup code on first launch.
```bash
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dtymoszenko/FlyBudget/main/docker-compose.yml
openssl rand -base64 32 > flybudget_data_key.txt
sudo chown 1000:1000 flybudget_data_key.txt && sudo chmod 400 flybudget_data_key.txt
docker compose up -d
```

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: TypeScript
Frameworks: React
Tooling: esbuild

frequently asked

FAQ#

Is FlyBudget free to use?

Yes. FlyBudget is free under the AGPL-3.0 license, with no subscription, no premium tier, and no feature gating. You run it on your own computer or server at no cost. The only expense is your own hardware or hosting.

Does FlyBudget sync with my bank?

Yes, through SimpleFIN and Plaid. Both are supported automatic sync providers. You can also import transactions as a CSV file from your bank, with duplicate detection built in. Bank credentials are encrypted and stored locally, not on FlyBudget's servers.

How is FlyBudget different from YNAB?

FlyBudget uses the same zero-based budgeting method as YNAB but is free, open source, and local-first. YNAB stores your data on its own servers and charges a recurring annual subscription. FlyBudget stores your budget on your own computer or server, requires no account, and costs nothing to run.

Can I import my budget history from YNAB?

Not yet. YNAB import is on the roadmap but is not available in the current release. You can set up categories and opening balances manually and import recent transactions via CSV from your bank. Past YNAB history would need to be re-entered or left behind.

Can I run FlyBudget on Linux?

Yes. FlyBudget ships desktop installers for Linux as a .deb package and an .AppImage for both x86 and ARM. You can also self-host it on a Linux server using Docker Compose, making it accessible from any browser including a phone on your network.

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