The best open source expense trackers, by what you need.
Five open source expense trackers, each best for a different need: Actual Budget, Cashew, Firefly III, Flow, and Outlayr. Anyone can read the code of all five. Outlayr is ours; the other four are not.
| App | Who it fits | Price | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual Budget | Best if you want envelope budgeting on a computer, with bank sync through your own server in North America, Europe, New Zealand, or Brazil | Free. Hosting its sync server on PikaPods is paid | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Cashew | Best if you want one app on iPhone, Android, and the web, with CSV and Google Sheets import | Free. Cashew Pro is $1.49 a month, $11.99 a year, or $19.99 once on the US App Store | iPhone, Android, web |
| Firefly III | Best if you want to run it on your own server, in any currency, with rules and an API | Free to host yourself. Paid hosting on services like LumaDock or PikaPods | A web app on your own server, with Docker |
| Flow | Best if you want a free phone app that works fully offline, with no analytics | Free, with optional donations | iPhone and Android, in beta |
| Outlayr | Best if you want to log by sentence, voice, or receipt, with each purchase at the rate from its day | Free. Pro is $7.99 a month, $49.99 a year with 7 days free, or $129.99 once in the US. Prices vary by country | iPhone and Android |
Each detail about the other apps links to the page it was read on, checked 20 October 2026.
How we picked
Each app here publishes its code under an open source license, and each one fits a different need, from a phone app that works offline to a server you run yourself. They are in alphabetical order, not ranked.
Every detail about the other apps was read on that app's own site, code repository, or store listing on the date below the table, and links to the page it came from. These are the facts as each app states them, not results of our own testing.
Outlayr is ours. It gets the same facts as the others, including its own Watch out for row.
Actual Budget
Actual Budget is a local-first envelope budgeting app for Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web, free and open source under the MIT license.
- Price
- Free. Hosting its sync server on PikaPods is paidactualbudget.org
- Adding entries
- By hand, QIF, OFX, QFX, CAMT.053, or CSV files, and bank sync through a server you run, with Enable Banking in Europe, SimpleFIN in North America, Akahu in New Zealand, or Pluggy.ai in Brazilactualbudget.org
- Currencies
- One per budget. Other currencies through an experimental rule that converts themactualbudget.org
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS, Linuxactualbudget.org
- On a phone
- A web app you add to the home screen. The official phone apps are deprecatedactualbudget.org
- License
- MITgithub.com
- Watch out for
- Your devices sync only through a server you run or rentactualbudget.org
Cashew
Cashew is an expense and budget tracker for iPhone, Android, and the web, free with an optional Pro, and open source under GPL-3.0.
- Price
- Free. Cashew Pro is $1.49 a month, $11.99 a year, or $19.99 once on the US App Storeapps.apple.com
- Adding entries
- By hand, CSV or Google Sheets import, or links that fill in a transaction for yougithub.com
- Currencies
- Several, with up-to-date conversion ratesgithub.com
- Runs on
- iPhone, Android, webgithub.com
- License
- GPL-3.0github.com
- Watch out for
- Some features are in Cashew Pro, a paid upgradeapps.apple.com
Firefly III
Firefly III is a self-hosted personal finance manager with budgets, rules, and recurring transactions, free and open source under AGPL-3.0.
- Price
- Free to host yourself. Paid hosting on services like LumaDock or PikaPodsgithub.com
- Adding entries
- By hand, or the Data Importer for CSV and CAMT files and bank data from third-party providers, some of them paidgithub.com
- Currencies
- Any currency you wantgithub.com
- Runs on
- A web app on your own server, with Dockergithub.com
- On a phone
- Through apps made by third parties, like Abacus or Waterfly IIIdocs.firefly-iii.org
- License
- AGPL-3.0github.com
- Watch out for
- You run it on your own server with Docker, or pay for hosting, and phone apps come from third partiesgithub.com
Flow
Flow is a free expense tracker for iPhone and Android that works fully offline, with no analytics, open source under GPL-3.0.
- Price
- Free, with optional donationsflow.gege.mn
- Adding entries
- By hand, iOS Shortcuts, recurring entries, or receipts read by Eny, a separate serviceflow.gege.mn
- Currencies
- As many as you want, crypto included. Rates need a connectiongithub.com
- Runs on
- iPhone and Android, in betagithub.com
- License
- GPL-3.0github.com
- Watch out for
- The phone apps are in beta, and exchange rates need a connectiongithub.com
Outlayr
Outlayr is an open source expense tracker you fill in by sentence, voice, or receipt, free to start.
- Price
- Free. Pro is $7.99 a month, $49.99 a year with 7 days free, or $129.99 once in the US. Prices vary by country
- Adding entries
- One sentence, voice, receipt scan, CSV import
- Currencies
- 165, converted at the rate of the day
- Runs on
- iPhone and Android
- License
- GPL-3.0 app, AGPL-3.0 servergithub.com
- Watch out for
- Voice entry and receipt scans run on Outlayr's servers through Anthropic and ElevenLabs, and need an account. Typing works offline
Questions
What is the best open source expense tracker?
It depends on where you want it to run. Cashew and Flow are phone apps, and Cashew also runs on the web. Actual Budget runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web, with envelope budgeting. Firefly III runs on your own server. Outlayr logs by sentence, voice, or receipt on iPhone and Android. All five are free to start.
Which open source expense tracker works on iPhone?
Cashew, Flow, and Outlayr are on the App Store. Actual Budget runs as a web app you add to the home screen, since its official phone apps are deprecated. Firefly III works through apps made by third parties.
Is Outlayr open source?
Yes. The code for the app and its server is public on GitHub at github.com/danestves/outlayr. The app is licensed under GPL-3.0 and the server under AGPL-3.0.
How much does Outlayr cost?
The tracker is free, with budgets, goals, subscriptions, and widgets. The free plan includes 20 voice or receipt captures every 30 days, 2 accounts, 2 category budgets, and accounts in one currency. Outlayr Pro raises those limits and adds sync. In the United States it is $7.99 a month, $49.99 a year with 7 days free, or $129.99 once. Your app store shows the price for your country.
Track every expense in one sentence.
Free to start. No ads on any plan.
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