Ghostfolio vs Actual Budget: Which Should You Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
These tools solve completely different problems. Actual Budget manages your monthly spending — income, expenses, and envelope-style budgets. Ghostfolio tracks your investment portfolio — stocks, ETFs, crypto, and net worth. You likely need one or the other based on your primary financial goal.
Overview
Actual Budget (MIT, started 2019, open-sourced 2023) is an envelope budgeting app inspired by YNAB (You Need A Budget). Every dollar gets assigned a job: rent, groceries, savings, etc. Ghostfolio (AGPLv3, started 2021) is a wealth management dashboard that pulls live market data and visualizes investment performance across accounts.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Ghostfolio | Actual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Investment portfolio tracking | Envelope budgeting |
| Envelope/category budgeting | No | Yes (core feature) |
| Bank sync | No | Yes (SimpleFin, GoCardless) |
| Transaction import | No | Yes (CSV, OFX, QFX, QIF) |
| Stock/ETF tracking | Yes (live market data) | No |
| Crypto tracking | Yes | No |
| Dividend tracking | Yes | No |
| Performance metrics (XIRR, TWR) | Yes | No |
| Net worth tracking | Yes (investment-focused) | Yes (cash-focused) |
| Multi-device sync | Yes (web app) | Yes (sync server) |
| Rules-based categorization | No | Yes (auto-categorization rules) |
| Scheduled transactions | No | Yes (recurring) |
| Goal tracking | No | Yes (savings goals via envelopes) |
| Reports | Investment performance | Spending by category, net worth |
| Mobile experience | Responsive web | Responsive web + desktop app |
| Offline support | No | Yes (local-first architecture) |
| Docker setup | 3 containers | 1 container |
| RAM usage | ~300 MB | ~100 MB |
Installation Complexity
| Aspect | Ghostfolio | Actual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | 3 (app + PostgreSQL + Redis) | 1 (Node.js app with SQLite) |
| RAM | ~300 MB | ~100 MB |
| Dependencies | PostgreSQL, Redis | None (SQLite built-in) |
| Config vars | 4 secrets + database URL | 0-2 (nearly zero-config) |
| Setup time | 5-10 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Data storage | PostgreSQL database | SQLite file |
Actual Budget is one of the simplest self-hosted apps to deploy. Single container, SQLite database, basically no configuration needed. Ghostfolio requires PostgreSQL and Redis — standard but more moving parts.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | Ghostfolio | Actual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | ~300 MB | ~100 MB |
| CPU | Low (spikes on market data fetch) | Very low |
| Disk | ~500 MB + database | ~50 MB + SQLite file |
| Architecture | Server-rendered, PostgreSQL | Local-first, SQLite |
| Offline capability | No (needs server) | Yes (works offline, syncs later) |
Actual Budget’s local-first architecture means the app runs primarily in your browser with SQLite. The server is mainly for sync between devices. This makes it incredibly fast and lightweight.
Community and Support
| Metric | Ghostfolio | Actual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 4k+ | 16k+ |
| License | AGPLv3 | MIT |
| Documentation | Good | Excellent |
| Development pace | Very active (weekly) | Active (regular releases) |
| Community | GitHub Discussions | Discord, GitHub |
| Plugin/extension system | No | No |
Actual Budget has a larger and more active community. Its MIT license is more permissive than Ghostfolio’s AGPLv3.
Use Cases
Choose Ghostfolio If…
- You want to track investment performance across brokerage accounts
- You need live market data for stocks, ETFs, bonds, and crypto
- You want performance metrics like XIRR and time-weighted returns
- You track dividend income and asset allocation
- You already budget elsewhere and need a dedicated portfolio dashboard
Choose Actual Budget If…
- You want to control monthly spending with envelope budgeting
- You need bank sync to automatically import transactions
- You want auto-categorization rules for recurring transactions
- You prefer a local-first app that works offline and syncs across devices
- You want the simplest possible setup (1 container, zero config)
- You’re replacing YNAB or Mint for daily budget tracking
Final Verdict
Not a competition — they’re different tools. Actual Budget is the better tool for most people because daily spending habits have more impact on financial health than portfolio tracking. If you’re choosing one finance app to self-host, start with Actual Budget.
Ghostfolio is essential for people who actively manage investment portfolios and want performance visibility. If you already have budgeting habits and need a portfolio dashboard, Ghostfolio fills that niche perfectly.
For full-featured expense tracking with bank imports and detailed reports (more than envelope budgeting), consider Firefly III instead of Actual Budget.
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