Intro to Actual Budget
This blog is written as participant follow up material to my BarCampGR 2026 talk1
About Actual Budget#
Actual Budget2 is a free open source budgeting software that supports all operating systems, including mobile (requires sync server).
Unlike other commercial budget software, Actual can be run completely locally, free, forever. There is no vendor lock in and your finance data is completely yours. Optional end-to-end encryption features add an additional layer of privacy.
Running a sync server enables additional features like multi-user / multi-device support as well as BankSync to pull in transactions from your financial institution(s).
Getting Started#
Want to try Actual Budget out for yourself, you can load a demo at https://demo.actualbudget.org .
Install Actual Budget#
To run Actual as a standalone application, download it from https://actualbudget.org/download . Be sure to export/backup your budget file regularly.
To enable syncing between devices as well as loading the budget entirely in the browser (desktop applications may also be used), setup a sync server.
A few options exist for running a sync server3.
The simplest way to setup a sync server is at PikaPods4. They handle the hosting for you and allow for custom domains. This will cost around $2 a month. Enabling end-to-end encryption on your budget files adds an additional layer of comfort.
Want to run the sync server yourself with Docker or from source? See https://actualbudget.org/docs/install/#running-a-server
Actual Budget apps can run entirely offline and sync changes once they connect to the sync server. If you run the sync server at home, clients can sync changes to the server when the app is loaded on the home network. Or, use a service like Tailscale5 to enable syncing on the go.
Learn More#
Now that you have your Actual Budget setup, want to learn how to use it?
Actual has some AMAZING documentation walking through exactly how to get started as well as common scenarios such as carrying dept, working to pay off debt, categorizing transactions with rules, setting up automatic budgeting with templates, and more!
Read the docs at https://actualbudget.org/docs