SHSelfHostIndex

Actual Budget vs Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning)

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
AC Actual Budget Local-first envelope budgeting app VS RI Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) Manage your Core Lightning node with RTL
FeatureActual BudgetRide The Lightning (Core Lightning)
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicenseMITfree
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 28,019★ 796
First released20222022
ReplacesYNAB, Mint—

Why pick each one

Choose Actual Budget if…

  • Snappy offline-first experience
  • Privacy-focused sync
Actual Budget details

Choose Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Written in TypeScript
Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) details

Frequently asked questions

Is Actual Budget or Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) better?

Neither is universally better. Actual Budget has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Actual Budget and Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) free and open-source?

Yes. Actual Budget is licensed under MIT and Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Actual Budget and Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) with Docker?

Actual Budget: yes. Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning): yes.

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