Actual Budget vs Lightning Network+
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?
Actual Budget
Local-first envelope budgeting app
VS
Lightning Network+
Get incoming liquidity and double your channels for free
| Feature | Actual Budget | Lightning Network+ |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | MIT | free |
| Language | TypeScript | Haml |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,019 | ★ 2 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Lightning Network+ if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Written in Haml
Frequently asked questions
Is Actual Budget or Lightning Network+ 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 Lightning Network+ free and open-source?
Yes. Actual Budget is licensed under MIT and Lightning Network+ under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Actual Budget and Lightning Network+ with Docker?
Actual Budget: yes. Lightning Network+: yes.