Buckets vs Cashew Self-Host
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Buckets | Cashew Self-Host |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 30 · At risk | 54 · Fair |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 198 | ★ 4,649 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | YNAB, Mint |
What are Buckets and Cashew Self-Host?
Buckets
Buckets is an envelope-style budgeting application for Windows, macOS, and Linux built with Electron/TypeScript. Budgets are stored in a local file, bank statements can be imported, and it works fully offline. Its source code is published in the buckets/application repository.
- Bucket-based envelope budgeting
- Offline-first desktop app
- Bank statement import
- Self-hostable sync
Cashew Self-Host
This project provides a self-hosted sync backend so users of the open-source budgeting client can keep their expense data on their own server. It stores transactions, budgets, and categories without a commercial cloud.
- Expense and budget tracking
- Self-hosted sync
- Category management
- Mobile companion
Buckets vs Cashew Self-Host: key differences
Buckets is written in TypeScript, while Cashew Self-Host is built with Dart. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Buckets versus MIT for Cashew Self-Host. Buckets is the more established project (first released 2017), while Cashew Self-Host arrived in 2022. Cashew Self-Host has the considerably larger community, at 4,649 GitHub stars versus 198. Cashew Self-Host lists first-class Docker deployment; Buckets does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Buckets if…
- Flexible budgeting model
- Privacy-focused
Watch out for
- Sync setup is manual
- Smaller community
Choose Cashew Self-Host if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.6k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Buckets or Cashew Self-Host better?
Cashew Self-Host is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Buckets if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Buckets and Cashew Self-Host free and open-source?
Yes. Buckets is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Cashew Self-Host under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buckets and Cashew Self-Host with Docker?
Buckets: check the project docs for container support. Cashew Self-Host: yes.