Buckets vs Maybe
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Maybe
Archived
Open-source personal finance and wealth app
| Feature | Buckets | Maybe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 30 · At risk | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 198 | ★ 54,272 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | Mint, Personal Capital |
What are Buckets and Maybe?
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
Maybe
Maybe is an open-source personal finance and wealth management application built with Ruby on Rails. It helps users track accounts, net worth, investments, and budgets in one dashboard.
- Net worth tracking
- Investment portfolio view
- Budgeting tools
- AI-assisted insights
Buckets vs Maybe: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Maybe's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Buckets is actively maintained. Buckets is written in TypeScript, while Maybe is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Buckets versus AGPL-3.0 for Maybe. Buckets is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Maybe. Buckets is the more established project (first released 2017), while Maybe arrived in 2024. Maybe has the considerably larger community, at 54,272 GitHub stars versus 198. Maybe 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 Maybe if…
- Modern polished interface
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Bank integrations still maturing
Frequently asked questions
Is Buckets or Maybe better?
Neither is universally better. Maybe has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Buckets and Maybe free and open-source?
Yes. Buckets is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Maybe under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buckets and Maybe with Docker?
Buckets: check the project docs for container support. Maybe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Buckets or Maybe?
Buckets has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Maybe. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.