Buckets vs Budget Zero
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Buckets | Budget Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 30 · At risk | 62 · Good |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 198 | ★ 655 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | YNAB, Mint |
What are Buckets and Budget Zero?
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
Budget Zero
Budgetzero is an open-source, offline-first envelope budgeting application. It works entirely in the browser with local storage and optional CouchDB sync for multi-device budgeting.
- Envelope budgeting
- Offline-first browser app
- Optional CouchDB sync
- Import from YNAB
Buckets vs Budget Zero: key differences
Buckets is written in TypeScript, while Budget Zero is built with Vue. Budget Zero is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Buckets. Buckets is the more established project (first released 2017), while Budget Zero arrived in 2019. Budget Zero has the considerably larger community, at 655 GitHub stars versus 198.
Why pick each one
Choose Buckets if…
- Flexible budgeting model
- Privacy-focused
Watch out for
- Sync setup is manual
- Smaller community
Choose Budget Zero if…
- Works fully offline
- Simple budgeting workflow
Watch out for
- Small project
- Limited reporting
Frequently asked questions
Is Buckets or Budget Zero better?
Budget Zero 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 Budget Zero free and open-source?
Yes. Buckets is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Budget Zero under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buckets and Budget Zero with Docker?
Buckets: check the project docs for container support. Budget Zero: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Buckets or Budget Zero?
Budget Zero has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Buckets. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.