Buckets vs MyFin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Buckets | MyFin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 30 · At risk | 77 · Good |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 198 | ★ 312 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | YNAB, Mint |
What are Buckets and MyFin?
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
MyFin
MyFin is a self-hosted personal finance platform for tracking accounts, budgets, and transactions. It provides reports and forecasting to help understand spending patterns over time.
- Account and budget tracking
- Spending forecasts
- Transaction categorization
- Self-hosted finance reports
Buckets vs MyFin: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Buckets is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for MyFin. Buckets is the more established project (first released 2017), while MyFin arrived in 2022. MyFin 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 MyFin if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Buckets or MyFin better?
Neither is universally better. MyFin has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Buckets and MyFin free and open-source?
Yes. Buckets is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MyFin under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buckets and MyFin with Docker?
Buckets: check the project docs for container support. MyFin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Buckets or MyFin?
Buckets has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for MyFin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.