ChainForensics vs Firefly III
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?
ChainForensics
Privacy-focused Bitcoin blockchain analysis & UTXO privacy scoring
VS
Firefly III
Self-hosted personal finance manager
| Feature | ChainForensics | Firefly III |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | free | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 24,254 |
| First released | 2022 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Mint, YNAB |
Why pick each one
Choose ChainForensics if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is ChainForensics or Firefly III better?
Neither is universally better. Firefly III has the larger community, while ChainForensics is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ChainForensics and Firefly III free and open-source?
Yes. ChainForensics is licensed under free and Firefly III under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ChainForensics and Firefly III with Docker?
ChainForensics: yes. Firefly III: yes.