Circuit Breaker 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?
FeatureCircuit BreakerFirefly III
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicensefreeAGPL-3.0
LanguageGoPHP
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, one-clickdocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 124★ 24,254
First released20222016
ReplacesMint, YNAB

Why pick each one

Choose Circuit Breaker if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Written in Go
Circuit Breaker details

Choose Firefly III if…

  • Powerful budgeting features
  • Strong API for automation
Firefly III details

Frequently asked questions

Is Circuit Breaker or Firefly III better?

Neither is universally better. Firefly III has the larger community, while Circuit Breaker is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Circuit Breaker and Firefly III free and open-source?

Yes. Circuit Breaker is licensed under free and Firefly III under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Circuit Breaker and Firefly III with Docker?

Circuit Breaker: yes. Firefly III: yes.

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