SHSelfHostIndex

Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) vs Sure

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?
RI Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) Manage your Core Lightning node with RTL VS SU Sure Community-driven personal finance app
FeatureRide The Lightning (Core Lightning)Sure
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicensefreeAGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptRuby
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, one-clickdocker, source
GitHub stars★ 796★ 9,323
First released20222025
Replaces—Mint, Quicken

Why pick each one

Choose Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Written in TypeScript
Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) details

Choose Sure if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 9.3k GitHub stars
  • Written in Ruby
Sure details

Frequently asked questions

Is Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) or Sure better?

Neither is universally better. Sure has the larger community, while Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) and Sure free and open-source?

Yes. Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) is licensed under free and Sure under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning) and Sure with Docker?

Ride The Lightning (Core Lightning): yes. Sure: yes.

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