Crater vs Pretzel Finance
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?
Crater
Free invoicing and expense tracking app
VS
Pretzel Finance
Self-hosted stock and crypto portfolio tracker
| Feature | Crater | Pretzel Finance |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | AAL | EPL-1.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,338 | ★ 4,006 |
| First released | 2020 | 2012 |
| Replaces | FreshBooks, Invoicely | Sharesight, Personal Capital |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Crater or Pretzel Finance better?
Neither is universally better. Crater has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Crater and Pretzel Finance free and open-source?
Yes. Crater is licensed under AAL and Pretzel Finance under EPL-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Crater and Pretzel Finance with Docker?
Crater: yes. Pretzel Finance: check the project docs for container support.