Firefly III vs Lightning Network+
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?
Firefly III
Self-hosted personal finance manager
VS
Lightning Network+
Get incoming liquidity and double your channels for free
| Feature | Firefly III | Lightning Network+ |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | free |
| Language | PHP | Haml |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,254 | ★ 2 |
| First released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Mint, YNAB | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Lightning Network+ if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Written in Haml
Frequently asked questions
Is Firefly III or Lightning Network+ better?
Neither is universally better. Firefly III has the larger community, while Lightning Network+ is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Firefly III and Lightning Network+ free and open-source?
Yes. Firefly III is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Lightning Network+ under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firefly III and Lightning Network+ with Docker?
Firefly III: yes. Lightning Network+: yes.