Firefly III vs Oak Node

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?
FeatureFirefly IIIOak Node
CategoryBudgeting & FinanceBudgeting & Finance
LicenseAGPL-3.0free
LanguagePHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 24,254
First released20162022
ReplacesMint, YNAB

Why pick each one

Choose Firefly III if…

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

Choose Oak Node if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Oak Node details

Frequently asked questions

Is Firefly III or Oak Node better?

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

Are Firefly III and Oak Node free and open-source?

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

Can I run Firefly III and Oak Node with Docker?

Firefly III: yes. Oak Node: yes.

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