Lightning Shell 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?
Lightning Shell
Web shell with a selection of LN node management utilities
VS
Sure
Community-driven personal finance app
| Feature | Lightning Shell | Sure |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | free | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 9,323 |
| First released | 2022 | 2025 |
| Replaces | — | Mint, Quicken |
Why pick each one
Choose Lightning Shell 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
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Lightning Shell or Sure better?
Neither is universally better. Sure has the larger community, while Lightning Shell is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Lightning Shell and Sure free and open-source?
Yes. Lightning Shell is licensed under free and Sure under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lightning Shell and Sure with Docker?
Lightning Shell: yes. Sure: yes.