Budget Zero vs MyFin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Budget Zero | MyFin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 62 · Good | 77 · Good |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 655 | ★ 312 |
| First released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Replaces | YNAB, Mint | YNAB, Mint |
What are Budget Zero and MyFin?
Budget Zero
Budgetzero is an open-source, offline-first envelope budgeting application. It works entirely in the browser with local storage and optional CouchDB sync for multi-device budgeting.
- Envelope budgeting
- Offline-first browser app
- Optional CouchDB sync
- Import from YNAB
MyFin
MyFin is a self-hosted personal finance platform for tracking accounts, budgets, and transactions. It provides reports and forecasting to help understand spending patterns over time.
- Account and budget tracking
- Spending forecasts
- Transaction categorization
- Self-hosted finance reports
Budget Zero vs MyFin: key differences
Budget Zero is written in Vue, while MyFin is built with TypeScript. Budget Zero is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for MyFin. Budget Zero is the more established project (first released 2019), while MyFin arrived in 2022. Budget Zero has the considerably larger community, at 655 GitHub stars versus 312. MyFin lists first-class Docker deployment; Budget Zero does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Budget Zero if…
- Works fully offline
- Simple budgeting workflow
Watch out for
- Small project
- Limited reporting
Choose MyFin if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Budget Zero or MyFin better?
Budget Zero is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider MyFin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Budget Zero and MyFin free and open-source?
Yes. Budget Zero is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MyFin under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Budget Zero and MyFin with Docker?
Budget Zero: check the project docs for container support. MyFin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Budget Zero or MyFin?
Budget Zero has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for MyFin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.