{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "firefly-iii",
            "name": "Firefly III",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.firefly-iii.org/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/firefly-iii",
            "tagline": "Self-hosted personal finance manager with double-entry bookkeeping",
            "summary": "Firefly III is a free, open-source personal finance manager that you run on your own server. It records income, expenses and transfers in a double-entry ledger, and it installs with Docker, Portainer, Kubernetes or a self-managed server.",
            "platforms": [
                "web",
                "self-hosted"
            ],
            "pricing": "open-source",
            "price_note": "Free and open source; you host it on your own server",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": true,
            "license": "AGPL-3.0",
            "source": "https://github.com/firefly-iii/firefly-iii",
            "strengths": [
                "Double-entry bookkeeping for accurate ledgers",
                "AGPL-3.0 open-source code",
                "Installs with Docker or on a self-managed server"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Owner runs servers, backups and upgrades",
                "Setup needs more technical skill than hosted apps"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Firefly III records each transaction as a movement between two accounts, which keeps balances consistent and suits people who want accounting-style records. It includes categories, budgets, reports and rules that sort transactions. The web interface is the main client, and the project publishes installation and upgrade guides.\n\nThe code is licensed under AGPL-3.0, so modified versions run as a network service must share their source. Setup needs a web server and a database, and upgrades are applied by the owner, which suits technically confident users. Hosted alternatives such as YNAB and Monarch Money trade that work for a subscription."
        },
        {
            "slug": "monarch-money",
            "name": "Monarch Money",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.monarch.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/monarch-money",
            "tagline": "Hosted budgeting app with account sync and investment tracking",
            "summary": "Monarch Money is a subscription personal finance app that syncs bank, card and investment accounts into budgets, forecasts and a shared view for collaborators. It runs on web, iOS and Android and offers a 7-day free trial.",
            "developer": "Monarch Money",
            "platforms": [
                "web",
                "ios",
                "android"
            ],
            "pricing": "subscription",
            "price_note": "Subscription after a 7-day free trial",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "One list for transactions across linked accounts",
                "Forecasting and multiple income sources on Plus",
                "Shared view for collaborators"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "No free plan",
                "Hosted only, with no self-hosting option"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Monarch shows transactions from linked accounts in one searchable list, with budgets by category and cash-flow tracking. Investment accounts can be monitored alongside spending, and collaborators can share the same view. The web app and the iOS and Android apps use the same data, so a budget stays in step across devices.\n\nMonarch is a paid subscription after a 7-day trial. Its pricing page argues that paid apps protect data quality better than free ones, and the Plus tier adds forecasting tools and support for several income sources. It is a hosted service with no open-source code and no self-hosting option."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Monarch Money runs on iOS.",
        "Only Monarch Money runs on Android.",
        "Firefly III is open source; Monarch Money is not.",
        "Firefly III has a free plan or free version; Monarch Money does not.",
        "Firefly III: free and open source. Monarch Money: subscription."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "budgeting-apps",
            "name": "Budgeting apps",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/budgeting-apps",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "firefly-iii",
                    "rank": 7,
                    "score": 79,
                    "verdict": "A free, open-source double-entry ledger that you run on your own server with Docker or a self-managed install. It rewards accounting-minded users, but setup, backups and upgrades are the owner's job.",
                    "best_for": "Self-hosted double-entry bookkeeping",
                    "spec": {
                        "self_hosted": true,
                        "bank_sync": "Manual entry and imports",
                        "method": "Double-entry ledger"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "monarch-money",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 88.5,
                    "verdict": "One list for transactions across accounts, with category budgets, forecasts on Plus and shared access for collaborators. It is a hosted subscription after a 7-day trial, with no free plan and no self-hosted option.",
                    "best_for": "Household budgets with forecasts and shared access",
                    "spec": {
                        "self_hosted": false,
                        "bank_sync": "Yes, linked bank accounts",
                        "method": "Category budgets and forecasts"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "monarch-money",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/firefly-iii-vs-monarch-money",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/firefly-iii-vs-monarch-money.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}