Actual Budget vs Lunch Money
Actual Budget vs Lunch Money: Which Should You Use?
These two indie tools split on where your data lives and how much you want to run yourself. Actual Budget is free, open source and local-first, built around a strict zero-based envelope method you self-host or sync cheaply. Lunch Money is a hosted app with native multi-currency, crypto tracking and a developer API, but it comes with a subscription. The trade is control and cost against convenience and reach.
Actual Budget vs Lunch Money: feature comparison
Feature comparison of Actual Budget, Lunch Money and Auritrack
| Feature | Actual Budget | Lunch Money | Auritrack |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI chat expense tracking | No | No | Yes |
| AI bookkeeping & categorization | NoRules-based, manual by design | Auto-categorization rules | Yes |
| Automatic bank sync | Via SimpleFIN or GoCardless add-ons | YesVia Plaid, GoCardless and SimpleFIN | On the roadmap; statement import today |
| Bank-statement import (PDF/CSV/Excel) | YesCSV, OFX and QFX import | YesCSV import | YesPDF, CSV or Excel, read by AI |
| Budgeting | YesZero-based envelope budgeting | YesCategory budgets | Yes |
| Savings goals | YesCategory targets and schedules | Tracked via budgets, not dedicated goals | Yes |
| Invoicing | No | No | Small-business records and reports |
| Receipt scanning | No | No | Yes |
| All currencies with live conversion | NoOne currency per budget | Yes160+ currencies with historical rates | YesLive exchange rates |
| Data export (PDF/CSV) | YesFull data ownership, export anytime | YesCSV and full API access | YesPDF and CSV anytime |
| Telegram tracking | No | No | Yes@auritrack_bot |
| Investment tracking | No | Crypto and manual assets | No |
| Shared / household accounts | YesMulti-user on self-hosted setups | YesShared budgets | Yes |
| Sells your data to advertisers | NoLocal-first, data stays with you | No | No |
| Price | Free (open source) | $10/mo or ~$100/yr | Free tier + AI from $3/mo |
Which of the two should you pick?
Where Actual Budget wins
- Free and fully open source, with no subscription
- Local-first: your data stays with you and can be self-hosted
- Strict zero-based envelope budgeting with category targets
- Runs on desktop as well as web and mobile
Where Lunch Money wins
- Fully hosted, with nothing to set up or maintain
- Native multi-currency, 160+ currencies with historical rates
- Built-in crypto tracking and a full developer API
- Live bank sync built in, where Actual’s is an add-on
A third option: Auritrack
If Actual Budget’s self-hosting feels like too much work and Lunch Money’s $10/month feels like a lot for manual entry, Auritrack sits between them. An AI categorizes your spending from a chat message or an uploaded statement, with no server to run, on a free tier for the manual side and AI features from $3/month, in any currency. It has no live bank sync yet, so it reads statements rather than connecting an account.
The verdict
Actual Budget is for the privacy-minded and technically comfortable, who want a free, open-source envelope budget they fully control. Lunch Money is for international users who want multi-currency and crypto in a hosted app and will pay for the convenience. Auritrack is a middle path if you want AI to do the categorizing without running a server or hand-entering everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to dig into one of them on its own? Read the Actual Budget guide or the Lunch Money guide, each an honest look at where that tool wins and where Auritrack fits.
Comparisons reflect our understanding of each product at the time of writing and may change; check each provider’s site for current pricing and features. Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page is general information, not financial advice.