Firefly III
Firefly III is an open-source personal finance manager built on a double-entry ledger, and a self-hosted alternative to Mint. Every transaction moves money between accounts, so balances always reconcile. A companion Data Importer pulls transactions from CSV files and bank-sync providers (GoCardless, SimpleFIN, Spectre), and a rules engine categorizes them on the way in.
Overview
Description
Firefly III is an open-source personal finance manager, and a self-hosted alternative to Mint and other budgeting services. It is built on a double-entry bookkeeping engine: money always moves from one account to another, which keeps net worth and account balances internally consistent. Budgets, bills, categories, tags, and "piggy banks" sit on top of that ledger, and a separate Data Importer handles CSV imports and recurring bank synchronization so day-to-day entry can be automated.
Features
- Double-entry ledger: Asset, expense, revenue, and liability accounts with multi-currency support.
- Budgets & bills: Envelope-style budgets, expected bills, and recurring transactions with forecasts.
- Rules engine: Match incoming transactions and auto-apply categories, tags, budgets, or descriptions.
- Bank import: The Data Importer connects to GoCardless, SimpleFIN, and Spectre, plus CSV and camt.053.
- Reporting: Net worth over time, spending by category/tag, and income vs. expense breakdowns.
- Automation-friendly: Full REST API with OAuth2, plus webhooks for external integrations.
Technology Stack
- PHP / Laravel application
- MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL (SQLite for small single-user setups)
- Official Docker images; a separate container for the Data Importer
- Redis optional for caching and queues
Requirements
- Docker and Docker Compose, or a PHP 8.4 web server
- A supported database
- ~512 MB RAM; SMTP for password resets and notifications
Learning resources
Firefly III Tutorial (2025): How to Use Firefly III for Personal Finance & Budget Tracking
A practical tour of Firefly III: creating asset accounts, recording income and expenses, and setting up budgets, bills, and rules that categorize transactions automatically.
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ArticleUsing Docker to install Firefly III
The official Docker Compose instructions: download the compose file and the two environment files, generate an app key, run the container with its database, and reach the setup screen on first launch.
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