Actual Budget
PocketGuard
| Feature | Actual Budget | PocketGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | Free / from $7.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | budget-conscious-individuals, self-hosters, ynab-migrants, privacy-focused-budgeters | budget-beginners, overspenders, young-professionals, simple-budget-seekers |
| Founded | 2019 | 2014 |
| Envelope Budgeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bank Sync | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reports | ✓ | ✗ |
| Goal Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rules | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scheduled Transactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bill Detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spending Insights | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals | ✗ | ✓ |
| Debt Payoff | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subscription Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Actual Budget Pros
- Open-source with no subscription fees
- Local-first with optional sync
- Beautiful and fast interface
- Bank sync via SimpleFIN/GoCardless
✗ Actual Budget Cons
- Self-hosting required for sync features
- Smaller community than YNAB
- Mobile experience less polished than native apps
✓ PocketGuard Pros
- Simple In My Pocket concept
- Automatic bill detection
- Bank-level encryption
- Clean and intuitive interface
✗ PocketGuard Cons
- Plus required for custom categories
- Limited investment tracking
- Sync issues with some banks
The Verdict
Actual Budget is built for budget conscious individuals and self hosters, with a focus on envelope-budgeting and bank-sync. PocketGuard targets budget beginners and overspenders and leads with bank-sync and bill-detection.
On pricing, Actual Budget is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $7.99/mo for PocketGuard. That $7.99/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Actual Budget offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while PocketGuard takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Actual Budget has a slight overall edge — but if simple in my pocket concept matters most to you, PocketGuard may still be the right call.