Actual Budget
Simplifi by Quicken
| Feature | Actual Budget | Simplifi by Quicken |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | From $71.88/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | budget-conscious-individuals, self-hosters, ynab-migrants, privacy-focused-budgeters | beginners, solo-budgeters, former-mint-users, investors |
| Founded | 2019 | 2020 |
| Envelope Budgeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bank Sync | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Goal Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rules | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scheduled Transactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spending Plan | ✗ | ✓ |
| Investment Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Net Worth | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subscription Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Savings Goals | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Simplifi by Quicken Pros
- Affordable at roughly half the price of YNAB
- Spending Plan feature is uniquely intuitive
- Investment tracking and net worth included
- Clean interface with low learning curve
✗ Simplifi by Quicken Cons
- No monthly billing option
- No separate user profiles for families
- US-only availability
The Verdict
Actual Budget is built for budget conscious individuals and self hosters, with a focus on envelope-budgeting and bank-sync. Simplifi by Quicken targets beginners and solo budgeters and leads with spending-plan and bank-sync.
On pricing, Actual Budget is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $71.88/mo for Simplifi by Quicken. That $71.88/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Actual Budget has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Simplifi by Quicken requires a paid subscription from day one.
Actual Budget edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Actual Budget has a slight overall edge — but if affordable at roughly half the price of ynab matters most to you, Simplifi by Quicken may still be the right call.
