Copilot Money alternatives: 6 open-source picks
Copilot Money costs $13/mo — $156 a year. These 6 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Wealthfolio, GnuCash and Money Manager Ex. All 6 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Portfolio, net worth, spending and budgets on your own device; automatic broker sync is the paid convenience.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installNative desktop or iOS app, or the official Docker image/Compose deployment for web mode
dataDesktop and self-hosted modes use a local SQLite database (the web server exposes a configurable app.db path); optional Wealthfolio Connect and encrypted device sync send selected holdings/account data through the vendor service.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs Copilot MoneyWealthfolio cannot match Copilot's turnkey US account and card aggregation, automatic categorization, transaction cleanup, and consistently polished mobile-first daily-money workflow without paid sync.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Spending, budgets and investments in a serious double-entry desktop; simplicity did not make the balance sheet.
licenseGPL-2.0+
runson your machine
installNative desktop installer or operating-system package
dataThe default book is a local compressed XML .gnucash file; SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL backends are optional, but the documentation warns that database storage does not make GnuCash a true multi-user application.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs Copilot MoneyGnuCash demands double-entry bookkeeping and manual imports, giving up Copilot's automatic account aggregation, approachable categorization, mobile polish, and unified investment dashboard.
facts verified 2026-08-11
A local ledger with budgets, reports and investments; the interface has no subscription budget.
licenseGPL-2.0
runson your machine
installNative or portable desktop package for Windows, macOS, or Linux; mobile builds are also published
dataAccounts and transactions live in a user-chosen local SQLite .mmb database, with optional database encryption; CSV, QIF, and other interchange formats are available.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs Copilot MoneyMoney Manager Ex is a manual desktop ledger with a dated interface, not Copilot's automatically synced, mobile-first view of spending, investments, subscriptions, and net worth.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Budgets, investments and cash-flow forecasts on the desktop; delight was not in the KDE requirements.
licenseGPL-2.0+
runson your machine
installInstall a distribution package, Flatpak/AppImage, or the published Windows/macOS desktop build
dataThe normal .kmy file is compressed XML on the user's disk and can be GPG-encrypted; KMyMoney also supports SQL storage and imports such as QIF, OFX, and GnuCash XML.
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs Copilot MoneyKMyMoney's desktop workflow and uneven bank connectivity are much less automatic and polished than Copilot's account aggregation, categorization, subscription detection, and mobile net-worth view.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Personal finance manager with budgets, rules, and reports — your money data stays home.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Local-first envelope budgeting with multi-device sync and bank import.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Firefly III · Actual Budget
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
how to choose a Copilot Money alternative
Easiest to get running
Wealthfolio — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
Firefly III, with 20,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 6, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Runs on your own machine, no server
GnuCash — nothing to host, your data stays on your disk.
Works on your phone
Wealthfolio has a mobile app.
what you give up by leaving Copilot Money
- bank sync
- iOS/Mac polish
- transaction enrichment
- investment tracking
- mobile notifications
- security posture
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Copilot Money alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wealthfolio | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | web, macos, windows, linux, ios, self-hosted | 8,500 | 2026-08 |
| GnuCash | GPL-2.0+ | one-click install | macos, windows, linux | 4,300 | 2026-06 |
| Money Manager Ex | GPL-2.0 | one-click install | macos, windows, linux, ios, android | 2,200 | 2026-08 |
| KMyMoney | GPL-2.0+ | one-click install | macos, windows, linux | 202 | 2026-07 |
| Firefly III | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 20,000 | 2026-08 |
| Actual Budget | MIT | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 20,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Copilot Money
They pay because the app feels native and current financial data appears automatically. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $156 a year.
questions about switching from Copilot Money
Is there an open-source alternative to Copilot Money?
Yes: Wealthfolio, GnuCash, Money Manager Ex and 3 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Copilot Money?
Our verdict is YES. Firefly III (20k stars), Actual Budget (20k stars), Wealthfolio (9k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Copilot Money — self-host in one command and stop paying $13/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/copilot-money.
What is the easiest open-source Copilot Money alternative to set up?
Wealthfolio — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source Copilot Money alternative?
By GitHub stars, Firefly III (20,000). Actual Budget is next with 20,000.
