head to head · open source
Actual vs Ghostfolio
Actual has 29,923 GitHub stars, 3,242 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Ghostfolio has 9,637 stars, 1,393 forks, 315 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Actual leads on adoption by 211% (29,923 vs 9,637 stars). Actual is written in TypeScript under MIT; Ghostfolio is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Actual has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Ghostfolio 14%. Ghostfolio was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (finance, personal-finance), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Actual | Ghostfolio | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 30K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.2K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Actual if
- You weight community size — 30K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Ghostfolio if
- You want the Ghostfolio feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Ghostfolio fits your workflow better
About Actual
Getting Started Actual is a local first personal finance tool. It is 100% free and open source, written in NodeJS, it has a synchronization element so that all your changes can move between devices without any heavy lifting. If you are interested in contributing, or want to know how development works, see our contributing document we would love to have you. Want to say thanks? Click the ⭐ at the top of the page. Key Links Actual discord community. Actual Community Documentation Frequently asked questions Installation There are four ways to deploy Actual: 1. One click deployment via PikaPods ( 2.00 $/month)…
read the full Actual overview →
About Ghostfolio
Ghostfolio Open Source Wealth Management Software Ghostfol.io Live Demo Ghostfolio Premium FAQ Blog LinkedIn Slack X Ghostfolio is an open source wealth management software built with web technology. The application empowers busy people to keep track of stocks, ETFs or cryptocurrencies and make solid, data driven investment decisions. The software is designed for personal use in continuous operation. Ghostfolio Premium Our official Ghostfolio Premium cloud offering is the easiest way to get started. Due to the time it saves, this will be the best option for most people. Revenue is used to cover operational costs…
read the full Ghostfolio overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Actual or Ghostfolio more popular?
Actual has 29,923 GitHub stars and Ghostfolio has 9,637. Actual has the larger community by that measure.
Are Actual and Ghostfolio free?
Both are open source. Actual is licensed under MIT and Ghostfolio under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Actual and Ghostfolio?
Actual is written in TypeScript and Ghostfolio in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Actual or Ghostfolio?
Choose Actual if you want the larger community (29,923 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Ghostfolio if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.