Actual Budget vs Tricount
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Actual Budget is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.4. Actual Budget wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Tricount on 1, with 1 tied.
Hands-on budgeters who want YNAB-style envelopes without a subscription
Friends, roommates and couples who share costs and want it simple
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Actual Budget | Tricount |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Money & Investing | Money & Investing |
| Category rank | #4 of 12 | #9 of 12 |
| Developer | Actual Budget community | bunq |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | — | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Common questions
Is Actual Budget better than Tricount?
Actual Budget is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.4. Actual Budget wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Tricount on 1, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, Actual Budget or Tricount?
Actual Budget: Free and open source; syncing needs a server you host or rent, such as PikaPods. Tricount: Free and unlimited, with no subscription, ads or daily expense cap. On value for money, Actual Budget scores higher.
Do Actual Budget and Tricount work on the same devices?
Only Actual Budget runs on Web, Mac, Windows, Linux. Only Tricount runs on iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, Actual Budget or Tricount?
Actual Budget scores higher on privacy (9.6/10). Local-first: your budget lives on your device and syncs through a server you control, with optional end-to-end encryption. Bank sync is optional and uses API keys you set up yourself.
Strengths and weaknesses
Actual Budget
- Free and open source, with no ads
- Data stays on your device unless you sync it
- Monthly releases keep adding features
- Sync needs a server you host or rent
- No app in the App Store or Google Play
- Bank sync means setting up your own provider keys
Actual Budget is envelope budgeting built by people who love it, then given away. You assign real income to categories, move money between them quickly, and lean on rules, split transactions and custom reports to keep things tidy. It's local-first and open source, with optional end-to-end encrypted sync and monthly releases. The catch is setup: syncing across devices means running a small server, and there's no app in the phone stores.
Full Actual Budget review
Tricount
- Free with no ads or daily expense cap
- Handles uneven splits and foreign currencies
- Friends can see what they owe without the app
- Promotes its owner bunq's bank account
- Identifiers are used for tracking
Tricount does one job well: keeping a group trip, a shared flat or a couple's spending fair. Everyone logs what they paid, Tricount works out who owes whom, even across currencies and uneven splits, and payment requests show who has settled. It's free with no ads or expense caps, works offline, and can import your old Splitwise groups. It belongs to the bank bunq, so expect a few nudges toward a bunq account.
Full Tricount review
