Is Aspire Budgeting really free?

Yes. The Aspire Budgeting spreadsheet is completely free — no trial, no credit card, no subscription. Aspire Turbo ($5/month) is an optional upgrade that adds CSV import and auto-categorization.

Is Actual Budget free?

Yes. Actual Budget is open source and free to run locally or self-host. Actual no longer offers its own paid hosted service, but it recommends third-party hosting such as PikaPods for people who do not want to maintain a server themselves. Hosting and optional bank-sync providers may have separate costs.

Do both use zero-based budgeting?

Yes. Both Aspire and Actual implement zero-based envelope budgeting where every dollar is assigned to a category. The methodology is identical.

Can I access my budget on mobile with Actual?

Both products offer progressive web app access rather than a native iOS or Android app. Aspire Mobile is included with Turbo for balance checks and transaction entry; the free Aspire spreadsheet also works through the Google Sheets app.

Do I need to be technical to use Actual Budget?

Not necessarily. Actual offers desktop apps and can run locally in a browser, while syncing across devices and bank sync require a server. You can self-host that server or use a third-party host such as PikaPods. Aspire requires no server setup — just copy a Google Sheet.

Which has better reporting?

Actual has more built-in report types including net worth tracking and cash flow. Aspire has spending reports, trend reports, and income vs. expense — and since it's a spreadsheet, you can build any custom report you want.

Aspire Budgeting vs Actual Budget

Two free envelope-style budgeting tools, two different approaches. One lives in Google Sheets. The other is a local-first app with optional server deployment.

Try Aspire free

No Aspire account or server required. Copy Aspire to your Drive and start.

The fundamental difference

Actual Budget is an open-source, local-first application. You can use it locally, or run an Actual server—yourself or through a third-party host—for multi-device sync, mobile access, and bank sync. It's a full-featured budgeting app with reports and rule-based automation. Aspire runs in Google Sheets with no server or installation required and focuses on an accessible envelope-style zero-based workflow.

What does setup involve?

Aspire: copy and configure

Click "Copy to Google Drive"
Open the Dashboard tab
Add your category names

No Aspire account or bank linking.

Actual Budget: choose how to run it

Use a desktop/local client, self-host a server, or choose a third-party host
Create a budget file
Set up categories and groups
Configure a supported bank-sync provider if desired
Import any existing transaction history

A server is strongly recommended and required for sync, mobile access, and bank sync.

Feature comparison

Feature	Aspire Budgeting	Actual Budget
Price	Free	Free; optional hosting and bank-sync providers may cost extra
Setup required	Copy a Google Sheet and configure it	Local client, self-hosted server, or third-party hosting
Budgeting method	Zero-based envelope	Zero-based envelope
Platform	Google Sheets plus Aspire Mobile PWA with Turbo	Desktop or web/PWA; server needed for synced/mobile use
Bank sync	No (CSV import with Turbo)	Yes (server plus a supported provider)
Open source	No (but it's a visible spreadsheet)	Yes (MIT license)
Customizability	Categories plus custom views on separate tabs	Source code modifiable (requires dev skills)
Partner sharing	Free (Google Sheets sharing)	Concurrent access to a shared server budget
Reports	Spending, trends, income vs. expense	Net worth, cash flow, spending, custom
Transaction rules	Auto-categorization (Turbo)	Rule-based automation
Technical skill needed	None	Some (for self-hosting)
Works offline	Google Sheets offline mode	Yes (local-first architecture)

When Actual Budget is the better choice

Actual is an impressive project. Choose it if:

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You want optional bank sync through supported regional providers and are comfortable configuring it.
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You're comfortable running a small server or paying a third-party provider to host one.
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You value open source and want to inspect (or modify) the code yourself.
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You want advanced reporting like net worth tracking and custom date-range analysis.
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You prefer a dedicated budgeting app UI over a spreadsheet.

When Aspire is the better choice

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You don't want to set up or maintain a server. Aspire is a Google Sheet. Copy it and you're done. No Docker, no ports, no updates to manage.
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You want familiar partner sharing. Share the Sheet with your partner through Google Drive. Actual supports concurrent access, but both people need access to the same Actual server and budget.
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You want spreadsheet customizability. Add columns, build formulas, and create arbitrary views without coding. Actual offers custom reports, rules, and themes; changes beyond its supported features require development work.
✓
You trust Google's infrastructure. Your data syncs across devices via Google Drive without managing backups. Self-hosted Actual means you're responsible for backups.
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You're not technical. If "Docker" and "self-host" mean nothing to you, Aspire is the obvious choice. Zero technical barriers.
✓
You like spreadsheets. Some people genuinely prefer the spreadsheet experience. If that's you, Aspire is purpose-built for it.

What "it's a spreadsheet" actually means

Actual includes configurable reports, rules, and themes, and its open-source code can be modified by developers. Aspire makes a different kind of customization available directly in the spreadsheet:

Custom paycheck allocation

Build a formula that automatically splits each paycheck across categories based on percentages you define.

Tax-deductible flagging

Add a column to mark transactions as tax-deductible. Filter at tax time for an instant summary.

Conditional formatting alerts

Color-code categories that are close to their limit. Red when overspent, yellow when 90% used.

Custom reports and charts

Build pivot tables, create Google Charts, or add sparklines — no JavaScript or React knowledge needed.

Side hustle tracking

Add a dedicated sheet for freelance income, expenses, and profit margin — all linked to your main budget.

Shared expense splitting

Track who paid what and build formulas to calculate who owes whom at the end of the month.

Actual's source code is modifiable if you're a developer — but for non-technical users, Aspire's spreadsheet customization is far more accessible.

Privacy and data ownership

Both tools prioritize your control over data — but the mechanism differs:

Aspire

Storage: Your Google Drive — you control access, backups, and sharing.
Third-party access: None. No bank credentials, no aggregators, no intermediaries.
Encryption: Google's infrastructure encryption (at rest and in transit).
If you leave: Nothing changes. The spreadsheet is yours permanently.

Actual Budget

Storage: Local on your device and, when configured, synced to a self-hosted or third-party-hosted Actual server.
Third-party access: Optional bank sync uses regional providers. A hosting provider can access bank-sync tokens, which are not covered by E2E encryption.
Encryption: Optional end-to-end encryption for synced data. With E2E enabled, even the sync server can't read your budget.
If you leave a host: Export or move your budget and continue running Actual somewhere else.

Both Aspire and Actual are strong privacy choices. The difference: Aspire relies on Google's infrastructure with zero setup, while Actual offers even more control if you're willing to self-host.