Firefly III vs InvoiceShelf
| Tagline | Self-hosted personal finance manager with budgets, rules, and bank import | Track expenses, payments, and create professional invoices and estimates |
| Category | Finance & Budgeting | Finance & Budgeting |
| Replaces | Mint, YNAB, QuickBooks | QuickBooks |
| GitHub stars | 24k | 1.7k |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Manual | Docker Docker Compose Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | today | 4 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Firefly III
- Bank import requires a separate importer container and CSV/OFX manipulation; no one-click bank sync
- UI can feel complex and verbose for casual users compared to Mint's simplicity
- No built-in mobile app; third-party apps exist but vary in quality
- Investment and brokerage account tracking is limited compared to dedicated wealth tools
InvoiceShelf
- No double-entry bookkeeping or chart of accounts
- Payment gateway integrations are limited compared to QuickBooks
- No payroll or HR functionality
- Recurring invoices exist but automation rules are less flexible than QuickBooks
Bottom line
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose Firefly III for the larger community and ecosystem. Firefly III has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Firefly III
Self-hosted personal finance manager with budgets, rules, and bank import
InvoiceShelf
Track expenses, payments, and create professional invoices and estimates