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Actual Budget Vision

Vision statement: To produce a delightful budgeting tool that meets you wherever you are in your financial journey.

Mission statement: Our mission is to enable everyone to have the opportunity to:

  • take charge of their finances
  • find financial peace of mind
  • actively engage in dreaming big and achieving their goals

Primary Objectives​

  • The user has full visibility into their budget

    • The user has ownership and control of their data now, and in the future
    • The user can view the current status and trends in their budget
    • The user can keep track of their priorities and goals, whether they are long-term or short-term.

  • The user will enjoy a clean and fast experience

    • The application is fully usable across all devices, offline and online
    • The application supports multiple budgets, each one reachable by multiple devices
    • The application is accessible

Design principles​

Actual is designed using the following principles:

  • Local-first
  • Open
  • Sleek and clutter-free
  • Stable
  • Reliable
  • Secure
  • Privacy focused
  • Community-driven

Local-first​

Actual is local first; the database that powers Actual Budget, and ultimately your budget, lives on your device. It is not stored on a server. "Actual server" allows you to sync changes to your budget on different devices. To do this, only the changes to the budget are sent to the server. The server stores the messages, and the local client pulls down the change(s).

Open​

Actual is Open Source utilizing the MIT license. The code is open for anyone to see, view, and contribute. You own your data; you can do whatever you want with it.

User Interface​

The sleek and clutter-free user interface is built for beginners and advanced users alike. It comes packed with a robust 'undo' system and progressive discoverability. The responsive interface adapts to the screen size you are using to give you the best experience for that device. A desktop computer will have the full desktop experience designed to be used with a keyboard and mouse, while a tablet and phone will have an experience ideal for using touch screens. A native mobile app, often found in app stores and marketplaces, is not planned.

Stable, Reliable, Secure.​

The contributors to Actual Budget don't just write the program; they USE the program.  We all have a vested interest in maintaining reliability, security, and stability. If issues are found, bug reports are welcomed so that issues can be remedied quickly.

Privacy Focused​

Actual has no trackers, and unless explicitly enabled, no third-party access is allowed.

Community-driven​

Development is driven by the community and the maintainers.

Third-party use​

Actual is MIT licensed which allows for the use of the software without restriction. The Actual Budget project and community appreciate any submissions from third-party contributors to enhance and improve this amazing project. This gratitude extends to single volunteers and company-sponsored participants alike.

Let's continue to make Actual Budget the best personal finance tool together!