Ghostfolio
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a privacy-minded self-hoster comfortable running, updating, and patching your own server.
Comparison
Ghostfolio vs Firefly III
Ghostfolio and Firefly III both land on Depends.
Firefly III
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy only if you're comfortable self-hosting with Docker and want free, private double-entry budgeting.
| Compare | Ghostfolio | Firefly III |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Self-hosters and privacy purists | Privacy-focused self-hosters |
| Who it's not for | Anyone unwilling to run and patch a server | Non-technical users unwilling to run Docker |
| Privacy | Multiple CVEs in reviewed sources, including an auth bypass fixed in v3.4 . patch before trusting it with financial data.³ | One medium-severity CVE on record (2024); the project publishes a security page and ships fixes.14 |
| Support quality | Community-only support found; no SLA | No support-quality evidence found |
| Public sentiment | Self-hosters on Reddit and Hacker News like consolidating multi-broker net worth but question chart accuracy and corporate-action handling.⁷ | Popular in r/selfhosted as a privacy-first Mint alternative, with recurring threads about bank syncing and Docker setup.16 |
| Biggest gotcha | Patch immediately: auth bypass affects all versions prior to 3.4³ | Bank linking means CSV imports or third-party tools; a common pain point16 |
Pick Ghostfolio when
- Self-hosters and privacy purists
- Multi-broker DIY investors
- Spreadsheet refugees automating net worth
- Open-source enthusiasts avoiding paid trackers
When Ghostfolio is not a fit
- Anyone unwilling to run and patch a server
- Hands-off investors wanting plug-and-play broker sync
- Firms and advisors . it's personal, not professional, software
- Users who won't track CVEs on their own deployment
Pick Firefly III when
- Privacy-focused self-hosters
- Double-entry bookkeeping fans
- Mint refugees wanting data control
- Docker tinkerers
When Firefly III is not a fit
- Non-technical users unwilling to run Docker
- Anyone expecting automatic bank syncing out of the box
- Casual budgeters who just want a simple expense app
- People who want a vendor to call when it breaks
Sources
- Ghostfolio - Official siteghostfol.ioofficial
- Ghostfolio on GitHubgithub.comofficial
- CVE-2026-47127: Ghostfolio Auth Bypasssentinelone.comsecurity
- CVE-2026-59709: Medium, CVSS 4.3echelongraph.iosecurity
- CVE-2026-59708cve.imfht.comsecurity
- Hacker News launch threadnews.ycombinator.comnews
- Self-hosted portfolio tracker discussionreddit.comreview
- Trading 212 sync toolreddit.comreview
- Actual vs Ghostfolio comparisonlibhunt.comreview
- Start9 community: Ghostfolio vs Firefly IIIcommunity.start9.comreview
- Firefly III official sitefirefly-iii.orgofficial
- Firefly III GitHub repositorygithub.comofficial
- Firefly III product security pagefirefly-iii.orgofficial
- CVE-2024-37893 advisorybreachspider.comsecurity
- CVE-2024-37893 analysissocradar.iosecurity
- Reddit: bank linking with Firefly IIIreddit.comreview