Tool Comparison
Firefly III vs Portfolio123
- Paid from
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want webhooks and other.
- Paid from
- $25/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API, Desktop
Best if
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want screeners, data visualizations, and quant.
Pick Firefly III instead if
Firefly III
Free · Web · API
- You want webhooks and other.
Start here
Portfolio123
Free • From $300/yr · Web · API · Desktop
- Delayed quotes won't cut it; you need real-time data
- You want screeners, data visualizations, and quant.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
Firefly III and Portfolio123 cover a lot of the same ground (2 shared categories, portfolio and APIs & data feeds), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Portfolio123 simply does more: 19 categories to Firefly III's 4, including screeners, data visualizations, and quant. Firefly III counters by being completely free.
What readers say
Firefly III
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Portfolio123
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Key differences at a glance
- Real-time data
- Portfolio123
- Broader coverage
- Portfolio12319 vs 4 categories
- Desktop app
- Portfolio123
- Broker sync
- Portfolio123
- Free plan
- Both
What Firefly III does best
- Self-host a personal finance ledger under the AGPLv3 open-source license rather than using a hosted budgeting app.
- Track accounts and transactions with double-entry bookkeeping, budgets, categories, tags, recurring transactions, subscriptions, piggy banks, rules, and reports.
- Use the JSON REST API with OAuth2 or personal access tokens for dashboards, automations, and personal analytics.
- Optional event webhooks for transaction create, update, and delete events when enabled through environment configuration.
- Import transaction data through the separate Data Importer using CSV, CAMT.052, CAMT.053, GoCardless, SimpleFIN, Lunch Flow, or Enable Banking.
What Portfolio123 does best
- Build multifactor ranking systems, stock screens, ETF screens, and rules-based strategies.
- Run simulations with custom universes, buy and sell rules, position sizing, hedging, rebalancing, slippage, and commissions.
- Point-in-time data designed to avoid survivorship and look-ahead bias, with fundamentals, estimates, corporate actions, sector and industry classifications, and historical issues.
- Create ranking systems from fundamental, technical, sentiment, and macro factors, including public factor documentation and FRED-linked economic series.
- AI Factor to train machine-learning predictors for expected returns and feed those predictions into rankings, simulations, and asset-level analysis.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free | Free • From $300/yr |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | — | 25 limits: Free Screener & Backtesting Access: duration days: 30, Screener (Annual): backtest history years: 5 +23 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Desktop app | No | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | Yes |
Integrations | GoCardless, SimpleFIN +5 more | Interactive Brokers and Tradier |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | — | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +5 more |
Categories covered | 4 | 19 |
Regions | — | North America, Europe |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | — | 5 signals: Latency: Real-time and End of Day, Granularity: EOD +3 more |
Data partners | — | 4 partners: FactSet, S&P Global Market Intelligence +2 more |
Capabilities | — | 6 signals: Custom formulas, Ranking backtests +4 more |
| Try it | Visit Firefly III | Visit Portfolio123 |
Standout features
The best features of Firefly III and Portfolio123.ShowHide
Standout features
What Firefly III does best
- Self-host a personal finance ledger under the AGPLv3 open-source license rather than using a hosted budgeting app.
- Track accounts and transactions with double-entry bookkeeping, budgets, categories, tags, recurring transactions, subscriptions, piggy banks, rules, and reports.
- Use the JSON REST API with OAuth2 or personal access tokens for dashboards, automations, and personal analytics.
- Optional event webhooks for transaction create, update, and delete events when enabled through environment configuration.
- Import transaction data through the separate Data Importer using CSV, CAMT.052, CAMT.053, GoCardless, SimpleFIN, Lunch Flow, or Enable Banking.
What Portfolio123 does best
- Build multifactor ranking systems, stock screens, ETF screens, and rules-based strategies.
- Run simulations with custom universes, buy and sell rules, position sizing, hedging, rebalancing, slippage, and commissions.
- Point-in-time data designed to avoid survivorship and look-ahead bias, with fundamentals, estimates, corporate actions, sector and industry classifications, and historical issues.
- Create ranking systems from fundamental, technical, sentiment, and macro factors, including public factor documentation and FRED-linked economic series.
- AI Factor to train machine-learning predictors for expected returns and feed those predictions into rankings, simulations, and asset-level analysis.
All details
Every attribute we track for Firefly III and Portfolio123.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | Other | StocksETFsClosed-End Funds |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Not specified | Retail TradersPro RetailInstitutional InvestorsAnalystsQuants/DevelopersFinancial AdvisorsStudents/Researchers |
Regions | Not specified | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | Not specified | Countries: US and CAIdentifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Not specified | Real-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | Not specified | EOD |
Data partners | Not specified | FactSetS&P Global Market IntelligenceICE Data ServicesFRED |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: OAuth2 and APIKeyWebhooks | Auth: APIKeyDocs |
Import methods | CSVManual | BrokerOAuthCSV |
Integrations | GoCardlessSimpleFINLunch FlowEnable BankingSlackDiscordMattermost | Interactive BrokersTradier |
Export formats | CSV | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | Not specified | Custom formulasRanking backtestsUniverse builderBroker syncRebalancingCorrelation |
Vendor & support | Firefly III (open-source project)Support: Email | Portfolio123Support: Forum |
Curation ratings | Methodology 4/5Reliability 4/5UX 4/5 | Not specified |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free | Free“Manage (Free)” |
| Entry paid plan | — | $300/yr≈ $25/mo“Screener (Annual)”backtest history years: 5 · resource units: 400 · +1 more |
| Tier 2 | — | $35/mo“Screener (Monthly)”backtest history years: 5 · resource units: 400 · +1 more |
| Tier 3 | — | $1000/yr≈ $83.33/mo“Backtest (Annual)”backtest history years: 10 · resource units: 1,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 4 | — | $116/mo“Backtest (Monthly)”backtest history years: 10 · resource units: 1,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 5 | — | $1500/yr≈ $125/mo“Portfolio (Annual)”backtest history years: 15 · resource units: 5,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 6 | — | $174/mo“Portfolio (Monthly)”backtest history years: 15 · resource units: 5,000 · +1 more |
| Tier 7 | — | $2400/yr≈ $200/mo“Ultimate (Annual)”backtest history years: 20 · resource units: 10,000 · +1 more |
| Top plan | — | $278/mo“Ultimate (Monthly)”backtest history years: 20 · resource units: 10,000 · +1 more |
| Custom / enterprise | — | Contact sales“Professional / API & Data Licenses” |
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Firefly III and Portfolio123?
Firefly III leans toward portfolio, APIs & data feeds, and webhooks, while Portfolio123 puts more weight on screeners, data visualizations, and quant. They overlap in 2 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do Firefly III and Portfolio123 cost?
Good news: both Firefly III and Portfolio123 have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Do Firefly III and Portfolio123 have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose Firefly III or Portfolio123?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Firefly III if webhooks and other matter to you; go with Portfolio123 if you'd rather have screeners and data visualizations. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do Firefly III and Portfolio123 cover?
Firefly III covers other. Portfolio123 covers stocks, ETFs, and closed-end funds.
Does Firefly III or Portfolio123 have real-time data?
Portfolio123 offers real-time data, which matters if you trade actively. Firefly III runs on delayed or end-of-day data, which is perfectly fine for longer-term investors who don't live and die by the tick.
Can I export data from Firefly III and Portfolio123?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
Can Firefly III or Portfolio123 connect to my broker?
Portfolio123 syncs with brokers automatically. With Firefly III, you're entering holdings by hand or importing files.
Which has a better stock screener: Firefly III or Portfolio123?
Portfolio123 has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; Firefly III doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
Can I track my portfolio with Firefly III or Portfolio123?
Yes, both do portfolio tracking: holdings, performance, and allocation in one place.
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