VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Monday, October 6, 2025

View Firefly IIIView SemrushBack to Home

Head-to-head

Firefly III vs Semrush comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Firefly III adds Portfolio, Webhooks, and Other coverage that Semrush skips.

Semrush includes App & Website Traffic, Data APIs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, and Blogs categories that Firefly III omits.

Firefly III highlights: Self-hosted open-source personal finance manager (AGPLv3 license)., Supports double-entry bookkeeping with budgets, categories, tags, and detailed reporting., and Comprehensive REST API (JSON) with OAuth2 and Personal Access Tokens, plus a full OpenAPI specification..

Semrush is known for: Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks., Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4)., and API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing..

Semrush offers mobile access, which Firefly III skips.

Firefly III logo

Firefly III

firefly-iii.org

An open-source, self-hosted personal finance manager licensed under AGPLv3. Offers full double-entry bookkeeping, REST APIs, and optional event webhooks. Exchange-rate conversion is available from v6.2 onward as an opt-in feature. Bank connections are handled separately through the Firefly Data Importer app.

Platforms

Web
API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Self-hosted open-source personal finance manager (AGPLv3 license).
  • Supports double-entry bookkeeping with budgets, categories, tags, and detailed reporting.
  • Comprehensive REST API (JSON) with OAuth2 and Personal Access Tokens, plus a full OpenAPI specification.
  • Event webhooks for transaction create/update/delete, enabled through environment configuration.
  • Separate Data Importer tool supports CSV and CAMT.053, with optional bank integrations via Salt Edge, GoCardless, and SimpleFIN.

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Semrush logo

Semrush

semrush.com

Comprehensive SEO, marketing, and web traffic analytics platform. API access for core Analytics and Projects requires a Business plan, with usage billed in API units. Some APIs—like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker—don’t consume units. Enterprise security options include SAML SSO on Guru and Business tiers. A 7-day free trial is available for all paid plans.

Platforms

Web
Mobile
API

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks.
  • Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4).
  • API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing.
  • Flexible exports in CSV, Excel, and PDF across tools. Position Tracking and Site Audit modules generate PDF reports; Position Tracking also supports direct Google Sheets export.
  • Google Sheets integration through the App Center ‘AI Automated Data Connector’ for automated reporting pipelines.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Where they differ

Firefly III

Distinct strengths include:

Portfolio
Webhooks
Other
  • Self-hosted open-source personal finance manager (AGPLv3 license).
  • Supports double-entry bookkeeping with budgets, categories, tags, and detailed reporting.
  • Comprehensive REST API (JSON) with OAuth2 and Personal Access Tokens, plus a full OpenAPI specification.
  • Event webhooks for transaction create/update/delete, enabled through environment configuration.

Semrush

Distinct strengths include:

App & Website Traffic
Data APIs
Sheets / Excel Add-ins
Blogs
  • Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks.
  • Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4).
  • API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing.
  • Flexible exports in CSV, Excel, and PDF across tools. Position Tracking and Site Audit modules generate PDF reports; Position Tracking also supports direct Google Sheets export.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeFirefly IIISemrush
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: APIs & SDKs

Unique: Portfolio, Webhooks, Other

Shared: APIs & SDKs

Unique: App & Website Traffic, Data APIs, Sheets / Excel Add-ins, Blogs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Other

Other

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web, API

Web, Mobile, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Self-hosted open-source personal finance manager (AGPLv3 license).
  • Supports double-entry bookkeeping with budgets, categories, tags, and detailed reporting.
  • Comprehensive REST API (JSON) with OAuth2 and Personal Access Tokens, plus a full OpenAPI specification.
  • Event webhooks for transaction create/update/delete, enabled through environment configuration.
  • Separate Data Importer tool supports CSV and CAMT.053, with optional bank integrations via Salt Edge, GoCardless, and SimpleFIN.
  • CSV export available for accounts, budgets, categories, tags, recurring transactions, subscriptions, piggy banks, rules, and more.

Unique

  • Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks.
  • Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4).
  • API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing.
  • Flexible exports in CSV, Excel, and PDF across tools. Position Tracking and Site Audit modules generate PDF reports; Position Tracking also supports direct Google Sheets export.
  • Google Sheets integration through the App Center ‘AI Automated Data Connector’ for automated reporting pipelines.
  • Native integrations with Google Analytics and Google Search Console to combine marketing and search performance data.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

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Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Firefly III and Semrush both support?

Both platforms cover APIs & SDKs workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Firefly III and Semrush require subscriptions?

Both Firefly III and Semrush keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

Semrush ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Firefly III focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Firefly III differentiates itself with Self-hosted open-source personal finance manager (AGPLv3 license)., Supports double-entry bookkeeping with budgets, categories, tags, and detailed reporting., and Comprehensive REST API (JSON) with OAuth2 and Personal Access Tokens, plus a full OpenAPI specification., whereas Semrush stands out for Traffic Analytics tools to examine any website’s visitors, sources, engagement metrics, and competitive benchmarks., Rich API suite: Analytics and Projects APIs (Business plan), Trends API, Listing Management, and Map Rank Tracker. Current versions support API key (v3) and OAuth 2.0 with JSON (v4)., and API consumption billed in ‘units’ per request or per line of data. Historical queries cost more; some APIs like Listing Management and Map Rank Tracker are excluded from unit billing..

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Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.