VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing Firefly III and Sensor Tower will find that Both Firefly III and Sensor Tower concentrate on APIs & SDKs workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. Firefly III leans into Portfolio, Webhooks, and Other, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. Sensor Tower stands out with App & Website Traffic that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.
Head-to-head
Firefly III vs Sensor Tower
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 Sensor Tower skips.
- Sensor Tower includes App & Website Traffic 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..
- Sensor Tower is known for: App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share., App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access., and Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency..
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.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
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.
Sensor Tower
sensortower.com
Mobile app and web intelligence platform covering downloads, usage, advertising, and audience trends. A limited free tier is available, while enterprise add-ons include App Teardown and expanded ASO capabilities such as unlimited keyword tracking and custom alerts. Data is delivered via Connect APIs and scheduled feeds with daily refreshes, available in CSV/Parquet and through Snowflake integration.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share.
- App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access.
- Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency.
- Advertising insights covering share of voice across networks, creative tracking, and messaging trends.
- Web Insights module that measures cross-platform behavior across desktop web, mobile web, and apps, with deduplicated user benchmarking.
Shared focus areas
Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.
Where they differ
Firefly III
Distinct strengths include:
- 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.
Sensor Tower
Distinct strengths include:
- App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share.
- App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access.
- Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency.
- Advertising insights covering share of voice across networks, creative tracking, and messaging trends.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | Firefly III | Sensor Tower |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: APIs & SDKs Unique: Portfolio, Webhooks, Other | Shared: APIs & SDKs Unique: App & Website Traffic |
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, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Free | Free, Subscription |
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor | Unique
| Unique
|
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Not yet | Not yet |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Standard listing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do Firefly III and Sensor Tower 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 Sensor Tower require subscriptions?
Both Firefly III and Sensor Tower keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.
How can you access Firefly III and Sensor Tower?
Both Firefly III and Sensor Tower prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.
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 Sensor Tower stands out for App download estimates and advertising intelligence, with insights into audience and market share., App performance tracking for ASO workflows, including keyword opportunities, competitive benchmarking, and Apple Search Ads analysis. Free sign-ups provide limited access., and Usage insights built from panel data, showing daily and hourly patterns such as retention, time spent, and session frequency..
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.