This article covers 4 open source budget planner software for Windows which can be used for regular household budgeting. The idea behind this is to list such software which are simple to install and use for everyone. All the software covered here are cross-platform means they are available for other operating systems such as macOS, Linux, etc. along with Windows. These software are easy to install, especially on Windows. Each software is available as a Windows executable file which you can install with a double click and start using it right away to plan your budget.
These open source budget planner software pack the essential feature without any extra clutter that might lead to confusion. You can simply add your total income, select a budget cycle, and add your expenses to create a budget. After creating a budget, you can update it anytime you want and can add new expenses as well. Each software lets you export a summary of budget either as an HTML, CSV, or PDF file. So, let’s dive in the article and cover these software one by one in details.
Also read: 5 Free Windows 10 Personal Budget Maker Apps
4 Open Source Budget Planner Software for Household Budgeting:
My Budget
My Budget is a free open source budget planner software. This is one of the simple budget planner tools which is also cross-platform, available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. When you launch this software for the first time, it asks you to enter a passphrase. This passphrase will be required every time you open this software.
The software itself has a simple and colorful interface which is easy to navigate. It is divided into two sections; one for categories and other for transactions with the active month at the top. In the categories section, you can add categories and then subcategories for budget planning. After adding the categories and subcategories, you can add your transactions for the subcategories for cost estimation. This software breaks the cost estimation for each category and shows you the cost percentage along with the name of that category. You can add total income from the top right corner and plan your monthly budget accordingly and save it to this software with the Save button. You can export the data as a CSV file or link other application to export budgeting data directly to those applications.
This software also has an option to connect with a bank account to fetch the account statement automatically but that hardly list any bank. However, you can program it yourself if you want to give it a try.
Get this open source budget planner software here.
dsBudget
dsBudget is a simple yet powerful open source budget planner software. It is also a cross-platform software that runs on a local server. You can use this software on Windows, macOS, Linux, or any other PC OS. In case of Windows, you can download the Windows executable file and install the software on your PC. When you run this software, it takes you to your default web browser and runs the software on a local server.
The software itself is really easy to use. It has a side panel where it lists all your budget plans along with options to create a new plan and search through existing budget plans.
This software uses four sections to make budget planning simple and efficient. These four sections are:
- Income & Deductions: In this section, you have to add your income along with all the compulsory deductions and savings. This gives you a total net income around which you have to plan your budget.
- Budgeting: This is the section where all the budget planning happen. You can add a category for the expense which gives you scrollable budget bar. Then, you can plan the budget for that category accordingly simply by moving the scroll bar.
- Expenses: This section gives you a detailed look at all your expenses in the form of pie charts and balance sheet graph. You can also add additional expenses under any category here. The expenses you add here won’t affect the budgeting section.
- Balance: This section gives you a summary of your budget. It shows the planned budget for each category along with spent and remaining and gives you the total expenses in the end.
Download this open source budget planner software here.
Budgeter
Budgeter is another free open source budget planer software for Windows. In this software, you can create a budget first and then plan it on the go as you spend on expenses. To create a budget in this software, first, you have to create a new database file. When you open this software for the first time, it asks you to choose the database file. Simply enter a name for the file and select a location then press enter to create the database file.
To plan a budget with Budgeter, you have to add all your expenses to the software. Then, you have to add your income. In case, you are getting money from a bank, you can also add interest in the budget.
Once all the budget database is created, this software gives you a balance sheet listing all your expenses. Simply drag an expense to the top of the sheet and enter the amount you have spent on that item. The record will be updated in the database. This way, you can plan your budget on the go with Budgeter.
Furthermore, you can get a summary of your budget along with all the expenses, money spent, and money saved which you can print the summary to PDF. On top of that, you can also track your every transaction from money source to money spent.
Grab this open source budget planner software here.
Buddi
Buddi is another user-friendly open source budget planner software for Windows. Along with Windows, this software is available for macOS and Linux distros as well. This software makes the budget planning simple by having separate sections for money sources (accounts), budget, and reports.
In the accounts section, you can add your money sources for the budget. This software lets you add cash, cheque, investment, savings, loan, liability, credit card, line of credit, or a prepaid account as a money source.
In the budget section, you can create a budget covering all your expenses. You can create a weekly or monthly budget plan. After creating a budget, you can save it from the file menu as a Buddi data file. And, if you want a report of your budget, account, or expenses, you can generate a report for a selected week, month, or year from the reports section. When you generate a report, it takes you to your default web browser and gives you a report in HTML which you can print to PDF.
You can download this open source budget planner software here.
Closing Words:
These are the 4 open source budget planner software which you can use for regular household budget planning. All these software are simple enough to be used by almost everyone. Software like dsBudget and Budgeter are great if you don’t have a fix budget plan. You can create a rough budget and plan it on the go.
