Actual is going open-source
actualbudget.com
Actual is going open-source
1–10 of 332 posts
Re: Actual is going open-source
#2I love Actual, one of the best local-first apps I've used. I'm excited that it's been open sourced, but I also understand that this release is a bit bittersweet. Awesome work James, best of luck in your future endeavors :)
Re: Actual is going open-source
#3Would be curious if you'd be open to talking about some of the history in terms of user growth, revenue and costs. Just curious about how these types of projects go.
Re: Actual is going open-source
#4Sometimes I feel that society forces us to be economically successful in all aspects of life.
I'm in the first steps of my career, and even though I just want to learn new things and do exciting projects, the first thought that come to my mind when I have an idea to develop is: "How could this be profitable?"
> One thing I'm really excited about open-source is I no longer have to deal with any of the business or deployment stuff. I can focus on being a project manager.
I think that having this feeling it's the best achievement you can get from this.
Re: Actual is going open-source
#5I wish people wouldn't use "we open sourced it" as a synonym for "this product is dead". Especially for a SaaS company, there is a totally valid business strategy in open sourcing your codebase but continuing to provide a paid SaaS offering for users that are not interested in self-hosting.
It causes confusion every time a company open sources their software. Always have to wonder, "Is it dead and they are yeeting it over the fence?"
Re: Actual is going open-source
#6Not gonna lie, this is kinda awesome. Thanks a lot, will take a look at the code later.
Re: Actual is going open-source
#7Hey James, we’re really sorry to hear about you closing down the business from a revenue standpoint! It sounds like it was the right choice for you though. Thanks for the contribution back to the community, as well as for prettier! We are building a platform to support local-first application development, and have appreciated your various articles / interviews / blog posts about the topic! Best of luck in the future, and thanks again.
Re: Actual is going open-source
#8> In June, all existing subscriptions will be cancelled. Specific dates coming soon.
On one hand, good for being this transparent about it. I'm sure none of these decisions are easy. On the other hand... June is... 6 weeks away? I don't know the size or tech skills of the userbase - perhaps this is a decent time frame? It seems overly aggressive going in to 'shut off' mode so quickly. But... dragging it out longer may not help that many more people.
Probably no simple decisions that don't inconvenience people in the short term, regardless of which way you go.
Re: Actual is going open-source
#9I wish people wouldn't use "we open sourced it" as a synonym for "this product is dead". Especially for a SaaS company, there is a totally valid business strategy in open sourcing your codebase but continuing to provide a paid SaaS offering for users that are not interested in self-hosting. It causes confusion every time a company open sources their software. Always have to wonder, "Is it dead and they are yeeting it…
I don't necessarily interpret it as a synonym, more that these are two events that naturally coincide. IMO it's better to decide to open source a product when it dies than to annihilate it. If nothing else, people may be able to learn something from the source.
Re: Actual is going open-source
#10Would be curious if you'd be open to talking about some of the history in terms of user growth, revenue and costs. Just curious about how these types of projects go.
If the final user numbers are accurate, revenue was a bit over $3k a month. Not even enough to really pay the founder if living in the US. Assuming $200/mo for servers, backups, and help desk software, that doesn't leave much after taxes for take home pay.
As someone who just discovered this software, I am now really curious to give it a try!