Firefly III and Payhawk both handle finances but at opposite ends of the spectrum: Firefly III is a free, self-hosted, open-source personal finance manager…
Best for Firefly III: Firefly III fits individuals or households who want a free, self-hosted, AGPLv3-licensed tool for double-entry bookkeeping, budgets, recurring transactions, and multi-currency tracking, with a REST API for personal automation.
Best for Payhawk: Payhawk fits companies — its Growth Program is aimed at UK/EEA small businesses up to 20 employees at £149/month — that need to issue corporate cards, automate expense reports and accounts payable, and integrate with ERPs like NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Sage Intacct, or Workday.
At a Glance
Firefly III
Payhawk
Primary category
Finance
Finance
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Open Source
Subscription
Starting price
Free
$599/month (Cards and Expenses or Bill Payments plan)
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web, iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Key Differences
Target User
Firefly III: Firefly III is built for individual/household personal finance management.
Payhawk: Payhawk is built for companies, used by 6,000+ businesses including Vinted and MAN Truck and Bus.
Applying an individual budgeting tool to corporate spend, or an enterprise card platform to personal budgeting, would be the wrong fit for both.
Pricing Model
Firefly III: Firefly III is completely free under AGPLv3, with no paid tiers or usage limits at all.
Payhawk: Payhawk is custom/enterprise priced, mostly quote-based, with only its Growth Program publicly listed at £149/month (fixed 24-month term, up to 20 employees, 10 cards/10 seats, up to 15 invoices or reimbursements monthly, 7-day free trial).
Firefly III has zero cost of entry, while Payhawk requires either a long-term contract commitment or a sales conversation for most plans.
Corporate Card Issuance
Firefly III: Firefly III does not issue cards; it tracks transactions you enter or import into its double-entry system.
Payhawk: Payhawk issues actual corporate cards with built-in spend controls as a core feature.
Only Payhawk can actually replace a company's card program; Firefly III is purely a record-keeping and budgeting layer.
Deployment
Firefly III: Firefly III is self-hosted only, with no official first-party hosted cloud version, deployable via Docker, Kubernetes, Softaculous, Cloudron, Lando, or Yunohost.
Payhawk: Payhawk is a cloud SaaS platform with native iOS and Android apps.
Firefly III requires server administration skills and takes on backup/uptime responsibility; Payhawk is managed for the customer.
System Integrations
Firefly III: Firefly III exposes a REST JSON API covering almost every part of the application, useful for personal automation and scripting.
Payhawk: Payhawk natively integrates with major ERPs — NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Sage Intacct, and Workday — and uses AI for receipt chasing, approval routing, and policy enforcement.
Companies with existing ERP stacks need native integrations that Firefly III's personal-scale API doesn't target.
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Firefly III
Open Source (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Payhawk
Cards and Expenses / Bill Payments — From $599/month Monthly or annual
Procure to Pay — From $899/month Monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom (contact sales) Annual
Pros & Cons
Firefly III
Pros
Completely free with no paid tiers, premium feature gates, or usage limits
Self-hosted architecture keeps financial data under the user's own control and off third-party servers
Genuine double-entry bookkeeping and a scriptable rules engine offer more rigor than typical consumer budgeting apps
Full REST API enables custom integrations, automation, and third-party client apps
Actively maintained with over a decade of history, regular releases, and a large public GitHub community
Cons
Requires self-hosting knowledge (Docker, a web server, and a database), which is a barrier for non-technical users
No official first-party mobile app; mobile access depends on community-built clients like Abacus or Waterfly III
Automated bank sync via the Data Importer depends on third-party services (Nordigen/GoCardless, SaltEdge) that require separate registration
The user is responsible for their own backups, uptime, and server security since there is no managed hosting option
Payhawk
Pros
European-first design with multi-currency cards that avoid FX fees within supported currencies
Unlimited employee cardholders and transactions included on every paid plan regardless of seat pricing
Combines cards, expenses, invoices, and procurement in one platform for finance teams
Backed by significant funding and unicorn valuation, supporting continued product investment
Serves customers across 32-plus countries with region-specific compliance support
Cons
Starting price of 599 dollars per month is relatively high for very small businesses
Full pricing detail requires a custom quote for larger seat counts or add-ons
Primarily positioned for mid-market and enterprise customers rather than early-stage startups
Currency markup of 1.99 percent applies outside the eight fee-free supported currencies
Less US market presence and brand recognition than competitors like Ramp or Brex
Use Cases
Choose Firefly III: Firefly III fits individuals or households who want a free, self-hosted, AGPLv3-licensed tool for double-entry bookkeeping, budgets, recurring transactions, and multi-currency tracking, with a REST API for personal automation.
Choose Payhawk: Payhawk fits companies — its Growth Program is aimed at UK/EEA small businesses up to 20 employees at £149/month — that need to issue corporate cards, automate expense reports and accounts payable, and integrate with ERPs like NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Sage Intacct, or Workday.
Need both: A founder could use Firefly III to track personal household finances on their own server while their company separately uses Payhawk to manage corporate cards and business expense reporting — distinct financial lives handled by purpose-built tools.
Firefly III
Privacy-focused personal budgeting — Individuals who do not want their bank transaction history uploaded to a commercial fintech company can track spending, income, and savings entirely on infrastructure they control.
Home server and homelab finance tracking — Users already running a Docker or Kubernetes homelab, or a NAS with an app store like Umbrel, can add Firefly III alongside other self-hosted services and manage finances the same way they manage the rest of their infrastructure.
Detailed bookkeeping for freelancers and small budgets — Users who want real double-entry bookkeeping, rule-based auto-categorization, and API access for custom reporting, without paying for commercial accounting software, can use Firefly III to keep structured, auditable records.
Payhawk
Managing multi-currency spend across Europe — Finance teams at companies with European subsidiaries use Payhawk's multi-currency cards to avoid FX fees and centralize spend visibility.
Automating invoice and bill payments — Accounts payable teams use Payhawk's bill payment automation to route, approve, and reconcile vendor invoices without manual data entry.
Centralizing procurement for mid-market companies — Mid-market and enterprise companies use Payhawk's Procure to Pay plan to manage purchase requests and vendor procurement alongside cards and expenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Firefly III free?
Yes, Firefly III is completely free and open source under the AGPLv3 license, with no paid tiers or usage limits.
How much does Payhawk cost?
Pricing is modular and mostly quote-based. The only publicly listed price is the Growth Program for small UK/EEA businesses at £149/month, which includes a 7-day free trial and requires a fixed 24-month contract.
Does Firefly III issue corporate cards like Payhawk?
No. Firefly III is a personal finance tracker with double-entry bookkeeping; it does not issue cards. Payhawk issues actual corporate cards with built-in spend controls.
Can Firefly III be used by a business instead of Payhawk?
Firefly III has no ERP integrations, card issuance, or accounts-payable automation documented, so it is not built as a corporate spend-management substitute for a platform like Payhawk.
Does Payhawk offer a free plan like Firefly III?
No. Payhawk's pricing is custom/enterprise, and even its cheapest publicly listed option, the Growth Program at £149/month, requires a 24-month contract; there is no free tier documented.
Does Firefly III have an API?
Yes, it has a REST JSON API covering almost every part of the application, aimed at personal integrations and automation rather than enterprise ERP connections.