Networth.app 0.1.0 offers simple self-hosted balance tracking

This review examines Networth.app, an open-source tool designed for tracking account balances and net worth without requiring individual transaction inputs. We assess its suitability for self-hosted deployments.

TL;DR

Best for: Users needing a self-hosted solution for periodic balance tracking across various accounts and investments, specifically avoiding transaction-level detail. Skip if: You require detailed transaction categorization, budgeting features, automated bank synchronization, or multi-user access. Bottom line: Networth.app provides a focused, lightweight alternative to full budgeting suites, ideal for manual net worth oversight.

METHODOLOGY

This is a v0 review of Networth.app, drawing on the founder's published claims and the project's public GitHub repository at https://github.com/mmazi/networth. Independent benchmarks and hands-on testing are pending. This review covers the tool's stated purpose, core features as described in its documentation, and its architectural design for self-hosting. We observed the project's state as of May 19, 2026, focusing on its v0.1.0 release and recent commits. What's not covered in this initial assessment includes independent performance metrics, long-term workflow integration, or edge-case behavior with complex financial structures. Our update cadence for this tool will involve re-testing when claims diverge from observed behavior or significant new releases occur.

WHAT IT DOES

Networth.app is a self-hosted web application built with Python and Django, designed to track personal net worth over time. It explicitly targets users who prefer to manually update account balances rather than logging every individual transaction. The tool focuses on providing a clear overview of assets and liabilities without the overhead of a full budgeting system.

Manual Balance Entry

The core functionality of Networth.app revolves around the ability to define various financial accounts (e.g., checking, savings, investments, loans) and then manually input their current balances at regular intervals. This direct balance entry is the primary interaction model, sidestepping the need for detailed transaction logs. Users can specify a date for each balance update, allowing for historical tracking.

Net Worth Visualization

The application generates a clear, interactive graph displaying the user's total net worth over time. This visualization is derived directly from the periodically entered account balances, offering a high-level trend analysis. It allows users to quickly identify changes in their financial position without sifting through transaction data.

Asset and Liability Grouping

Networth.app enables users to categorize accounts as either assets or liabilities. This distinction is crucial for accurate net worth calculation. Users can define custom account types and group them logically, providing a structured view of their financial landscape. This grouping helps in understanding the composition of one's net worth.

Self-Hosted Deployment

Designed for self-hosting, Networth.app provides instructions for deployment using Docker, making it accessible for users comfortable with containerized applications. The project emphasizes a straightforward setup process for local or server environments, aligning with the r/selfhosted community's preferences. It stores data locally, giving users full control over their financial information.

WHAT'S INTERESTING / WHAT'S NOT

What's interesting about Networth.app is its deliberate minimalism and clear focus. Many self-hosted financial tools, like Firefly III or Actual Budget, are comprehensive budgeting suites that require significant effort in transaction categorization and reconciliation. Networth.app explicitly rejects this complexity, offering a streamlined experience for those who only want to track their overall financial health via balances. This makes it a strong fit for the specific user request in the source signal, which explicitly stated a desire to avoid individual transaction entry. The use of Docker for deployment is a pragmatic choice, simplifying setup for a self-hosted audience. The project's open-source nature also allows for community contributions and audits, which is valuable for tools handling sensitive financial data.

What's not interesting, or rather, what's intentionally omitted, is any form of automated bank synchronization. While this aligns with the project's manual input philosophy and enhances privacy, it means users must manually fetch and input balances, which can become a minor chore for many accounts. There are no advanced budgeting features, goal tracking, or detailed financial reporting beyond the net worth graph. For users seeking to understand spending patterns, optimize budgets, or plan for specific financial goals, Networth.app will be insufficient. Its single-user design also means it's not suitable for household or shared financial tracking without custom modifications.

PRICING

Networth.app is free and open source, distributed under the MIT License. There are no paid tiers or premium features. Users incur costs only for their chosen self-hosting infrastructure (e.g., VPS, Raspberry Pi, home server electricity). Pricing snapshot date: 2026-05-19.

VERDICT

Networth.app 0.1.0 is a highly specialized tool that excels at its stated purpose: providing a simple, self-hosted way to track net worth through manual balance inputs. It is the best choice for users like TimmyViking who explicitly want to avoid the overhead of transaction-based budgeting tools. Its minimalist design and focus on high-level financial oversight make it an efficient alternative to spreadsheets for tracking assets and liabilities over time. However, if your needs extend to detailed expense tracking, budgeting, or automated data imports, Networth.app will be insufficient. It occupies a niche, and within that niche, it performs well.

WHAT WE'D TEST NEXT

Our next phase of testing would involve deploying Networth.app in a production-like self-hosted environment to evaluate its ease of setup and long-term stability. We would assess its performance with a large number of accounts and historical balance entries, looking for any UI slowdowns or database bottlenecks. Key areas for investigation include the robustness of its data backup and restore mechanisms, the security posture of the application (e.g., input sanitization, authentication, data encryption at rest), and the process for migrating data between instances. We would also explore the feasibility of integrating a simple CSV import/export function for balances, which could streamline initial setup and periodic updates for users with many accounts.