Ghostfolio review: a portfolio record you host

Ghostfolio is a free open-source portfolio tracker for people who want a record of stocks, ETFs and other investments.¹³ You use it in a web browser, on a server you run or on Ghostfolio’s managed cloud.⁴² Self-hosting keeps the activities in a database on infrastructure you run.¹² That is the privacy reason to pick it.

Last checked October 29, 2026.

At a glance

What it is: Open source wealth management software for a personal investment record.¹

Works on: Modern web browsers on phones, tablets and computers.⁴ Official container images cover linux/amd64, linux/arm/v7 and linux/arm64.¹ An Android app in the Play Store is for the managed cloud.⁵

Price: The self-hosted edition is free, and you update it yourself.² The managed cloud has a free Basic plan. Premium is USD 48 per year.²⁹

Licence: AGPLv3.¹

Best for: An investment record you can keep on a server you control.

Official site: ghostfol.io

What Ghostfolio does (and how it protects your privacy)

Ghostfolio is built for personal use and meant to keep running.¹ You record buys, sells and other activities, then read the return.¹ Performance uses Return on Average Investment, or ROAI, with dividends included, for today, the week, the month, the year to date, one year, five years and the full history.¹ ROAI uses the average amount of money invested over time.³

Several accounts can sit together, including accounts at different platforms.⁸ Dividends, a student loan, an emergency fund and belongings such as a watch are on the features page too.⁸ Allocations show the mix by account, asset class, currency, region and sector.⁸

On a self-hosted copy, activities live in PostgreSQL, the database, with Redis used for caching.¹ Official price sources are CoinGecko, manual prices, Yahoo and a Ghostfolio provider.⁴ The Ghostfolio provider comes with Premium, through an API key, a code the data service gives your copy.⁴

Ghostfolio key features

Many kinds of holdings: stocks, ETFs, bonds, cryptocurrencies and commodities.³
Performance with dividends: ROAI from today through the full history.¹
Import and export: bring activities in, and take a copy out.¹
X-ray: a static look at risks in the portfolio.⁸
A security token: sign in with a secret token and no email address, phone number or username.³
A home-screen app: a progressive web app, meaning a phone browser can keep the site on the home screen.¹⁴

Ghostfolio pros and cons

Pros

The software is free to run yourself, and the source is published under the AGPLv3 licence.¹²
Version 3.94.0 was published on 28 October 2026.⁷
A security token can sign you in without an email address, phone number or username.³
The project says it does not sell or share your financial data with third parties.³
Self-hosting includes a summary, allocations, benchmarks, a FIRE calculator and Ghostfolio MCP. FIRE means financial independence, retire early. The free Basic cloud plan lists performance plus import and export.²

Cons

Self-hosting needs Docker, and you update the image yourself.¹² Docker runs the app and its database together.
Price history comes from CoinGecko, Yahoo, manual entry or the Ghostfolio provider.⁴
Security headers are off by default. The strict transport header, which keeps browsers on HTTPS, is left to a reverse proxy, a small web server in front of the app.¹
There is no store app for a self-hosted copy. The phone path is the website, added to the home screen.⁴
You provide historical exchange rates yourself.⁴
On the managed cloud, summary, allocations, benchmarks, the FIRE calculator and MCP are part of Premium, at USD 48 per year.²⁹

Is Ghostfolio safe and private?

The privacy policy names the company as Ghostfolio LLC in Switzerland, last revised on 11 October 2026.⁶ The source is AGPLv3, with a copyright line for 2021 to 2026, and version 3.94.0 was published on 28 October 2026.¹⁷

A security token can sign you in with no email address, phone number or username.³ The managed cloud also offers Google Sign, and its FAQ says the service does not collect your email address.⁵ The main FAQ says Ghostfolio does not sell or share your financial data with any third parties.³

The policy says the service may collect usage data and a user id, such as the time of a visit, a unique identifier and diagnostic data.⁶ It also says the service does not use analytics or advertising cookies, and does not track you across other websites.⁶ The policy says Ghostfolio AI is optional and is used only if you turn it on. It then sends what that feature needs, such as a file or an account name and platform, to AI providers that can be in the United States, and Ghostfolio does not keep a copy.⁶

A self-hosted copy stores activities in your PostgreSQL database, and the first account is the admin.¹ An optional Model Context Protocol link lets an AI program read the portfolio, import activities and update cash. It stays off unless you turn it on. A restricted view can hide the money figures.¹ The policy says transmission and storage cannot be guaranteed completely safe.⁶ Back up with a full database dump.⁴ Duplicati can schedule those copies. On the cloud, export from My Ghostfolio.⁵

How to get started with Ghostfolio

Pick where it runs. The managed cloud starts from Get Started, with a security token or Google Sign.⁵ To run it yourself, follow the self-hosting steps on GitHub.⁴
Prepare Docker. Install Docker, copy the repository, and fill in .env from .env.example.¹
Start it with docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up -d.¹
Open http://localhost:3333 and choose Get Started. The first user becomes the admin.¹
Add an account and one activity, then check it against your statement. Yahoo and manual prices are official sources if you are not using the Premium provider.⁴
If people outside your home can open the site, put HTTPS on a reverse proxy and set the strict transport header there.¹ Keep a database dump, or, on the cloud, an export from My Ghostfolio.⁴⁵

Who should use Ghostfolio (and who might prefer something else)

Ghostfolio fits someone with investments on more than one platform who cares about privacy and data ownership, including a buy-and-hold approach.¹ The project calls the Premium cloud the easiest way to get started, and the best option for most people because of the time it saves.¹ That plan does not renew on its own.⁵

For everyday spending on a server you run, Firefly III is the closer match. For household or small-business accounts in a desktop program, look at GnuCash. For envelope budgeting that can stay on one computer, Actual Budget is built for that job. Ghostfolio is the one for the investment record.

Frequently asked questions about Ghostfolio

Is Ghostfolio free?

Yes. Self-hosting is free, and the managed cloud has a free Basic plan. Premium is USD 48 per year and does not auto-renew.²⁵⁹

Is Ghostfolio safe?

On your own server, activities sit in your database, and the project says it does not sell or share financial data.¹³ The privacy policy says transmission and storage cannot be guaranteed completely safe.⁶ Use HTTPS if other people can reach the site, and leave AI and the MCP link off unless you want them.¹⁶

Does Ghostfolio work on iPhone?

Yes. It works in a modern phone browser.⁴ A self-hosted copy has no store app, so add the site to the home screen.⁴ The Play Store app is for Android users of the managed cloud.⁵

Can I use Ghostfolio without an email address?

Yes. A security token is enough, with no email address, phone number or username.³ The managed cloud also offers Google Sign. The cloud FAQ says Ghostfolio does not collect your email address.⁵