Source: https://wealthfolio.app/blog/wealthfolio-manifesto/

General

# Wealthfolio Manifesto

Why I Built a Privacy-First Investment Tracker.

September 17, 2024

![Wealthfolio Manifesto illustration](https://assets.wealthfolio.app/images/logo-leaf.png)

I built Wealthfolio out of necessity because, honestly, I couldn’t find a decent desktop investment tracker that wasn’t a total mess. Everything out there was ridiculously complicated, stuffed with unnecessary features, and required uploading my financial data to someone else’s servers, usually for a monthly fee. I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my financial information with third parties, and paying monthly fees for something my computer could handle locally seemed unnecessary.

Then, Wealthfolio gained some attention, and I quickly realized there were probably others facing the same frustrations. Many of us wanted an investment tracker that is simple, beautiful, and boring in the best way possible: an app that did the job and stayed out of the way.

### The Vision

I want Wealthfolio to be the tool people reach for when they need to track their wealth and financial goals without unnecessary complications. Think of it as a beautiful, interactive spreadsheet-like tracker that actually makes sense. No cloud dependencies, no monthly subscriptions, no handing over personal data. Just a clean app that runs on your computer and gets the job done. I made it open source because people should see what’s going on under the hood. Transparency matters when it comes to your financial data. The goal is simple: track your money, understand your progress, and forget the app is even there.

Here are some guiding principles that will drive the development of Wealthfolio:

### Privacy Matters

In an age where everything is cloud-based and tied to SaaS platforms, I wanted optionality, the ability to decide where my financial data goes and who can access it. Most apps decide for you where your data goes and who can access it. I don’t believe anyone should have to compromise their privacy to track their investments.

Wealthfolio stores all your information locally, right on your computer. No third parties. No risk of your data being sold, hacked, or manipulated. This isn’t just about privacy. It’s about ownership. When your data stays on your machine, you own the whole process. No one can change the rules on you, raise prices, or suddenly decide your data is worth something to advertisers.

### Simplicity Over Complexity

I believe simplicity is what makes products truly memorable. We aim to make Wealthfolio boring and simple, not overly clever or sophisticated. It will be focused on the essentials: tracking your investments and seeing how they align with your financial goals. That’s it. No unnecessary bells and whistles. Just clear, simple insights. I know the everyday challenge will be not losing sight of what truly matters.

### No Hidden Costs or Subscriptions

Another thing that frustrated me was the constant push for subscription services. I didn’t want to get trapped in yet another recurring fee for something I only use sporadically. So, the core Wealthfolio app is free to use. If you like it and want to support its development, you can pay once, no strings attached, and use it forever. No surprises. No monthly fees.

_Note: We later introduced [Wealthfolio Connect](https://wealthfolio.app/connect/) as an optional subscription for users who want automatic broker sync, device sync, and household sharing. The core app remains local-first and free. Connect is simply a convenience layer for those who want it._

Sincerely,

[Fadil](https://x.com/_afadil)

Fadil

### Tags

Privacy

Open Source

Investment Tracking

Product Vision

Offline Private Portfolio Tracker

[← Back to The Blog](https://wealthfolio.app/blog/)

Published September 17, 2024

## Related posts

-   General
    
    ### [On Losing the Thread](https://wealthfolio.app/blog/on-losing-the-thread/)
    
    The hardest thing about building an open source app is staying connected to your own work. A reflection on how maker becomes maintainer, and why protecting the space to build from a personal place matters.
    
    Mar 25, 2026
    
-   General
    
    ### [How I Built an Open Source App That Went Viral](https://wealthfolio.app/blog/how-i-built-open-source-app-went-viral/)
    
    In September 2024, my side project Wealthfolio, a simple, open-source desktop investment tracker I built over the summer, unexpectedly went viral, reaching the front page of Hacker News and GitHub's trending list. Here's how this small and elegant app captured the attention of thousands.
    
    Sep 24, 2024
    
-   Engineering
    
    ### [Local-first and the SQLite Bet](https://wealthfolio.app/blog/local-first-and-the-sqlite-bet/)
    
    Why Wealthfolio's portfolio lives in a SQLite file on your machine instead of a cloud database, and what that decision cost us to make work.
    
    May 20, 2026