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[Feature] Visual budget targets & progress indicators (YNAB-like UI) #2760

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opened 2026-02-28 20:26:58 -06:00 by GiteaMirror · 2 comments
GiteaMirror commented 2026-02-28 20:26:58 -06:00
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Originally created by @remyayad on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026).

Verified feature request does not already exist?

  • I have searched and found no existing issue

💻

  • Would you like to implement this feature?

Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve?

First off, thank you for Actual Budget - the flexibility, transparency, and power (especially with advanced budget templates) is impressive, and it’s a big reason I migrated from YNAB.

That said, after using Actual Budget for a while, I feel there is a significant UX gap on the “Budget” page, specifically around category targets, funding progress, and visual feedback.

While Actual Budget is functionally more powerful than YNAB, the current UI makes it hard to understand at a glance :

  • how much has been funded (vs the actual target)
  • how much has been spent (vs the funded amount)
  • how much remains to be funded
  • whether a category is “on track” for the period

This is especially noticeable for users coming from YNAB or for less technical users.

Core issue

Actual Budget relies heavily on comment-based templates with exact syntax to define targets and behaviors.

While this is powerful :

  • It has a steep learning curve
  • It is error-prone (syntax must be exact and can't mix certain types of templates)
  • It provides little to no visual feedback
  • It’s difficult to “read” a budget without manually parsing numbers

In contrast, YNAB’s UI makes category intent and progress immediately obvious.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/15f2aca1-f1b2-404e-a83b-6e6762380619

YNAB provides :

  • Visual color-coded progress bars per category (funded vs spent vs remaining)
  • A guided target setup UI, where users :
    • Choose frequency (weekly / monthly / yearly / custom)
    • Set the amount
    • Set the due date (day of week / month / exact date)
    • Choose behavior:
      • Set aside another $X (ignore current balance)
      • Refill up to $X (use existing balance)
      • (Custom) Have a balance of $X by date and optionally repeat

This is:

  • Extremely intuitive
  • Dummy-proof
  • Visually readable in seconds

From looking at existing GitHub issues and Reddit discussions, it seems this doesn’t bother most current users - likely because they are already comfortable with templates.

However, I believe this is a huge opportunity for Actual Budget :

  • Lower the barrier to entry for new users
  • Make budgets more readable and self-explanatory
  • Reduce reliance on memorizing template syntax
  • Retain Actual Budget’s power while improving approachability

Even a hybrid approach would be valuable :

  • A visual UI that generates the underlying template
  • Progress bars derived from template logic
  • Optional “advanced mode” for power users

Describe your ideal solution to this problem

If the rest of the community would also like to see this proposition come to life, possible improvements could include :

  • Visual progress indicators per category
  • A target-creation UI that abstracts template syntax
  • Clear indicators for :
    • Funded
    • Spent
    • Remaining to fund
  • Tooltips or previews explaining how a target behaves

I fully understand that Actual Budget prioritizes flexibility and simplicity in code, and this is not meant as criticism - only as feedback from a user who loves the project and sees real potential for UX improvements.

Happy to clarify, mock up ideas, or help test if this is something the project is open to exploring.

Thanks again for all the work you do on Actual Budget.

Teaching and learning

No response

Originally created by @remyayad on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026). ### Verified feature request does not already exist? - [x] I have searched and found no existing issue ### 💻 - [ ] Would you like to implement this feature? ### Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve? First off, thank you for Actual Budget - the flexibility, transparency, and power (especially with advanced budget templates) is impressive, and it’s a big reason I migrated from YNAB. That said, after using Actual Budget for a while, I feel there is a significant UX gap on the “Budget” page, specifically around category targets, funding progress, and visual feedback. While Actual Budget is functionally more powerful than YNAB, the current UI makes it hard to understand at a glance : - how much has been funded (vs the actual target) - how much has been spent (vs the funded amount) - how much remains to be funded - whether a category is “on track” for the period This is especially noticeable for users coming from YNAB or for less technical users. _________ ### Core issue Actual Budget relies heavily on comment-based templates with exact syntax to define targets and behaviors. While this is powerful : - It has a steep learning curve - It is error-prone (syntax must be exact and can't mix certain types of templates) - It provides little to no visual feedback - It’s difficult to “read” a budget without manually parsing numbers In contrast, YNAB’s UI makes category intent and progress immediately obvious. https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/15f2aca1-f1b2-404e-a83b-6e6762380619 YNAB provides : - Visual color-coded progress bars per category (funded vs spent vs remaining) - A guided target setup UI, where users : - Choose frequency (weekly / monthly / yearly / custom) - Set the amount - Set the due date (day of week / month / exact date) - Choose behavior: - _Set aside another $X_ (ignore current balance) - _Refill up to $X_ (use existing balance) - _(Custom) Have a balance of $X by date_ and optionally repeat This is: - Extremely intuitive - Dummy-proof - Visually readable in seconds From looking at existing GitHub issues and Reddit discussions, it seems this doesn’t bother most current users - likely because they are already comfortable with templates. However, I believe this is a huge opportunity for Actual Budget : - Lower the barrier to entry for new users - Make budgets more readable and self-explanatory - Reduce reliance on memorizing template syntax - Retain Actual Budget’s power while improving approachability Even a hybrid approach would be valuable : - A visual UI that generates the underlying template - Progress bars derived from template logic - Optional “advanced mode” for power users ### Describe your ideal solution to this problem If the rest of the community would also like to see this proposition come to life, possible improvements could include : - Visual progress indicators per category - A target-creation UI that abstracts template syntax - Clear indicators for : - Funded - Spent - Remaining to fund - Tooltips or previews explaining how a target behaves ________ I fully understand that Actual Budget prioritizes flexibility and simplicity in code, and this is not meant as criticism - only as feedback from a user who loves the project and sees real potential for UX improvements. Happy to clarify, mock up ideas, or help test if this is something the project is open to exploring. Thanks again for all the work you do on Actual Budget. ### Teaching and learning _No response_
GiteaMirror added the feature label 2026-02-28 20:26:58 -06:00
GiteaMirror commented 2026-02-28 20:27:00 -06:00
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@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026):

✨ Thanks for sharing your idea! ✨

This repository uses a voting-based system for feature requests. While enhancement issues are automatically closed, we still welcome feature requests! The voting system helps us gauge community interest in potential features. We also encourage community contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help guide you toward a successful contribution).

The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+

Don't forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026): :sparkles: Thanks for sharing your idea! :sparkles: This repository uses a voting-based system for feature requests. While enhancement issues are automatically closed, we still welcome feature requests! The voting system helps us gauge community interest in potential features. We also encourage community contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help guide you toward a successful contribution). The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+ Don't forget to upvote the top comment with 👍! <!-- feature-auto-close-comment -->
GiteaMirror commented 2026-02-28 20:27:00 -06:00
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@youngcw commented on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026):

Duplicate of #496

@youngcw commented on GitHub (Jan 2, 2026): Duplicate of #496
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Reference: github-starred/actual#2760
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