Portfolio Performance or Portfolio Terminal: who each one suits
- You want open-source software and your data in a file on your own computer.
- You want detailed performance math (true time-weighted return, IRR) and don't mind the setup.
- Your bank is among the more than 90 whose PDF statements it reads.
- You want a tracker in the browser, on any computer or phone, with nothing to install.
- You want to import a screenshot or a positions screen, not only PDFs and CSVs.
- You want the companies inside your ETFs and a plain-English risk read.
The same eight questions, asked of both
| Question | Portfolio Performance | Portfolio Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free and open source (Eclipse Public License), with no limits.[1] | Free with no holding limit. A guest mode works without an account.[2] |
| Paid plans | Optional mobile Premium: $3/month or $25/year on the App Store.[3] | Nothing to buy today. A Pro plan is in development at $9/month billed yearly ($11 monthly), with a waitlist.[2] |
| How holdings get in | PDF statements from more than 90 banks and brokers, plus CSV; no automatic sync.[4] | Upload a CSV or Excel file or a PDF statement, paste a table, or drop a screenshot from any broker. Transaction-history CSVs from 10 brokers are read directly, plus a generic format. No automatic broker sync.[5] |
| Dividends | Dividend transactions and payment views.[1] | Dividends received by month and year, a 12-month projection, and the next ex-dividend dates of your holdings.[6] |
| What is inside your ETFs | No automatic look-through; you can classify holdings yourself.[1] | Yes. The companies inside your funds, from the issuers' full holdings files for 30 US ETFs and the top 10 holdings for other funds.[7] |
| Realized gains | FIFO and moving average.[8] | FIFO lot by lot, or average cost, with a CSV export in IRS Form 8949 column order.[9] |
| Tax reports | None; taxes and fees are recorded as transactions.[10] | None. |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux; read-only iOS and Android companion apps.[11] | Web. Installable on a phone or desktop home screen (PWA); no app-store app.[12] |
Best for, and one honest limit each
Portfolio PerformanceAndreas Buchen and contributors, open source, Germany
Best forHands-on investors who want free, private, detailed performance math (true time-weighted return, IRR) on their own computer and don't mind setting it up.
LimitDesktop software you set up yourself, and the mobile app can't edit your data.[11]
Portfolio TerminalJulien Esnault, independent developer, France
Best forInvestors with US or European brokers who want a free web tracker with ETF look-through, FIFO gains and risk in plain English, without linking a bank login.
LimitNo automatic broker sync: you re-import a file or a screenshot when your holdings change. Prices come from Yahoo Finance and can lag the market by several minutes.[5]
Moving from Portfolio Performance
- 01Download the transaction-history CSV from your broker, or take a screenshot of its positions screen.
- 02Import it in Portfolio Terminal and check every line before it is saved.
- 03Keep the desktop file if you like its reports; both can run side by side.
Portfolio Performance alternatives: what people ask
Is Portfolio Performance free?
Yes. The desktop app is free and open source under the Eclipse Public License. Its mobile companion app has an optional Premium subscription at $3 a month or $25 a year on the US App Store (checked October 5, 2026).
Can Portfolio Performance run in a browser?
No. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux; the iOS and Android apps read the desktop file and, per its site, can't edit data yet. Portfolio Terminal runs in the browser and installs on a phone home screen.
Do both calculate FIFO gains?
Yes. Portfolio Performance offers FIFO and moving average. Portfolio Terminal uses FIFO, lot by lot, with a CSV export.
Which one is more private?
Portfolio Performance keeps your data in a local file. Portfolio Terminal stores it on its servers (a guest mode works without an account) and never asks for a bank or broker login.
Other trackers, same eight questions
Or see all of them on one grid: the best free portfolio trackers, compared.
Sources, read on October 5, 2026
Prices and plans are quoted as each vendor prints them, in its currency, on the day above. They change; the linked page is the one to trust. Found something out of date? Write to julien.esnau@gmail.com and the page is corrected with the date.
- [1]portfolio-performance.info/en
- [2]portfolio-terminal.com#pricing
- [3]apps.apple.com/us/app/portfolio-performance/id6451118191
- [4]help.portfolio-performance.info/en/reference/file/import/pdf-import
- [5]portfolio-terminal.com/import
- [6]portfolio-terminal.com/dividend-tracker
- [7]portfolio-terminal.com/etf-overlap
- [8]help.portfolio-performance.info/en/concepts/cost-methodology
- [9]portfolio-terminal.com/csv-portfolio-tracker
- [10]help.portfolio-performance.info/en/reference/transaction/fees-taxes
- [11]portfolio-performance.app/index.html
- [12]portfolio-terminal.com/llms.txt
Portfolio Terminal is made by the author of this page, so read the comparison with that in mind: every statement about Portfolio Performance links to Portfolio Performance's own pages, and Portfolio Terminal's limit is stated as plainly as theirs. Nothing here is investment advice.