PrivateVault — Personal finance. Zero third parties. Five-minute setup.

The Problem Privacy-conscious people are stuck between three bad options: cloud tools that require handing over bank credentials to Plaid, manual spreadsheets that don't scale, or self-hosted solutions like Firefly III that demand Docker expertise just to get started. Most people end up compromising their privacy or abandoning the tool entirely. What We're Building PrivateVault is a desktop-first personal finance app that runs entirely on your machine—no cloud, no Plaid, no data sharing. Import from bank CSVs, sync across devices with optional end-to-end encryption (you hold the keys), and get real-time budgeting and spending insights. Everything stays local by default. Who It's For Privacy-conscious individuals: freelancers, solopreneurs, tech workers, and GDPR-aware Europeans earning $50k–$200k+ who currently use spreadsheets or tolerate Firefly III's complexity. Also appeals to open-source advocates and HN-adjacent builders. Key Features (Planned) One-click installer—no Docker, no D