Sure: A Detailed Exploration of the Open-Source Personal Finance App

Introduction

The Sure project represents an ambitious yet abandoned effort by the former Maybe Finance team to create a comprehensive personal finance management application. After nearly two years of development (2021–2022), the company pivoted, leading to the app’s eventual abandonment in mid-2023. Recognizing the value of the codebase, a community-driven fork emerged—Sure—to preserve and potentially revive the project. This document provides an in-depth look at Sure’s origins, technical setup, contributions, and challenges.

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The Backstory: Why Was Maybe Finance Abandoned?

Origins and Vision

Maybe Finance was founded with the goal of building a full-featured personal finance and wealth management application. Key features included:

• Budgeting & Expense Tracking – Users could categorize spending, set financial goals, and monitor cash flow.
• "Ask an Advisor" Feature – A subscription-based service that connected users to certified financial planners (CFP/CFA) for personalized advice.
• Wealth Management Tools – Investment tracking, retirement planning, and automated savings recommendations.

The team invested nearly $1 million in development, including salaries, contractors, data providers, and infrastructure. Despite these efforts, the business model faced challenges, leading to a shift toward open-source self-hosting before eventually launching a hosted version—only for it to fail as a sustainable B2C (Business-to-Consumer) venture.

The Open-Source Fork: Sure

After the original project’s closure, the community decided to maintain and improve the codebase under the AGPLv3 license, ensuring transparency and collaboration. The goal was to keep the app alive while exploring new business models or community-driven enhancements.

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What Is Sure?

A Self-Hosted Personal Finance App

Sure is a fully functional fork of Maybe Finance, designed for:

• Self-hosting via Docker – Users can deploy the application locally using provided instructions.
• Community-driven development – Anyone can contribute to bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features.

Unlike the original Maybe Finance, which was primarily a hosted service, Sure emphasizes open-source flexibility, allowing users to run it on their own servers or cloud platforms.

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Key Features of Sure

1. Core Financial Management

• Expense Tracking – Categorize spending, track transactions, and analyze financial habits.
• Budgeting Tools – Set monthly budgets and receive alerts when limits are exceeded.
• Investment & Retirement Planning – Monitor portfolio performance and plan for long-term savings.

2. Advisor Integration (Optional)

The original Maybe Finance included a feature where users could connect with certified financial advisors via subscription. While this was removed from the hosted version, Sure’s community may reintroduce similar functionality in future updates.

3. Data Security & Privacy

Since Sure is self-hosted, users retain full control over their financial data, avoiding third-party tracking concerns.

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Technical Setup: How to Run Sure

Prerequisites for Development

To contribute or run Sure locally, developers must meet the following requirements:

• Ruby Version – Check .ruby-version file (recommended version: latest stable).
• PostgreSQL > 9.3 – The database backend.
• Redis > 5.4 – For caching and session management.

Local Development Workflow

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/we-promise/sure.git
   cd sure

2. Set Up Environment Variables Copy .env.local.example to .env.local:

   cp .env.local.example .env.local

3. Install Dependencies & Run Setup

   bin/setup
   bin/dev

4. (Optional) Load Demo Data

   rake demo_data:default

5. Access the App Open http://localhost:3000 in a browser.

• Default credentials:
  • Email: user@example.com
  • Password: Password1!

Hosting Options

• Self-Host with Docker – Follow the Docker guide.
• Cloud Deployment –
• PikaPods (One-click deployment)
• Railway.app (Easy cloud hosting)

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Performance Challenges & Debugging Resources

Identifying Issues

Like many data-heavy applications, Sure faces performance bottlenecks. The team has set up a public dashboard on Skylight.io to track problematic requests and stack traces.

Contributing to Performance Improvements

• Review the performance logs on Skylight.
• Optimize database queries, caching strategies, or API endpoints.
• Test with high traffic loads to identify scalability issues.

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License & Legal Considerations

AGPLv3 License Compliance

Sure is distributed under the Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3), ensuring:

• Open-source transparency.
• The right to self-host and modify the code freely.

Important Notes:

• "Maybe" is a trademark of Maybe Finance, Inc. – Users must avoid using the name or logo in their forks unless explicitly permitted.
• Attribution Required – Any fork must clearly state it is based on Sure but not affiliated with Maybe Finance.

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Community & Contribution

How to Get Involved

Sure’s success depends on its community. Here’s how you can contribute:

1. Join the Discord Server – https://discord.gg/36ZGBsxYEK

• Discuss technical challenges, feature requests, and bug reports.

1. Report Issues on GitHub

• Visit: https://github.com/we-promise/sure/issues

1. Develop & Test New Features

• Fork the repo and submit pull requests.

Useful Guides for Developers

• Mac Dev Setup Guide
• Linux Dev Setup Guide
• Windows Dev Setup Guide

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Conclusion: The Future of Sure

The Sure project stands at a crossroads—preserving the legacy of Maybe Finance while exploring new directions. With its open-source nature, it offers: ✅ Self-hosting flexibility – Run on your own servers. ✅ Community-driven improvements – Bug fixes and feature enhancements. ✅ Potential for reinvention – Could evolve into a more sustainable business model.

Whether you’re a developer looking to contribute, a user interested in self-managing finances, or simply curious about open-source financial tools, Sure provides an opportunity to engage with a meaningful project. The future of personal finance management may lie in community-driven innovation—one click away from deployment.

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Visual Representation (Based on Input Images)

(Since I cannot render images directly, here’s how you might visualize key elements:)

1. Logo & Badges

• A badge indicating performance tracking via Skylight.
• A Dosu AI badge suggesting potential AI-driven financial insights in future versions.

1. Deployment Options

• A diagram showing Docker self-hosting vs. cloud platforms like PikaPods or Railway.

1. User Interface Mockup (Hypothetical)

• A screenshot of the app’s dashboard with expense tracking, budget alerts, and advisor integration (if reintroduced).

(For actual visuals, refer to the original GitHub repository or the provided links.)

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Final Note: If you’re interested in deploying Sure yourself, follow the Docker guide for a step-by-step setup. The community is actively working to ensure this project thrives beyond its original abandonment!