FinManage started as a tool we needed for ourselves

Before it was anything we'd offer to other people, FinManage was software we built to solve our own problem: tracking member renewals, billing, and role-based access for provider businesses we work with - stock advisory firms, coaching programs, paid communities, subscription agencies. Spreadsheets and generic CRMs don't model expiry-driven membership cleanly. We needed something purpose-built, so we built it - React and Vite on the frontend, Node/Express and Prisma on the backend, PostgreSQL underneath, with JWT-based auth and role-scoped sub-user permissions baked in from day one.

Why give it away instead of selling licenses

We'd rather build trust than gate a feature list

A lot of small providers evaluating membership software hit a wall of per-seat pricing before they've even confirmed the tool fits their workflow. Giving the source away removes that wall entirely - you can run it, poke at it, and decide for yourself.

The code doesn't need to be scarce to be valuable

What's actually scarce is the work of running it well - hosting, monitoring, upgrades, support. That's a real service we can charge for honestly, instead of charging for access to code that costs us nothing to duplicate.

This isn't altruism dressed up as a business plan, and it isn't a business plan dressed up as altruism. It's both, plainly: the software is free because we don't need to charge for it, and the managed hosting is paid because that work is real.

What "free" actually means here

Free means the source code, in full, to self-host on your own infrastructure. It does not mean unlimited free hosting, and it does not mean the sub-user permission model or reporting logic are watered down compared to what we run ourselves. The same build - member lifecycle tracking, billing and revenue records, role-based access with a sub-user Risk Center, Excel/PDF exports, real-time Socket.IO sync - is what you get either way.

What self-hosting actually requires

  • Node.js and PostgreSQL. These are the only hard runtime requirements.
  • A place to run it. Docker Compose is supported out of the box; the repo also includes deployment scripts for cPanel/FastComet-style shared hosting via Passenger.
  • Someone comfortable with basic server maintenance. Migrations, environment variables, and routine updates are your responsibility on the self-hosted path.
  • Realistic expectations about support. Self-hosting means self-supporting. We'll share the code and the docs; day-to-day troubleshooting is on you unless you're on managed hosting.

Where the paid tier comes in

If you'd rather not manage a server, we host and maintain FinManage for you - deployments, database management, monitoring, and direct support from our engineering team - starting at $50-$100/month depending on scale. That's the entire business model: the software is free, the operational work of running it reliably is the paid part. No hidden per-seat fees layered on top.

Who this is actually for

  • Stock advisory and research firms tracking paid subscriber access and compliance-sensitive renewal windows.
  • Coaching and mentorship programs managing cohort-based membership and recurring billing.
  • Paid financial communities that need grace-period logic instead of a hard cutoff on expiry.
  • Subscription-based agencies running multiple client accounts through scoped sub-user roles.

Key takeaways

  • FinManage was built for our own membership operations first - it isn't a stripped-down marketing tool.
  • The source is free to self-host; nothing in the feature set is held back for the paid tier.
  • Managed hosting and support, not the software itself, is what we charge for - starting at $50-$100/month.
  • Self-hosting is a real option, but it assumes basic server maintenance comfort on your side.
If you want to see the actual feature set and pricing side by side, the FinManage page walks through member lifecycle, billing, role-based access, and the self-hosted vs. managed comparison in full.