Free, open-source alternatives to QuickBooks
Accounting for small businesses. 5 apps you can run yourself instead of QuickBooks, sorted by how well they replace it. Each one is open source, so your data stays with you.
BigcapitalBest match
Financial accounting and inventory management software for small to medium businesses.
Akaunting
Accounting software designed for small businesses and freelancers.
LedgerSMB
Integrated accounting and ERP system for small and midsize businesses, with double entry accounting, budgeting, invoicing, quotations, projects, orders and inventory management, shipping and more.
Invoice Ninja
Powerful tool to invoice clients online.
Dolibarr
Modern CRM software package to manage your company or foundation activity (contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stocks, agenda, accounting, ...).
Side by side
| App | Stars | License | Activity | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigcapital | 3,934 | AGPL-3.0 | Docker | |
| Akaunting | 10,181 | BUSL-1.1 | PHP | |
| LedgerSMB | 570 | GPL-2.0 | Docker, Perl | |
| Invoice Ninja | 10,267 | Elastic-2.0 | PHP, Docker, Kubernetes | |
| Dolibarr | 7,723 | GPL-3.0 | PHP, Debian packages |
Why replace QuickBooks?
QuickBooks works, but your data lives in someone else's account, the price can change at any time, and features can disappear. An open-source app you run yourself is yours: you choose where it runs, who can see the data, and when to update.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to QuickBooks?
Bigcapital is the closest open-source replacement for QuickBooks in our list. Akaunting and LedgerSMB are worth a look too, depending on what you need.
Can I self-host an alternative to QuickBooks?
Yes. All 5 apps on this page are open source and can run on your own server, usually with Docker, or on a managed host that installs them for you.