Akaunting vs Bigcapital (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Akaunting and Bigcapital share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan, and Bigcapital has no paid plan to buy, against $6 a month when paid by the year for Akaunting.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Akaunting grades higher on ease of use and platforms. Bigcapital grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Akaunting
Open-source accounting you can host yourself or use in the cloud
Bigcapital
Open-source accounting you host yourself, with a cloud version planned
Which one is for you
Pick Akaunting if
- Fits if you want to own and host your accounting data yourself
- Works for you if you keep the books for several small companies, with 10 on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you've never run a server and want the free edition
- Tight if you stay on Standard Cloud, which has no double-entry reports or bank feeds
- Pricey if you self-host and need lots of apps, since none are included and each is bought
- Tight if you need payroll, inventory, projects or estimates, which need Elite Cloud at $56 or paid apps
- Watch out: the free edition has forum support only, and the cloud trial's length isn't stated
Pick Bigcapital if
- Fits if you can run Docker and want your books on your own server
- Works for developers who want open-source accounting they can modify
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as the cloud version is only 'coming soon'
- Not for you if you need paid support, since none is published
- Watch out: you handle updates, backups and security yourself
- Watch out: AGPL-3.0 source-sharing rules apply if you modify and offer it to others
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAkauntingFair | 2.2GPABigcapitalFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe entry prices leave out the main parts. Self-hosting is free or $72 a year and Standard Cloud is $8 a month, but double-entry and bank feeds start on Premium Cloud at $24 a month yearly, about this category's middle. | CFree under AGPL-3.0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. No paid plans are published. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe open-source edition is free, but you run it on your own server, and it's 1 company, 1 user plus an accountant and 1,000 invoices, with no double-entry reports or bank feeds. Cloud plans have a trial of unstated length. | BFree to run with no limits listed, though the only way to run it today is your own server. |
| Features | CInvoices, bills, sales tax, currencies and reports in the core, with double-entry, bank feeds, payroll, inventory and projects as apps. The listing's own notes say the free and cheapest plans go without the ledger and bank feeds. | BSales and purchase invoicing, general ledger, bank reconciliation, inventory, multi-currency and branches. Nothing core is missing. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You either sign up for the cloud version or set up your own server, then choose which apps to add before the books are complete. That's a learning curve. | DSelf-hosting with Docker, and updates and backups are yours. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no phone or desktop app. It connects to Shopify, Stripe and Google, and has bank feeds in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. | CWeb only. It runs on macOS, Windows or Linux servers and the site names no integrations. |
| Best for | open-source books you can host yourself | self-hosted open-source bookkeeping |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Akaunting and Bigcapital. How we grade
Price against what you get
Akaunting starts at $6 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Bigcapital has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Akaunting scores higher, and starts $6 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Akaunting for less, and none scores higher than Bigcapital for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Akaunting also covers expense tracking.
- Bigcapital also covers inventory.
At a glance
| Akaunting | Bigcapital | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $72 per year, self-hosted | Free |
| Free plan | Standard On-Premise: the free, open-source edition you host yourself, for 1 company, 1 user plus 1 accountant and 1,000 invoices, with forum support. Apps cost extra. | The self-hosted edition is free under the AGPL-3.0 license; you pay only for your own server. |
| Free trial | Free trial of each cloud plan; the length is not stated | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Akaunting | Bigcapital Technology, Inc. |
| Price read from | akaunting.com | bigcapital.app |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Akaunting
- The free self-hosted edition and Standard Cloud lack double-entry reports and bank feeds; those come from Premium Cloud or as paid apps.
- Self-hosted plans include no apps at all; Elite and Ultimate On-Premise cost $168 and $684 a year before any apps.
- Payroll, inventory, projects and estimates need Elite Cloud or separate app purchases on lower plans.
- The free self-hosted edition is supported only through the community forum; ticket support comes with the paid plans.
Bigcapital
- Bigcapital Cloud is marked as coming soon, so the only way to run it today is to self-host.
- Self-hosting means you handle servers, updates and backups yourself.
- The AGPL-3.0 license has network-use source-sharing terms that apply if you modify and offer it to others.
- The site publishes no paid plans or support tiers.
Key features
Akaunting
- Invoices, bills and payments
- Unlimited customers, vendors and products, recurring payment reminders, sales tax calculation and multiple currencies on every plan.
- Double-entry accounting
- Chart of accounts, general ledger, balance sheet, trial balance and manual journals come with the Double-Entry app, included from Premium Cloud.
- Bank feeds
- Connect bank accounts in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe to import transactions; included from Premium Cloud.
- App store
- 50+ apps add payroll with payslips, inventory, projects, CRM, expense claims and more. Self-hosted plans include no apps, so each is bought.
- Multiple companies
- Run the books of several businesses from one account: 10 on Premium, 30 on Elite and unlimited on Ultimate.
- Self-hosting
- Install it on your own server with the source code available, and Akaunting says it collects none of your financial data.
Bigcapital
- Sales and purchase invoicing
- Creates customizable sales invoices and purchase invoices, and tracks receivable and payable accounts.
- General ledger and reports
- Keeps a general ledger and runs financial reports such as balance sheet, profit and loss and cash flow statements.
- Bank feeds and reconciliation
- The site lists bank feed syncing and bank reconciliation among its accounting modules.
- Multi-currency accounting
- Records transactions and manual journals in different currencies and uses exchange rates for conversion.
- Inventory and expenses
- Tracks inventory items and expense accounting alongside sales, with accrual and cash accounting both listed.
- Teams and branches
- Role-based permissions limit what each invited accountant or teammate can view or edit, and branches and warehouses sit in one ledger.
Plans
Akaunting
Standard On-Premise$0
Free and open source, hosted on your own server. 1 company, 1 user plus 1 accountant, 1,000 invoices and forum support.
Premium On-Premise$72
per year, self-hosted
Hosted on your own server. 10 companies, 10 users, 10,000 invoices and ticket support. Apps are bought separately. $756 as a one-time lifetime license.
Standard Cloud$8
per month, billed yearly
$12 billed monthly. Hosted by Akaunting for 1 company, 1 user plus 1 accountant and 1,000 invoices, with 4 apps included.
Premium Cloud$24
per month, billed yearly
$36 billed monthly. 10 companies, 10 users and 10,000 invoices, adding double-entry, bank feeds, expense claims, roles and a client portal.
Elite Cloud$56
per month, billed yearly
$84 billed monthly. 30 companies, 30 users and 30,000 invoices, adding estimates, payroll, projects, inventory, CRM, receipt scanning, Shopify and Stripe.
Ultimate Cloud$145
per month, billed yearly
$218 billed monthly. Unlimited companies, users and invoices, and all 50+ apps, including budgeting, purchase orders, point of sale and 1099 tools.
Bigcapital
Self-hosted$0
Free under AGPL-3.0; you run it yourself with Docker on macOS, Windows or Linux.
Ways to pay less
Akaunting
- Annual discount
4 months free with yearly cloud billing
Yearly billing brings Standard Cloud from $12 to $8 a month, Premium from $36 to $24, Elite from $84 to $56 and Ultimate from $218 to $145.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses for the self-hosted plans
Pay once instead of yearly: $756 for Premium On-Premise, $1,764 for Elite and $7,224 for Ultimate.
Bigcapital
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Akaunting or Bigcapital?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bigcapital is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $6 a month when paid by the year for Akaunting. Akaunting starts at $72 per year, self-hosted, and Bigcapital is free.
Which has a free plan, Akaunting or Bigcapital?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Akaunting and Bigcapital have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.