Akaunting vs GnuCash (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, GnuCash grades higher than Akaunting: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Akaunting grades higher on platforms. GnuCash grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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
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 GnuCash if
- Fits if you want your books kept on your own computer and not in someone's cloud
- Works for people who already know double-entry and want it free
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a phone or browser version, as it's desktop only
- Too light for payroll: the features page says it's handled through payables and receivables
- Watch out: SQL storage is described as experimental, with reports of data loss
- Skip it if you need paid support, as help is volunteers, mailing lists and a wiki
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAkauntingFair | 2.8GPAGnuCashGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree under the GNU GPL, with voluntary donations. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. |
| 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. | AFree outright with no plan limits, so there's nothing to buy. |
| 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. | CDouble-entry books, a checkbook-style register, small-business tools, reports and reconciliation. No payroll module, and the database backends are experimental. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. Double-entry takes learning, and help comes from mailing lists, a wiki and bug reports. |
| 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. | CWindows, Mac and Linux only, with no web or phone version and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | open-source books you can host yourself | free double-entry books on your own computer |
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 GnuCash. 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. GnuCash 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, 3 score higher than Akaunting for less, and none scores higher than GnuCash 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 is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Akaunting also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| Akaunting | GnuCash | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | Free trial of each cloud plan; the length is not stated | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Akaunting | The GnuCash Project |
| Price read from | akaunting.com | gnucash.org |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
GnuCash
- It is desktop software for Windows, macOS and Linux; there is no browser version or hosted option.
- Storing data in SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL is described as experimental, with reports of data loss in some cases.
- The features page says payroll is handled through accounts payable and receivable, not a payroll module.
- Support comes from volunteers through mailing lists, a wiki and bug reports.
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.
GnuCash
- Double-entry accounting
- Every transaction debits one account and credits others by an equal amount, so the books always balance.
- Checkbook-style register
- Enter transactions in a familiar register with split transactions, reconciliation marks and autofill.
- Small-business tools
- Customer and vendor tracking, jobs, invoicing, bill payment and tax and billing terms, plus a budgeting tool.
- Reports and graphs
- Includes balance sheet and profit and loss reports, bar charts, pie charts and scatter plots, all customizable.
- Bank statement reconciliation
- Compare entered transactions against a bank statement; QIF and OFX files can be imported with duplicate matching.
- Multiple currencies
- Accounts can be held in different currencies, with currency movements balanced under double-entry.
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.
GnuCash
Free$0
The full program under the GNU GPL; the project accepts voluntary donations.
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.
GnuCash
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Akaunting or GnuCash?
As of Nov 12, 2026, GnuCash 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 GnuCash is free.
Which has a free plan, Akaunting or GnuCash?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Akaunting and GnuCash have a free plan.
Which platforms do Akaunting and GnuCash run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Akaunting lists a web app and only GnuCash lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.