Akaunting vs Manager.io
We give Akaunting a 2.2 GPA and Manager.io a 2.8, out of 4.0. Akaunting grades higher on platforms. Manager.io 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
Manager.io
Free offline accounting for Windows, Mac and Linux, with a paid cloud
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAkauntingFair | 2.8GPAManager.ioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe cheap prices leave out the main bits. 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. | AThe desktop edition is free, with every feature and no limit on data, and it's a program anyone can download and run. You only pay for Cloud, $59 a month or $590 a year, when several people need the books, and that covers unlimited users and businesses. |
| 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 with every feature, no time limit, no usage cap and no ads. The only things it won't do are let a second person in or open the books away from that one computer. |
| 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. | CQuotes through to delivery notes, bank rules and reconciliation, inventory, fixed assets with depreciation and payslips. The listing names the gaps: bank transactions come in by importing statements, not live feeds, and payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing. |
| 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. You download it and start, but it's double-entry books where you import bank statements and set up bank rules yourself, so there's a bit to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no phone or desktop app. What lifts it is the connections: Shopify, Stripe and Google, plus bank feeds in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. | CWindows, Mac and Linux, plus a web version on Cloud or on a server you run. There's no phone app, the browser has to do on a phone, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | open-source books you can host yourself | full double-entry books free 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 Manager.io. 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. Manager.io starts at $59 a month and scores 2.0.
Akaunting scores higher and starts $53 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Akaunting for less, and 16 score higher than Manager.io 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 starts at $72 per year, self-hosted. Manager.io starts at $59 per month, billed monthly.
- Only Manager.io lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Akaunting is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Akaunting | Manager.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $72 per year, self-hosted | $59 per month, billed monthly |
| 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. | Desktop edition for Windows, Mac and Linux: every feature, no time or usage limits and no ads, for a single user with no remote access. |
| Free trial | Free trial of each cloud plan; the length is not stated | 14-day free trial of Manager Cloud, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Akaunting | Manager.io |
| Price read from | akaunting.com | manager.cloud |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Akaunting
- Businesses that want to own and host their accounting data
- Accountants managing books for many small companies
- Teams outside the US, with translations in 50+ languages
Manager.io
- Sole traders who want full double-entry books without a subscription
- Businesses that want their accounts on their own computer, usable offline
- Accountants who keep many client businesses on one flat-priced cloud server
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.
Manager.io
- The free desktop edition is single-user; several users or remote access need the paid Cloud Edition or a self-run Server Edition.
- The Server Edition page names no price, and Manager.io does not install it for you.
- There is no phone app; the Cloud Edition is used in a phone or tablet browser.
- Bank transactions come in by importing statements, and payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing described.
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.
Manager.io
- Sales and purchases
- Quotes, orders, invoices, credit notes, delivery notes, late payment fees and billable time on the sales side, with matching purchase documents.
- Bank imports and bank rules
- Import bank statements, then let bank rules allocate matching receipts and payments to accounts. Reconcile accounts against statements.
- Inventory and fixed assets
- Inventory items, kits and locations, plus fixed and intangible assets with depreciation and amortization entries.
- Employees and payslips
- Record employees and create payslips with earnings, deductions and employer contributions for each pay period.
- Works offline
- The desktop edition keeps the books on your computer, and a file made on Windows opens on Mac or Linux.
- Cloud and server editions
- Manager Cloud adds simultaneous users with permissions. The Server Edition runs the same web app on your own server.
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.
Manager.io
Desktop Edition$0
Single-user software installed on your own computer. Every feature, works offline, no time or usage limits.
Cloud Edition$59
per month for unlimited users and businesses, billed monthly
The same software hosted by Manager.io at your own address, with multi-user access, user permissions, automatic backups and updates.
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.
Manager.io
- Annual discount
Pay ten months for a year of Cloud
Annual billing for Manager Cloud is ten times the monthly price: $590 a year instead of $708.
