Bigcapital review (2026): is it any good?
Open-source accounting you host yourself, with a cloud version planned
Bigcapital report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for self-hosted open-source bookkeeping
Bigcapital is open-source accounting with invoicing, a general ledger, bank feeds and multi-currency, run with Docker on your own server. Its cloud version is only marked coming soon, so today you do the hosting, updates and backups.
Who Bigcapital is for
- 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
Who Bigcapital is not for
- 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
Why Bigcapital gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyFree under AGPL-3.0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. No paid plans are published.
- BFree plan and trialFree to run with no limits listed, though the only way to run it today is your own server.
- BFeaturesSales and purchase invoicing, general ledger, bank reconciliation, inventory, multi-currency and branches. Nothing core is missing.
- DEase of useSelf-hosting with Docker, and updates and backups are yours.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only. It runs on macOS, Windows or Linux servers and the site names no integrations.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Bigcapital's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Bigcapital? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/bigcapital#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/bigcapital.svg" alt="Bigcapital: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Bigcapital stands among accounting and invoicing tools
Bigcapital's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 43 of the 127 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 30.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 93 of 127) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Bigcapital has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 128 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Bigcapital’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 19 of 127, level with 69
- BFree plan and trialAbove 93 of 127, level with 25
- BFeaturesAbove 86 of 127, level with 41
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 127, level with 5
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 127, level with 25
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 101 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Bigcapital, or make your own?
Keep it
Bigcapital is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could make
- Invoicing, inventory and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- An API that other software can build on.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Bigcapital’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Bigcapital?
Bigcapital is open-source accounting software that covers sales and purchase invoicing, expenses, inventory, bank reconciliation and financial reports. The code is released under AGPL-3.0 and is run today by self-hosting it with Docker. The maker says a managed cloud version is in the works.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Bigcapital pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bigcapital is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The self-hosted edition is free under the AGPL-3.0 license; you pay only for your own server.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 | Free under AGPL-3.0; you run it yourself with Docker on macOS, Windows or Linux. |
Read from bigcapital.app on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bigcapital before you buy.
Bigcapital alternatives
- Bigcapital vs Akaunting
Free plan · from $72/yr
- Bigcapital vs Manager.io
Free plan · from $59/mo
- Bigcapital vs Invoice Ninja
Free plan · from $14/mo
Common questions
Does Bigcapital have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Bigcapital is listed for Web.
Does Bigcapital have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Bigcapital is listed for Web.
Is Bigcapital open source?
Yes. Bigcapital is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Bigcapital have an API?
Yes. Bigcapital offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.