# Alternatives to GnuCash

Double-entry accounting for humans.

GnuCash ranks #6 of 14 in Budgeting apps, with an Alt Score of 68. It is licensed under GPL-2.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gnucash/
Category: Budgeting apps

## Where GnuCash stands out

- **Local-only data option** — 5 of 10 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Individuals managing personal finances and small-business owners who need real accounting rather than a simple budgeting app, including users comfortable with (or willing to learn) double-entry bookkeeping.
- **What you get**: A free, open-source double-entry accounting system that tracks bank accounts, investments (stocks, bonds, mutual funds), income, and expenses. It includes financial reports and graphs, scheduled/recurring transactions, small-business invoicing and accounts receivable/payable, and import from QIF, OFX, and HBCI formats. GnuCash runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is developed entirely by volunteers with no commercial backing.
- **How it works**: Users set up accounts for each financial category (checking, credit card, investments, expenses, etc.) and record transactions in a checkbook-register-style interface, with every entry automatically balanced as a debit and credit across two accounts per double-entry rules. Reports and graphs are then generated from this ledger to review balances, spending, and account activity.

## Profile

- **License**: GPL-2.0 (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Lunch Money](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lunch-money.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [Quicken](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/quicken.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 3 | [Simplifi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/simplifi.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 4 | [Actual Budget](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/actual-budget.md) | 78 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web |
| 5 | [YNAB](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ynab.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 6 | [KMyMoney](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kmymoney.md) | 68 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [PocketGuard](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pocketguard.md) | 68 | Proprietary | ? |
| 8 | [Goodbudget](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/goodbudget.md) | 64 | Proprietary | iOS, Android, Web |
| 9 | [Monarch Money](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/monarch-money.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 10 | [Copilot Money](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/copilot-money.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS, Web |
| 11 | [EveryDollar](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/everydollar.md) | 60 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 12 | [Firefly III](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/firefly-iii.md) | 60 | AGPL-3.0 | Web |
| 13 | [HomeBank](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/homebank.md) | 60 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Budgeting apps checklist | GnuCash | Lunch Money | Quicken | Simplifi | Actual Budget | YNAB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Subscription | Subscription | Subscription | Free | Subscription |
| Starts at | ? | $100/year | $3.49/month | $2.99/month | ? | $109/year |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | MIT | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS | Web, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Bank sync (regions) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Manual entry mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Envelope / zero-based budgeting | No | Partial | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Investment tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No |
| Multi-currency | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Partial | No |
| Shared budgets | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reports & net worth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CSV import | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local-only data option | Yes | ? | Partial | No | Yes | ? |
| Subscription price | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for GnuCash. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: GPL-2.0 — <https://github.com/Gnucash/gnucash/blob/stable/LICENSE> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The software, for most intents and purposes, is licensed under the GNU General Public License, Version 2, or (at your option) Version 3.”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — <https://www.gnucash.org/download.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash 5.16 for Microsoft Windows 8/10/11”
- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.gnucash.org/news.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash 5.16 Released - 2026-06-28”
- **Bank sync (regions)**: Partial — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash is the first free software application to support the German Home Banking Computer Information protocol, allowing German users to perform statement download and initiate bank transfers and dir”
- **Manual entry mode**: Yes — <https://gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/ch_Common_Trans_Ops.html> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Entering directly into the register window is the most common way of entering transactions.”
- **Envelope / zero-based budgeting**: No — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash gives you also a tool to manage your business' budget so that you can easily plan your financial strategy.”
- **Investment tracking**: Yes — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Track stocks individually (one per account) or in portfolio of accounts (a group of accounts that can be displayed together).”
- **Multi-currency**: Yes — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Different accounts can be denominated in different currencies. Currency movements between accounts are fully balanced when double-entry is enabled.”
- **Reports & net worth**: Yes — <https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-guide/rpt_standardrpts.html> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The Net Worth Barchart summarizes Asset accounts, Liability accounts, and overall Net Worth as bars on a graph on a monthly basis for the current financial period.”
- **CSV import**: Yes — <https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/trans-import.html> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Clicking on File→Import→Import Transactions from CSV will bring up the CSV Transaction Import Assistant dialog.”
- **Local-only data option**: Yes — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash by default stores data in an xml format. Starting with version 2.4, GnuCash financial data can be stored in a SQL database using SQLite3, MySQL or PostgreSQL.”
- **Subscription price**: No — <https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/