GnuCash vs Ledger
GnuCash
gnucash.orgLedger
useledger.coSide by side
| Figure | GnuCash | Ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $4.17/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Spec score · Personal Finance Software | 9.1 (#5) | 8.1 (#81) |
| Bill tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Budgeting tools | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software for tracking bank accounts, stocks, income, and expenses. | Ledger is a pay-cycle planning app that brings income, expenses and remaining funds together. |
| Report export | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The project points users to public mailing lists, IRC, a wiki, documentation, and bug reports for help. | Users can contact [email protected] for support and privacy requests, and may send screenshots or exports for help. |
Plans
Ledger
- FreeFree
- Ledger ProA$5.99 a month
- Ledger Pro$49.99 a year
- Ledger Pro$89.99, paid once
In their own words
GnuCash
GnuCash is free personal and small-business accounting software for tracking bank accounts, stocks, income, and expenses. Its double-entry accounting requires every transaction’s debits and credits to balance. Small-business tools cover customers, vendors, jobs, invoicing, bill payment, tax and billing terms, and budgeting. Users can create customizable balance sheets, profit and loss, and portfolio valuation reports, as well as charts. GnuCash imports QIF and OFX files with transaction matching; German users can use HBCI to download statements and initiate transfers and direct debits. Data is stored in XML by default. Support for SQLite3, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases is experimental, and some reported corner cases can cause data loss. The GNU GPL-licensed software has installation options for Linux and installers for macOS and Windows. The main application is unavailable for iOS and iPadOS, while the separate Android app appears abandoned according to the project FAQ. The project is maintained, documented, and translated by volunteers.