GnuCash vs PocketSmith

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.

PocketSmith is personal finance software for budgeting, monitoring accounts, and forecasting future balances. It connects to financial institutions for automatic imports and categorization, and also supports manual imports. Budget tools include a calendar, flexible periods, and what-if scenarios; reports cover income, expenses, net worth, and cash flow. Users can track accounts, assets, and liabilities across countries with currency conversion. Forecasting can show daily balances as far as 60 years ahead on the Fortune plan. The free plan includes two dashboards, 12 budgets, two accounts, and six months of projection. Foundation starts at $9.99 a month when billed annually. PocketSmith lists Android, iOS, web, desktop apps, and an API. Bank feeds are read-only and cannot move money in connected accounts. The service states that data is encrypted, two-factor authentication is available on every plan, and there are no ads or ad-tracking.