GnuCash vs Sage 50
GnuCash
gnucash.orgSage 50
sage.comSide by side
| Figure | GnuCash | Sage 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 11 |
| Spec score · Bookkeeper Software | 8.9 (#3) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Spec score · Core Financial Management | 8.9 (#4) | 8.7 (#11) |
| Spec score · Bookkeeping Software | 9.0 (#12) | 9.3 (#3) |
| Spec score · Accounting & Finance Software | 8.8 (#7) | 8.7 (#8) |
| Spec score · Salon Accounting Software | 8.8 (#12) | 8.7 (#14) |
| Founded | 1997 | 1981 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 2.7 out of 5 from 13 ratings | 1.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.5 out of 5 from 53 reviews | 4.0 out of 5 from 628 reviews |
| Rating on G2 | 4.2 out of 5 from 23 reviews | 3.9 out of 5 from 163 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.7 out of 5 from 1 review | 4.0 out of 5 from 20,199 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | No overall rating; 1 review | 7.6 out of 10 from 188 reviews and ratings |
| System requirements | The 5.17 build requirements include GTK+ 3.22.30, Guile 2.0.9, Boost 1.67, WebKitGTK 2.4, GoogleTest 1.8.0, CMake 3.14.5 and SWIG 3.0.12. | The 2026 US edition requires a 2.0 GHz processor, 8 GB RAM, Windows 10 21H1 or later or Windows 11 23H2 or later, 1 GB disk space and .NET Framework 4.8. |
| What it does | GnuCash is free accounting software for personal and small-business finances, including bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. | Sage 50 is accounting software for small and midsized businesses covering invoicing, bills, expenses, payments, payroll-related work and financial reporting. |
Plans
Sage 50
- Pro AccountingPrice not published
- Pro AccountingPriced on request
- Premium AccountingPriced on request
- Premium AccountingPrice not published
- Quantum AccountingPriced on request
- Quantum AccountingPrice not published
- Pro Accounting$132.17 a month
- Premium Accounting$182.50 a month
- Quantum Accounting$271.17 a month
- Pro Accounting with Payroll$1,155 a year
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.