I have mostly enjoyed using GnuCash for desktop and GnuCash Android for years, but the Android version hasn’t been updated in a while and I noticed that it isn’t even available in the Google Play store anymore (or F-Droid, for that matter). There’s a different GnuCash Android app available, but it’s a different developer and it looks kind of bad. I’m concerned that if I get a new mobile device and/or upgrade the version of Android I’m running, I may lose access to the app, which would be a huge bummer. To avoid that, I would like to find a good GnuCash alternative ahead of time. Is anyone aware of a self-hosted solution for double entry accounting that will import GnuCash files and can handle non-currency assets as well as GnuCash for desktop does?
So far, it seems like Fava and Beancounter might do the trick, but I’m not sure.
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I’m personally a fan of plaintext accounting tools like ledger and moved to that from GNUCash several years ago after fighting with the DB getting corrupted repeatedly. There are a few tools for importing from GNUCash as well as many tools for interacting with the ledger on mobile devices, so perhaps worth looking into.
Cone https://github.com/bradyt/cone with syncthing on Android was a good workflow for me. Cone is pretty outdated now… does it matter?
The other options I know of are:
- Actual
- Firefly
- BudgetBee
Been using Firefly III for a few years, great tool, good and frequent updates and the developer, while strict, is open for feature requests.
I used to be a heavy GnuCash user, but when we got serious about getting a mobile app, I ended up trying YNAB.
It isn’t self hosted or open source, but we’ve more than made back the subscription price with money saved using their system.
It has a learning curve for sure, but the mobile app and transaction import has been worth it.
Personal accounting is a tough one. I recently switched accounting software. There aren’t really any great FOSS options that I’ve found and automatic bank transaction syncing is a major obstacle there. Not to mention, any good accounting software is complex and detail oriented. I ended up switching to Quicken; which is probably not a phrase said often. Quicken Desktop is legacy and their online/mobile offering is lackluster at best. But the desktop suite, “Quicken Classic”, effectively has no competitors and has a feature set far more advanced than any other personal accounting suite.
I’ll admit my situation is probably unique. I manage our personal finances and two businesses and I am incredibly picky. The next logical step would be QuickBooks but I don’t have a payroll and don’t really want to spend that kind of money. I made the switch – somewhat begrudgingly – and after doing lots and lots of research. Overall I don’t regret going with Quicken. I definitely have some complaints and concerns, not the least of which is that it’s closed source and extracting my data would be difficult. If I had the time, I probably would have used Excel w/ Tiller. That gives you the flexibility to do just about anything. But, spending my evenings creating VBA scripts and pivot tables is not my idea of a good time. I really wish there were a better and more comprehensive solution because I would be all over it.
again not foss so won’t dwell at length — but i use fund manager from beiley software. commercial, but works double-entry and handles more investment complexity than a human could ever need. windows app, i run it under wine on linux and crossover on mac. (i don’t own a windows box — that’s how irreplaceable it was for me.)
Keep an eye on Denaro… I think there is a plan to make an Android app soon
Tiller is what I use.
