GnuCash

Desktop accounting for individuals and small businesses is the purpose of GnuCash. The project releases it under the GNU General Public License and lists support for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, BSD and Solaris. It tracks bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses, and the project describes it as quick to use as a checkbook register yet built on professional accounting practice, which keeps the books balanced and the reports sound.

Accounts, stocks and the double-entry core

The software follows bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses, and records each transaction in a way that keeps the books balanced. Double-entry bookkeeping is the method behind this. The project describes the design as following professional accounting principles, so that reports drawn from the recorded data are meant to be accurate for the person or business that owns the accounts.

Importing data and matching transactions

GnuCash can import data in the QIF, OFX and HBCI formats, and it includes transaction matching to help line imported entries up with the records already in the book. The result is a single record of accounts that a user can check against the bank data, rather than a separate set of files for each account.

Platforms and older versions

The project publishes downloads for Windows, for macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, and for GNU/Linux. It is also offered as a Flatpak through Flathub, and source code and development builds are available for users who want them. The project is open about older systems. Version 3.11 is the last release for Windows 7 and macOS 10.12 and earlier, and version 2.6.21 is the last for Windows XP and Vista, and so the last version that will run on PowerPC Macs.

A project run by volunteers

The project says GnuCash is developed, maintained, documented and translated entirely by volunteers. Anyone who wants to help is invited to suggest work, and translation takes place on the project's Weblate service. Users who want to ask a question are pointed to public, email-based mailing lists where other users answer questions about the software. Separate channels exist for outage reports and for translation problems.

Free software under the GPL

GnuCash is freely licensed, so people can use it at no charge and can see and change its source code under the terms of the GNU General Public License. The project's copyright notice runs from 2001, and the current release comes with a note on which versions suit which system.