# Free alternatives to QuickBooks Online

> QuickBooks Online (Simple Start) costs $456 a year. Free alternatives: Akaunting and GnuCash. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/quickbooks/
- Category: Finance (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/finance/)
- Vendor: Intuit
- Plan: Simple Start
- Price: $38/month, $456/year
- Billing: monthly (promo $19/mo first 3 months)
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Simple Start $38 $19/mo 50% off for 3 months"
- Price source: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### Akaunting

- Website: https://akaunting.com
- Repository: https://github.com/akaunting/akaunting (10,175 stars, last push 2026-10-08)
- License: BUSL-1.1 (source-available)
- Open source: no, source-available license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/akaunting/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### GnuCash

- Website: https://www.gnucash.org
- Repository: https://github.com/Gnucash/gnucash (4,372 stars, last push 2026-10-12)
- License: GPL-2.0-or-later / GPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: desktop app
- Linux: Arch extra: gnucash; Flathub: org.gnucash.GnuCash
- Self-hostable: no
- Install: `sudo pacman -S gnucash`, `flatpak install flathub org.gnucash.GnuCash`
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/gnucash/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to QuickBooks Online?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Akaunting (source-available, BUSL-1.1) and GnuCash (open source, GPL-2.0-or-later / GPL-3.0).

### How much does QuickBooks Online cost?

QuickBooks Online's Simple Start plan costs $38 a month, which is $456 a year (monthly (promo $19/mo first 3 months)). Source: the official pricing page at quickbooks.intuit.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which QuickBooks Online alternatives run on Linux?

Akaunting (self-hosted server; web UI) and GnuCash (Arch extra: gnucash; Flathub: org.gnucash.GnuCash).

### Can you self-host a QuickBooks Online alternative?

Yes. Akaunting runs on your own server. GnuCash is a desktop app.

### Are these QuickBooks Online alternatives open source?

Not all of them. Akaunting (BUSL-1.1) is source-available: the code is public, but the license isn't OSI-approved open source. GnuCash (GPL-2.0-or-later / GPL-3.0) is open source.

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/