Personal finance

16 Best Free and Open Source Personal Finance Software

We have all read stories about people who have experimented living without spending any money whatsoever. By growing their own food, washing in the river, using a solar panel to provide electricity, and bartering for certain goods and services, these adventures have met with limited success. However, for us mere mortals the simple fact is that we need money. Money to buy food, to purchase clothes, to pay our bills, as well as indulging in our other infinite wants and desires.

While it can be a struggle to make ends meet, it is possible to make life easier through better money management. Financial management is about planning income and expenditure and making informed decisions that enable you to survive financially. With increasing financial turbulence it’s as important as ever to look after your finances, if only to make sure there are no nasty surprises when you receive your next bank statement.

We focus on the best personal finance software for Linux. We only feature open source goodness here. Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart.

Ratings chart

Let’s explore the 16 personal finance applications. For each program we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, a screenshot of the software in action, together with links to relevant resources.

Personal Finance Software
GnuCashPersonal and small-business financial accounting software
Firefly IIISelf-hosted financial manager
HomeBankManage your personal accounts at home
Money Manager ExCross-platform, easy-to-use personal finance software
KMyMoneyPersonal Finance Manager for KDE
SkroogePersonal finance management tool
GrisbiPersonal accounting application
PaisaPersonal finance manager that builds on ledger
Eqonomize!Personal accounting software for the small household economy
ReckonerEncrypted local first personal finance tracker
OpenMoneyBoxDesigned to manage small personal budgets in the easiest way
KresusPersonal management software which runs on a server
jGnashMakes tracking personal finance painless
BuddiPersonal budget software for the rest of us
DenaroSimple program to help you keep track of your personal finances
OpaleVery simple personal bank account manager

This article has been revamped in line with our recent announcement.

Best Free and Open Source SoftwareRead our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software.

The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk.

There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more.
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James
James
2 years ago

I will agree Gnucash is the best Linux has to offer, but it still has a way to go to rival Quicken. I would love to see Quicken ported to Linux.

Neil
Neil
2 years ago
Reply to  James

Can you expand on why you want a Linux port of proprietary software that isn’t free? Intuit has no plans to port Quicken to Linux. Even if that were to change, it wouldn’t be open source.

A few of my colleagues run Quicken using virtualisation in Linux. It works well for them. Naturally they are still using proprietary software with vendor lock-in. And they need a Windows license too. Definitely not a solution for me.

Al
Al
1 year ago
Reply to  Neil

Most people use QuickBooks Online in a browser so the OS doesn’t matter.

Nota Bene
Nota Bene
2 years ago

Personal finance apps is an area where Linux is somewhat lightweight. Instead of developers writing yet more music players, file managers, web browsers etc, efforts would be better focused on a first rate personal finance app.

Marco
Marco
2 years ago
Reply to  Nota Bene

As an influential YouTuber who I’ve followed for years, your thoughts are really important Nota Bene.

Lev
Lev
2 years ago
Reply to  Nota Bene

I’m very interested in what other people feel are areas where open source Linux is lightweight besides personal finance apps!

Ben
Ben
2 years ago
Reply to  Lev

Lev, I think that CAD is one area where Linux is weak. Programs are there but nothing near a professional level.

Peter E. Cunningham
Peter E. Cunningham
2 years ago

Thanks for the recommendations!

Ivan Rainbolt
Ivan Rainbolt
1 year ago

[Edited] It is NOT open source, but it is FREE.