7 self-hosted options
Open-source alternatives to Zoho Books
The best open-source alternatives to Zoho Books are Bigcapital, ERPNext and Odoo.
About Zoho Books: Zoho's online accounting software for invoicing, expenses, inventory and tax.
Every option below is free to self-host and ranked by GitHub stars, so you can move off Zoho Books without giving up the features you rely on.
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Bigcapital
bigcapitalhq/bigcapital
Financial accounting and inventory management software for small to medium businesses.
Accounting & InvoicingTypeScriptDocker - Rank 2:
ERPNext
frappe/erpnext
ERP system to help you run your business.
ERP & InventoryPythonDocker - Rank 3:
Odoo
odoo/odoo
Free open source ERP system.
ERP & InventoryPythonDocker
Why switch
Why teams move off Zoho Books
Self-hosting is not only about saving money. These are the reasons people make the switch.
Own your data
Your data lives on a server you control, not on Zoho Books's infrastructure. No surprise policy changes and no lock-in.
No per-seat pricing
Open-source alternatives to Zoho Books are free to run for as many users as your server can handle. A small VPS often costs less than a single subscription.
Customize and extend
Read the code, add plugins, connect it to your own tools and automate it through open APIs. When you need a feature, you can build it or fund it.
Full ranking
All 7 Zoho Books alternatives
Ranked by GitHub stars. Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Bigcapital
Financial accounting and inventory management software for small to medium businesses.
Accounting & InvoicingDocker - 2
ERPNext
ERP system to help you run your business.
ERP & InventoryDocker - 3
Odoo
Free open source ERP system.
ERP & InventoryDocker - 4
Invoice Ninja
Powerful tool to invoice clients online.
Accounting & InvoicingDocker - 5
Akaunting
Accounting software designed for small businesses and freelancers.
Accounting & Invoicing - 6
ERPSAAS
Laravel and Filament accounting platform with double-entry accrual accounting, invoicing, bank connections and financial reports.
Accounting & Invoicing - 7
IDURAR
Node.js and React ERP/CRM for invoices, quotes, payments and customer management.
ERP & Inventory
What is the best open-source alternative to Zoho Books?
Bigcapital is the most popular open-source alternative to Zoho Books, with 3,921 GitHub stars. ERPNext and Odoo are also strong choices. Compare features, license and recent activity to find the best fit for your team.
Is there a free alternative to Zoho Books?
Yes. All 7 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can run a Zoho Books replacement without per-user fees. You only pay for the server, and a small VPS is usually enough for personal use or a small team.
Can I self-host an alternative to Zoho Books?
Yes. Bigcapital, ERPNext and Odoo ship a Docker image, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose in a few minutes. Your data then stays on hardware you control.
How do I migrate from Zoho Books?
Start by exporting your data from Zoho Books, then check the import options of the app you pick, since many projects ship importers for popular formats. Run both side by side for a week before you switch so nothing is lost.