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10 top picks · 2 audience rankings

Best open source accounting software

The best open source accounting software is Odoo (LGPL-3.0, 55,380 GitHub stars, Docker image). ERPNext stands out for the longest track record (since 2011), and Dolibarr stands out for a published Docker image.

This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Odoo leads for startups, small business and freelancers.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Odoo

    odoo/odoo

    Free open source ERP system.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    ERP & InventoryPythonDocker

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Odoo has 55,380 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,454 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

  2. Rank 2:

    ERPNext

    frappe/erpnext

    ERP system to help you run your business.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    ERP & InventoryPythonDocker

    Stands out for the longest track record (since 2011). ERPNext has 40,687 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,424 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

  3. Rank 3:

    Dolibarr

    Dolibarr/dolibarr

    Modern CRM software package to manage your company or foundation activity (contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stocks, agenda, accounting, ...).

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    ERP & InventoryPHPDocker

    Stands out for a published Docker image. Dolibarr has 7,794 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 9,011 commits in the last year; it replaces Sage Accounting.

At a glance

Open source accounting software compared

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 23 apps in the accounting & invoicing category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

Top 10 picks compared, data as of Oct 28, 2026
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
Odoothe most GitHub starsLGPL-3.055,38017,454Oct 28, 2026Yes
ERPNextthe longest track record (since 2011)GPL-3.040,68710,424Oct 28, 2026Yes
Dolibarra published Docker imageGPL-3.07,7949,011Oct 28, 2026Yes
Aureus ERPa permissive MIT licenseMIT12,1242,589Oct 27, 2026No
Lagoits Go codebaseAGPL-3.010,714199Oct 27, 2026Yes
Invoice Ninja–source-available, Elastic License 2.010,3312,250Oct 27, 2026Yes
hledger–GPL-3.04,7982,368Oct 28, 2026Yes
Bigcapital–AGPL-3.03,9701,135Oct 27, 2026Yes
Kill Bill–Apache-2.05,824220Oct 27, 2026Yes
TaxHacker–MIT6,76468Sep 28, 2026Yes

1 of 3 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 23 apps in the accounting & invoicing category.

  1. 1

    Odoo

    Free open source ERP system.

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Odoo has 55,380 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,454 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

  2. 2

    ERPNext

    ERP system to help you run your business.

    Stands out for the longest track record (since 2011). ERPNext has 40,687 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,424 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

  3. 3

    Dolibarr

    Modern CRM software package to manage your company or foundation activity (contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stocks, agenda, accounting, ...).

    Stands out for a published Docker image. Dolibarr has 7,794 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 9,011 commits in the last year; it replaces Sage Accounting.

  4. 4

    Aureus ERP

    Modular Laravel and FilamentPHP ERP with plugins for accounting, invoicing, inventory, HR, CRM and projects.

    Stands out for a permissive MIT license. Aureus ERP has 12,124 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 2,589 commits in the last year.

  5. 5

    Lago

    Metering and usage-based billing.

    Stands out for its Go codebase. Lago has 10,714 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 199 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    Invoice Ninja

    Powerful tool to invoice clients online.

    Invoice Ninja has 10,331 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,250 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

  7. 7

    hledger

    Plain text double-entry accounting with command-line, terminal and web interfaces, multi-currency support and CSV import.

    hledger has 4,798 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,368 commits in the last year.

  8. 8

    Bigcapital

    Financial accounting and inventory management software for small to medium businesses.

    Bigcapital has 3,970 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,135 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero.

  9. 9

    Kill Bill

    Subscription billing & payments platform. Have access to real-time analytics and financial reports.

    Kill Bill has 5,824 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 220 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    TaxHacker

    Self-hosted AI accounting app that extracts data from receipts and invoices, converts currencies and organizes income and expenses.

    AI-nativeTaxHacker has 6,764 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 68 commits in the last year.

2 of 3 · 5 picks

Which open source accounting software is best for startups?

For startups, Odoo ranks first (LGPL-3.0, 55,380 GitHub stars), followed by ERPNext and Dolibarr. Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Odoo

    Free open source ERP system.

    Odoo has 55,380 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,454 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    ERPNext

    ERP system to help you run your business.

    ERPNext has 40,687 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,424 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Dolibarr

    Modern CRM software package to manage your company or foundation activity (contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stocks, agenda, accounting, ...).

    Dolibarr has 7,794 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 9,011 commits in the last year; it replaces Sage Accounting. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Aureus ERP

    Modular Laravel and FilamentPHP ERP with plugins for accounting, invoicing, inventory, HR, CRM and projects.

    Aureus ERP has 12,124 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 2,589 commits in the last year. For startups it also scores on a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Lago

    Metering and usage-based billing.

    Lago has 10,714 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 199 commits in the last year. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

3 of 3 · 5 picks

Which open source accounting software is best for small business and freelancers?

For small business and freelancers, Odoo ranks first (LGPL-3.0, 55,380 GitHub stars), followed by ERPNext and Dolibarr. Ranked for small business and freelancers (the same order for each) on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Odoo

    Free open source ERP system.

    Odoo has 55,380 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,454 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    ERPNext

    ERP system to help you run your business.

    ERPNext has 40,687 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,424 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Dolibarr

    Modern CRM software package to manage your company or foundation activity (contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stocks, agenda, accounting, ...).

    Dolibarr has 7,794 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 9,011 commits in the last year; it replaces Sage Accounting. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Lago

    Metering and usage-based billing.

    Lago has 10,714 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 199 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    hledger

    Plain text double-entry accounting with command-line, terminal and web interfaces, multi-currency support and CSV import.

    hledger has 4,798 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,368 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is Akaunting open source?

Not in the OSI sense. Akaunting uses the Business Source License 1.1, which allows free production use within limits set by its grant, and each release converts to GPLv3 after a set period.

What is the best free self-hosted invoicing software?

Invoice Ninja is the most complete, with quotes, recurring invoices and payments, but it uses the Elastic License 2.0, which is source-available. For an OSI-licensed option, InvoiceShelf (AGPL-3.0) and InvoicePlane (MIT) cover invoices, estimates and payments.

Can open-source software replace QuickBooks or Xero?

For many small businesses, yes: double-entry books, invoicing and reports are covered. Before you switch, check bank feeds, payroll and local tax filing, which hosted products often bundle and self-hosted tools may need an integration for.

Is Odoo free?

Yes. Odoo is open-source software released under the LGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Can I self-host these accounting software options with Docker?

Yes, 9 of the 10 picks. Odoo, ERPNext and Dolibarr publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 23 apps in the accounting & invoicing category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

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