# Best open source accounting software > The best open source accounting software is Odoo, with 54,848 GitHub stars, the LGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; ERPNext and Dolibarr are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Odoo leads for startups, small business and freelancers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 23 apps in the accounting & invoicing category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source accounting software? | | Picks | 20 | | Top pick | Odoo (54,848 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-accounting-software | ## Top picks 10 of the 23 apps in the accounting & invoicing category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Odoo](https://appsgit.com/apps/odoo) (54,848 stars, LGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Odoo has 54,848 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,679 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. - [ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/apps/erpnext) (39,821 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): ERPNext has 39,821 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,664 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. - [Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/apps/dolibarr) (7,686 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Dolibarr has 7,686 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,073 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS. - [Aureus ERP](https://appsgit.com/apps/aureus-erp) (12,031 stars, MIT, PHP): Aureus ERP has 12,031 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 2,329 commits in the last year; it replaces NetSuite and SAP Business One. - [Lago](https://appsgit.com/apps/lago) (10,657 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Lago has 10,657 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 174 commits in the last year. - [Invoice Ninja](https://appsgit.com/apps/invoice-ninja) (10,223 stars, Elastic-2.0, source-available, PHP, Docker): Invoice Ninja has 10,223 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,002 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero. - [hledger](https://appsgit.com/apps/hledger) (4,746 stars, GPL-3.0, Haskell, Docker): hledger has 4,746 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,992 commits in the last year. - [Bigcapital](https://appsgit.com/apps/bigcapital) (3,921 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Bigcapital has 3,921 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,005 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Xero. - [Kill Bill](https://appsgit.com/apps/kill-bill) (5,783 stars, Apache-2.0, Java, Docker): Kill Bill has 5,783 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 201 commits in the last year. - [TaxHacker](https://appsgit.com/apps/taxhacker) (6,734 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): TaxHacker has 6,734 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 69 commits in the last year. ## Best for startups Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits. - [Odoo](https://appsgit.com/apps/odoo) (54,848 stars, LGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Odoo has 54,848 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,679 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/apps/erpnext) (39,821 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): ERPNext has 39,821 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,664 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/apps/dolibarr) (7,686 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Dolibarr has 7,686 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,073 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Aureus ERP](https://appsgit.com/apps/aureus-erp) (12,031 stars, MIT, PHP): Aureus ERP has 12,031 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 2,329 commits in the last year; it replaces NetSuite and SAP Business One. For startups it also scores on a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Kill Bill](https://appsgit.com/apps/kill-bill) (5,783 stars, Apache-2.0, Java, Docker): Kill Bill has 5,783 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 201 commits in the last year. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (Apache-2.0), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for small business and freelancers 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. - [Odoo](https://appsgit.com/apps/odoo) (54,848 stars, LGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Odoo has 54,848 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 10,679 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. 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. - [ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/apps/erpnext) (39,821 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): ERPNext has 39,821 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,664 commits in the last year; it replaces QuickBooks and Square POS. 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. - [Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/apps/dolibarr) (7,686 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Dolibarr has 7,686 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,073 commits in the last year; it replaces Square POS and Shopify POS. 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. - [Lago](https://appsgit.com/apps/lago) (10,657 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Lago has 10,657 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 174 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. - [hledger](https://appsgit.com/apps/hledger) (4,746 stars, GPL-3.0, Haskell, Docker): hledger has 4,746 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,992 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. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 23 apps in the accounting & invoicing category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### 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. ### Which open source accounting software is best for a startup? Odoo ranks first for startups, with 54,848 GitHub stars, the LGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; ERPNext and Dolibarr follow. The startups ranking adds points for Docker images, permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits on top of stars and activity. ### Which open source accounting software is best for a small business? Odoo ranks first for small business, with 54,848 GitHub stars, the LGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; ERPNext and Dolibarr follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity. ### 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. ### Are all of these accounting software options open source? 9 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy. ## Related questions - [What is the best free, open source invoice generator?](https://appsgit.com/best/invoice-generators) - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source ERP?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-erp) - [What is the best open source CRM?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-crm) - [What is the best open source POS system?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-pos) - [What is the best open source HR software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-hr-software) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source task manager?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-task-management) ## See also - [Best open source invoice generators and invoicing apps](https://appsgit.com/best/invoice-generators) - [All accounting & invoicing apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/accounting-invoicing) - [All finance & budgeting apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/finance-budgeting) - [All ERP & inventory apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/erp-inventory) - [Open-source alternatives to QuickBooks](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/quickbooks) - [Open-source alternatives to Square POS](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/square-pos) - [Open-source alternatives to Shopify POS](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/shopify-pos) - [Open-source alternatives to Lightspeed](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/lightspeed) - [Open-source alternatives to Toast](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/toast) - [Open-source alternatives to Xero](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/xero) - [Odoo vs ERPNext](https://appsgit.com/compare/odoo-vs-erpnext) - [ERPNext vs Dolibarr](https://appsgit.com/compare/erpnext-vs-dolibarr) - [Akaunting vs Invoice Ninja](https://appsgit.com/compare/akaunting-vs-invoice-ninja) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-accounting-software Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. 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