GNUCash Review

GNUCash is an open source free package that works much like the for-profit Quicken program without the spyware (content guard) bundled in by Intuit. On the most basic level you simply fill in your checkbook register. If you want to learn a small amount, you can also download your bank statements in various formats, including Quicken format, and click File Import to auto-magically insert them into your checkbook register. I use GNUCash on my desktop, over my LAN to a server, and over Internet via my SSH connection. Those who delve deeper will find this is actually a double entry (professional) accounting system with any number of ledgers you desire to create. You can split transactions just as you would in a paper based accounting system to show all the elements for the cash flow on every transaction, or use any of the (perhaps 50) built in reports to generate a balance sheet, income statement, and other common accounting reports. In this sense it leaves Quicken in the dust and is far easier to use than QuickBooks. Also, GNUCash will leave your payroll percentages alone while Intuit has programmed QuickBooks to delete all your payroll percentages every time you use it after February each year unless you buy the free IRS Circular E from Intuit each year. The Intuit rep explained to me that I had no choice and was forced to buy this free data from them "because business owners are too stupid to enter the (6) percentages themselves". Yes, she actually said that. GNUCash is not a "pretty" program but it is extremely functional and free. The downside is some non-intuitive behaviour when splitting an already entered transaction (which you will eventually figure out), and the rather obtuse way in which you enter budgeting data - the budgeting report however is very straightforward and allows you to change dates and which accounts are included very easily. It also provides a paper trail after every session as a separate (timestamped) file for review or recovery purposes. If you want more privacy and less cost in your company (or personal) accounting software this is a great choice. If you want for-pay customer support instead of using a FAQ or video tutorials to get answers, don't care if a glitch could lock you out of your own data when ContentGuard decides you're suddenly "not authorized", think business owners are stupid, and prefer to buy every feature for hundreds of dollars each, then by all means buy one of Intuit's packages.

Pros

Simple, resembles check register and most people can use it effectively immediately. It is free and malware free. More interested users can scale up their use to include complicated accounting steps (year end closing, splits across accounts, etc) as much as they wish.

Cons

Some features, such as initiating a split, or finding the budgeting functionality, can be non-intuitive.

It's a free, professional, accounting software, kind of usable for personal finance

Pros

I use it to keep my personal finance. It's also a professional tool so it has many features that I will probably never use, but they don't get much in the way. Double entry is a powerful tool when you get the grasps of it, making it possible to bind together transactions between more than two accounts. It can also track stock prices and it's possible to update them with some setup. Charts and reports are available and very flexible.
It's free and open source, so you can trust it with your numbers.
There are mobile apps that help you not bringing around dozens of receipts to remember where you've spent your money.

Cons

If you're not a professional accountant, you'll need some time to get used to "double entry", and I still get confused sometimes. The setup of stock prices update is definitely not easy (esp. on Linux). Charts and reports require quite some work to get the most out of them, the presets are not that insightful.
The Android app I use (GnuCash for Android) is nice but the export/import procedure is annoying: in some cases, you even have to tell GnuCash which date format you're using, and you probably have no idea without checking in the XML file!

Solid accounting software... for free!

Like the fact that it's free and that it gets the job done - ideal for small businesses or contractors who want something simple and free. Doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but it's a great way to track business expenses and income.

Pros

Love that it's free and that it works all the time, with no fuss and no muss. It might take a bit to get up to speed on how to use it, but individuals familiar with other accounting programs shouldn't have any trouble. It even has a mobile piece (Android) where I can track trip expenses.

Cons

There is a steep learning curve at the beginning - particularly for those who may not be familiar with double-entry accounting. The mobile piece needs to have a better way of integrating with the main data file. There is also no way to have multiple users accessing the main data file.

I have been using GnuCash for personal accounting and for two small businesses for over three years.

No cost for product or use of product. Saves time. Very productive. Ease of use.

Pros

The ease of use, the double entry accounting, and the different functions, reports, and tools are excellent. The tools for different currency accounts are excellent for our international business.

Cons

There is a learning curve. Small things, such as learning how to print a register, can be a bit tedious in learning and doing the first time. While there is a user's manual and searching for assistance online is available, finding the answer to a question or learning how to do something often takes much trial and error and just simple experimenting with clicks key punches.

Free software for creating invoices and tracking payments

I implemented GnuCash when my department did not have a digital invoicing system in place for internal invoicing. We invoice between departments, and we were doing it on a spreadsheet, which was not optimal as sometimes mistakes were made. I implemented GnuCash myself, and I was able to do this as it was free of cost to download and use. We now have an internal billing system that tracks accounts payable and accounts receivable, and it is much more accurate and efficient.

Pros

I like that GnuCash is free, open source software, so there is no cost to use it, so I was able to implement it without putting forward a budget, and this was able to let me implement it quickly.

Cons

It isn't as polished as paid-for software, but it is also more flexible, so I think the negatives and positives on this issue balance out.

Works great, wish it had multi-user

I have been using it for years for my personal needs. I would recommend it to more customers / clients if it could be used on multiple systems. As it stands though, I have recommended it to numerous people that just have one person in accounting / sales / etc.

Pros

It is free, just a click to download and install on Windows. A quick install from the application manager in Linux/Debian/Ubuntu.

Cons

It does not support multi-users. Meaning if you have the file open on one system, you can not open that company on another. So if you want two people to be able to invoice at the same time, they can't.

I have been using GnuCash for 5 years

I will continue to use for my personal and business needs.

Pros

Very nice functional multi ledger, double-entry accounting with QIX/F files and bank statement imports. You can create balance sheet and income statement financial reports which you can customize and print.
Love the price ;) and not being tied to yearly licenses and support up-selling.

Cons

Setting it up takes some work specially when you use it to for business, but GnuCash has a thriving community with lots of information in the web and your bookkeeper should not have trouble finding answers. You can also find resources that could help you further customize the application to suit your business.

Powerful personal accounting software that's free!

Pros

The account setup is customizable and fairly easy to modify / update on the fly. The ability to automatically grab stock quotes (though recently has become a little more difficult) is very helpful. I use the reports often to understand how my investments are going as well as tracking expenses and adjusting my spending accordingly.

Cons

The mobile app does not easily import transactions into the database. A cloud based database would be more useful as I need to be at my computer (or one linked to my cloud drive) to access the database. While I understand the need for it, the double entry book keeping system takes a little getting used to.

I guess you're just what I needed

Pros

After exploring several other feature-rich software options to help me with the basic accounting I needed to perform in my role as Title 1 Coordinator at a school, I found Gnu Cash. The interface and basic functionality was exactly what I needed. It was simple to set up and not overly complex. The result of this was that I was able to easily navigate GnuCash with ease and confidence. I stuck with this software after the others I used had failed.

Cons

At the time I relied heavily on this software, it wasn't accessible from anywhere except my desktop computer that I primarily worked at. It didn't have any type of cloud sync.

Great open source accounting software

Pros

I can setup the accounting structure however I like. It uses double entry bookkeeping to keep track of income and expenses. Does a good job tracking investments and can calculate capital gains based on lots bought/sold for better accuracy. Lots of reporting features.

Cons

Getting used to the double entry system took some time. It used to be able to get online quotes for stocks, but that feature no longer works well. Not their fault since Yahoo broke it, but there isn't a reliable fix yet.

All the financial help you need .

Pros

GnuCash is great for both personal and small business use . It's spreadsheet like design makes it easy to keep track of income and expenses and make the necessary adjustments .It can be customized to your specific needs and is free to use .

Cons

It requires a lot of time to set up initially ,especially if you are using it for a business .Is also hard to integrate on mobile

A Great Alternative to Quickbooks

Pros

In searching for an alternative to Quickbooks for a new startup business, I stumbled upon Gnucash as a cost-effective alternative. If you are comfortable with Quickbooks, Gnucash is a breeze to catch onto, set up, and use on a daily basis. It mirrors the setup very closely and is simple to set up.

Cons

Gnucash is not set up to automatically integrate with very many other software applications, like its main competitor, so it could lead to a lot of manual data entry if this aspect is not thoroughly researched prior to setup.