Akaunting vs BigCapital
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Akaunting is a web‑based, open‑source accounting platform that helps small businesses and freelancers manage finances without costly licenses. It offers invoicing, expense tracking, and real‑time financial reporting through an intuitive browser interface. The solution integrates with popular payment gateways and cloud storage services, allowing users to automate billing, reconcile transactions, and store documents securely. With a free core offering and community‑driven support, Akaunting provides a scalable foundation for growing enterprises.
Bigcapital is an open-source financial and accounting platform for small and medium businesses. It handles double-entry bookkeeping, invoicing, expense tracking and financial reporting, positioning itself as a self-hostable alternative to QuickBooks, Xero and Wave. With multi-currency support, automated financial statements and inventory tracking, Bigcapital gives businesses full control over their books without vendor lock-in.
- Completely free core version
- Open‑source with community contributions
- Web‑based, accessible from any browser
- Integrates with major payment gateways
- Free and open-source alternative to QuickBooks/Xero
- Self-hostable for full data ownership
- Intelligent financial reporting
- Multi-currency support
- Advanced modules may require paid add‑ons
- Limited mobile app functionality
- Support primarily community‑driven, no dedicated 24/7 help desk
- Requires self-hosting and technical setup
- Smaller ecosystem than commercial incumbents
- Feature set still maturing
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View all →The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataAkaunting offers a free, web‑based, open‑source solution with broader payment‑gateway integrations and a SaaS option, while BigCapital provides a self‑hosted, developer‑friendly stack with inventory features but requires more technical setup.
Key differences
- •Akaunting includes built‑in PayPal, Stripe, and Google Drive integrations; BigCapital lists QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite integrations which are not payment gateways.
- •BigCapital adds inventory and item tracking; Akaunting does not mention inventory capabilities.
- •Akaunting can be run on your own server or via a SaaS version; BigCapital is described only as self‑hosted/cloud SaaS.
- •Support channels differ: Akaunting offers email and community forum; BigCapital adds live chat and phone support.
- •Technology stack: Akaunting is PHP‑based with 9,975 GitHub stars; BigCapital is TypeScript‑based with 3,794 stars.
Pricing & value
Both are free, but Akaunting’s core is completely free; BigCapital may need extra effort for self‑hosting costs.
Ease of use / learning curve
Akaunting is web‑based, accessible from any browser with a SaaS option, reducing setup complexity.
Features & depth
BigCapital includes inventory/item tracking and a double‑entry engine, which Akaunting does not list.
Integrations & ecosystem
Akaunting integrates directly with major payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe) and Google Drive; BigCapital’s integrations are with other accounting platforms.
Collaboration
Akaunting’s SaaS option enables easy multi‑user access via browser; BigCapital requires self‑hosting setup for collaboration.
Scalability
BigCapital’s self‑hosted architecture and TypeScript codebase can be scaled by technical teams; Akaunting relies on external SaaS for scaling.
Support
BigCapital offers email, live chat, and phone; Akaunting provides only email and community forum.
Choose Akaunting if…
Small freelancers or businesses needing quick web invoicing and payment gateway integration.
Choose BigCapital if…
SMBs that require inventory tracking and have technical resources for self‑hosting.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use either product?
Both are free core versions; Akaunting’s advanced modules may need paid add‑ons, while BigCapital has no listed paid add‑ons.
Which tool supports inventory management?
BigCapital includes inventory and item tracking; Akaunting does not list inventory features.
What support channels are available?
Akaunting offers email and community forum support; BigCapital adds live chat and phone support in addition to email.
