BigCapital vs QuickBooks
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
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.
QuickBooks is the market-leading small-business accounting platform, handling invoicing, expenses, payroll, and tax preparation. Its ecosystem and accountant familiarity make it a default choice in the US.
Plans from about $30/month.
- Free and open-source alternative to QuickBooks/Xero
- Self-hostable for full data ownership
- Intelligent financial reporting
- Multi-currency support
- Industry standard in the US
- Accountants know it well
- Large integration ecosystem
- Comprehensive features
- Requires self-hosting and technical setup
- Smaller ecosystem than commercial incumbents
- Feature set still maturing
- Can feel complex
- Pricier tiers add up
- Occasional UI clutter
What reviewers say
BigCapital Reviews
No reviews yet.
QuickBooks Reviews
4.0 (2)Good, not perfect
We rolled out QuickBooks last quarter. Upside: comprehensive features. Downside: can feel complex.
Solid choice
Been using QuickBooks for a while. Large integration ecosystem. No real complaints. Would recommend.
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataBigCapital offers a free, self‑hosted, open‑source alternative with core accounting features, while QuickBooks provides a paid, cloud‑only, industry‑standard solution with broader ecosystem and payroll capabilities.
Key differences
- •Cost model – BigCapital is free and self‑hosted; QuickBooks requires a subscription.
- •Deployment – BigCapital can be self‑hosted for data ownership; QuickBooks is SaaS only.
- •Ecosystem – QuickBooks has a huge accountant/app marketplace; BigCapital’s integrations are limited.
- •Payroll & tax – QuickBooks includes payroll and tax prep; BigCapital does not.
- •Technical setup – BigCapital needs technical effort to install; QuickBooks is ready‑to‑use.
Pricing & value
BigCapital is free and open source, whereas QuickBooks starts at about $30/month.
Ease of use / learning curve
QuickBooks is a ready‑to‑use SaaS; BigCapital requires self‑hosting and technical setup.
Features & depth
QuickBooks includes payroll, tax preparation, and a larger feature set; BigCapital’s feature set is still maturing.
Integrations & ecosystem
QuickBooks boasts a huge accountant and app ecosystem; BigCapital lists only a few integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite).
Collaboration
QuickBooks offers cloud access on web, iOS, Android for multiple users; BigCapital relies on self‑hosted deployment.
Security & privacy
Self‑hosting gives BigCapital full data ownership and privacy control; QuickBooks stores data in the vendor’s cloud.
Support
QuickBooks provides extensive support channels; BigCapital offers email, live chat, phone but with a smaller community.
Choose BigCapital if…
Tech‑savvy SMBs wanting zero licensing cost and full data control.
Choose QuickBooks if…
Businesses needing payroll, tax tools, and a mature, plug‑and‑play ecosystem.
Common questions
How much will this cost to start?
BigCapital is free; QuickBooks requires a paid subscription starting around $30 per month.
Can I host the software on my own servers?
Yes, BigCapital is self‑hostable; QuickBooks is only available as a cloud SaaS.
Does either product include payroll and tax preparation?
QuickBooks includes payroll and tax preparation; BigCapital does not offer these features.