GnuCash

If you want a powerful accounting program but you don’t want to spend any money on it, and if you want to be able to use that accounting program on multiple platforms, then GnuCash is ideally suited to you. This is a user friendly, powerful, free and open source accounting program that works on all major operating systems. First released to the public in 1998, the application has been downloaded by millions of users from all over the world.

GnuCash is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The installation file for Windows is little over 100MB in size. Run this file after you download it onto your machine and you will be presented with a setup wizard that will guide you through the installation process. When you’re done with the installation and you run GnuCash for the first time, you will be presented with a wizard what will help you create a new set of accounts for your assets, liabilities, and different kinds of income and expenses.

GnuCash has a tabbed interface, meaning that all the sections you access will be presented as tabs at the top of the interface. Above the tabs there are shortcuts for various functions the application can perform. And way up at the top, right where you would expect it to be, there’s a File menu. The application’s interface has a fairly simple layout and you should quickly get accustomed with it. After all, the application was designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible.

As mentioned above, GnuCash is an accounting software that has powerful functionality to offer. If you need to be able to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses, it will help you do so in an efficient manner. As it is based on professional accounting principles, the application ensures you’ll have balanced books and accurate reports. To get a better idea of what GnuCash has to offer, here’s are its main features: double-entry accounting, stock/bond/mutual fun accounts, small-business accounting, reports, graphs, transaction matching, scheduled transactions, mortgage and loan repayment assistant, support for multiple currencies, check printing, and more.

Released under a GNU General Public License, GnuCash is a free and open source application. If you enjoy using the application, consider making a donation to support the project.

It’s no wonder GnuCash has been downloaded millions of times: it’s free, it is easy to use, and it offers powerful accounting functionality.