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Beancount

Double-entry bookkeeping in plain text with a query language

Budgeting & Finance ★ 6.1k stars Hard setup GPL-2.0

Beancount is a double-entry plain-text accounting system that parses ledger files written in its own syntax. It includes a SQL-like query language and integrates with the Fava web interface.

Official siteSource code

Key features

  • Plain-text ledgers
  • SQL-like query language
  • Strict validation
  • Fava web companion

Strengths

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Mature project with 6.1k GitHub stars
  • Written in Python
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM

Is Beancount secure?

OSV.dev has no published security advisories for Beancount's repository. No known vulnerabilities is not proof of security: it means none have been publicly catalogued.

Source: OSV.dev, checked 2026-10-14. How this is measured.

Beancount replaces

Self-hosted QuickBooks alternativesSelf-hosted Xero alternatives

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SelfHostIndex: 86 · excellent

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