Akaunting vs Hospitable Ledger
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Akaunting
Free open-source accounting software online
VS
Hospitable Ledger
Plain-text accounting toolkit and CLI
| Feature | Akaunting | Hospitable Ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,133 | ★ 6,043 |
| First released | 2017 | 2003 |
| Replaces | QuickBooks, Xero | QuickBooks, Quicken |
What are Akaunting and Hospitable Ledger?
Akaunting
Akaunting is a free, open-source accounting software for small businesses and freelancers. It handles invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting with a modular app store.
- Double-entry accounting
- Invoicing and billing
- App store for extensions
- Multi-company support
Hospitable Ledger
Ledger is the original command-line, double-entry plain-text accounting tool. It reads human-readable journal files and generates balance sheets, registers, and reports with powerful query options.
- Command-line accounting
- Plain-text journal files
- Powerful reporting queries
- No database required
Akaunting vs Hospitable Ledger: key differences
Akaunting is written in PHP, while Hospitable Ledger is built with C++. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Akaunting versus BSD-3-Clause for Hospitable Ledger. Hospitable Ledger is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Akaunting. Hospitable Ledger is the more established project (first released 2003), while Akaunting arrived in 2017. Akaunting lists first-class Docker deployment; Hospitable Ledger does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Akaunting if…
- Full accounting feature set
- Extensible via apps
Watch out for
- Many features are paid apps
- Reporting could be deeper
Choose Hospitable Ledger if…
- Extremely portable data
- Scriptable and version-controllable
Watch out for
- CLI only
- Steep learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Akaunting or Hospitable Ledger better?
Akaunting is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Hospitable Ledger if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Akaunting and Hospitable Ledger free and open-source?
Yes. Akaunting is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Hospitable Ledger under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Akaunting and Hospitable Ledger with Docker?
Akaunting: yes. Hospitable Ledger: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Akaunting or Hospitable Ledger?
Hospitable Ledger has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Akaunting. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.