Beancount vs hledger-web
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Beancount | hledger-web |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Haskell |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,028 | ★ 4,730 |
| First released | 2008 | 2010 |
| Replaces | QuickBooks, Xero | QuickBooks, Quicken |
What are Beancount and hledger-web?
Beancount
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.
- Plain-text ledgers
- SQL-like query language
- Strict validation
- Fava web companion
hledger-web
hledger-web is the web interface for hledger, a robust plain-text, double-entry accounting tool. It allows browsing, adding, and reporting on transactions stored in plain-text journal files.
- Plain-text journal files
- Add and edit transactions in browser
- Balance and register reports
- Fast Haskell core
Beancount vs hledger-web: key differences
Beancount is written in Python, while hledger-web is built with Haskell. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Beancount versus GPL-3.0 for hledger-web. Beancount is the more established project (first released 2008), while hledger-web arrived in 2010.
Why pick each one
Choose Beancount if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose hledger-web if…
- No database needed
- Data is plain text and portable
Watch out for
- CLI knowledge helps
- Minimal UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Beancount or hledger-web better?
Neither is universally better. Beancount has the larger community, while hledger-web is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Beancount and hledger-web free and open-source?
Yes. Beancount is licensed under GPL-2.0 and hledger-web under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Beancount and hledger-web with Docker?
Beancount: check the project docs for container support. hledger-web: check the project docs for container support.