GnuCash vs KMyMoney
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
GnuCash
Free desktop accounting for individuals and businesses
VS
KMyMoney
Personal finance manager for the KDE desktop
| Feature | GnuCash | KMyMoney |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | CRM & Business Apps |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,317 | ★ 202 |
| First released | 1998 | 2000 |
| Replaces | Quicken, QuickBooks | Quicken, Microsoft Money |
Why pick each one
Choose KMyMoney if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GnuCash or KMyMoney better?
Neither is universally better. GnuCash has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GnuCash and KMyMoney free and open-source?
Yes. GnuCash is licensed under GPL-2.0 and KMyMoney under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GnuCash and KMyMoney with Docker?
GnuCash: check the project docs for container support. KMyMoney: check the project docs for container support.