hledger-web vs Skrooge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | hledger-web | Skrooge |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Haskell | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,730 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2010 | 2009 |
| Replaces | QuickBooks, Quicken | Quicken |
What are hledger-web and Skrooge?
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
Skrooge
Skrooge is an open-source personal finance manager built on the KDE platform for tracking accounts, transactions, and budgets. It supports importing common file formats, scheduled operations, and detailed reporting.
- Account and transaction tracking
- Budget management
- OFX and QIF import
- Reporting and graphs
hledger-web vs Skrooge: key differences
Hledger-web is written in Haskell, while Skrooge is built with C++. Hledger-web is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Skrooge. Hledger-web has the considerably larger community, at 4,730 GitHub stars versus 200.
Why pick each one
Choose hledger-web if…
- No database needed
- Data is plain text and portable
Watch out for
- CLI knowledge helps
- Minimal UI
Choose Skrooge if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- KDE dependencies
Frequently asked questions
Is hledger-web or Skrooge better?
Neither is universally better. hledger-web has the larger community, while Skrooge is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are hledger-web and Skrooge free and open-source?
Yes. hledger-web is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Skrooge under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run hledger-web and Skrooge with Docker?
hledger-web: check the project docs for container support. Skrooge: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, hledger-web or Skrooge?
hledger-web has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Skrooge. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.