Beancount vs Wealthfolio
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted budgeting & finance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Beancount
Double-entry bookkeeping in plain text with a query language
VS
Wealthfolio
Privacy-focused desktop investment portfolio tracker
| Feature | Beancount | Wealthfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Budgeting & Finance | Budgeting & Finance |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,881 | ★ 8,528 |
| First released | 2008 | 2024 |
| Replaces | QuickBooks, Xero | Personal Capital, Sharesight |
Why pick each one
Choose Beancount if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Wealthfolio if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 8.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is Beancount or Wealthfolio better?
Wealthfolio is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Beancount if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Beancount and Wealthfolio free and open-source?
Yes. Beancount is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Wealthfolio under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Beancount and Wealthfolio with Docker?
Beancount: check the project docs for container support. Wealthfolio: check the project docs for container support.