Best free option: Akaunting (Strong). Switching saves about $708 USD a year.
$708 USDa year
$720 CAD
Every pick below has a free version.
4 alternatives
Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.
Best for self-hosted online accounting
Self-hosting is free only within the BSL grant (2 users, 1 company, 1,000 invoices). The license is source-available, not open source. Free version: Self-hosted Standard is free within the BSL grant: 2 users, 1 company, 1,000 invoices. Cloud starts at US$12 a month.
Best for double-entry books kept on your own computer
Desktop app with no cloud sync. Strong accounting core, but no web access for your accountant.
Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.
Best for small businesses that want a full ERP
A full ERP, so setup is heavier than Xero. Self-host it free, or pay for Frappe Cloud hosting. Free version: Self-hosting is free with every feature. Frappe Cloud hosting is paid and starts with a free trial.
Best for teams already using Odoo apps
The free Community edition covers invoicing only. Full accounting reports and bank sync need Odoo Enterprise or third-party add-ons.
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How each alternative covers what people use Xero for. Numbers link to editor notes.
| Feature | Akaunting | GnuCash | ERPNext | Odoo Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | ||||
| Invoices and quotes | YesNote 1Invoices and estimates | PartialNote 2Invoices and bills; no quotes and no online payment links | YesNote 3Sales invoices and quotations | YesNote 4Invoicing app with quotes through Sales |
| Banking | ||||
| Bank feeds and reconciliation | PartialNote 5Manual and imported transactions; automatic feeds need the paid Premium Cloud plan | PartialNote 6Imports OFX, QFX, QIF and CSV files and reconciles by hand; no live feed | PartialNote 7Bank reconciliation tool; live bank sync needs setup | PartialNote 8Manual matching; bank sync and the reconciliation widget are Enterprise |
| Purchases | ||||
| Bill entry and payment | YesNote 9Bills and vendor payments | YesNote 10Vendor bills and payments | YesNote 11Purchase invoices and payments | YesNote 12Vendor bills and payments |
| Reporting | ||||
| Financial reports | PartialNote 13Core accounting reports; more in paid apps | YesNote 14Balance sheet, profit and loss and custom reports | YesNote 15General ledger, balance sheet and profit and loss | NoNote 16Balance sheet and profit and loss are Enterprise features |
| Collaboration | ||||
| Unlimited users | PartialNote 17The free BSL grant covers 2 users and 1 company; more needs a paid plan | NoNote 18One file on one computer; shared use needs an SQL backend | YesNote 19No per-user fees when self-hosted | YesNote 20No per-user fees when self-hosted |
| Ecosystem | ||||
| Third-party app integrations | PartialNote 21App store with free and paid apps | No | PartialNote 22Open API and a smaller app ecosystem | PartialNote 23Large app store; some apps are paid |
| Parity score | 67% | 50% | 83% | 67% |
Not covered by any free alternative yet: Bank feeds and reconciliation, Third-party app integrations. See all feature gaps
Switching saves about $708 USD / $720 CAD a year. Prices checked .
Based on Growing plan (Standard in Canada). Price source.
Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.
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Xero is a product of Xero, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Xero: Web, iOS, Android.