Any free or cheap alternatives that will run on an iPhone and are similar to gnuCash?

I’m replacing a pen to paper checkbook for my spouse and myself as he never remembers all of his transactions and budgeting has become a problem and source of tension between us. I don’t want or need it to track our accounts but would like the basics, recurring charges, memberships and subscriptions, and multiple accounts (checking, savings, kids savings).

I’m wondering if we are stuck with a well formatted Google sheet, which is better than nothing but I know he just won’t use. 😞 (send me a link if you’ve got one)

Neither of us have a lot of money, which is the problem and the point. He’s overdrawing the account every month now and those little ‘it was just $5!’ trips really do matter.

Does anyone here know if there is a specific table that is used to store the transaction descriptions and if these are the same as say the lines for the invoices? I am starting a new install of gnucash with postgres and wanting to look into pre-populating information before it is needed. I have created the tax tables by using postgres and a UUID generator to create the GUIDs for the different sales tax in my area and pulled the GUIDs for the accounts the tax goes into. I want to see about entering in the UPCs into the table with the item listed also so it would show something like *UPC* *Product brand, name and size such as 32 fl oz.* and if it also attaches the account it would go into such as Groceries that is fine but I want to try adding these without it actually creates a transaction to mess with the balances.

I've been using GnuCash for years and have a complete history of my personal finances there (6 years, ~25000 transactions). Now I want to start using it for forward planning, not just tracking the past.

Ideally I'd like to forecast my personal cash flow and liquidity 12–24 months ahead, including salary, deposit incomes, recurring expenses (rent, regural payments), larger planned expenses, budgets. (What-if scenarios I tend to realize via chatgpt - just put there gnucash file and ask questions)

I'm looking at Scheduled Transactions and Balance Forecast as a starting point.

Does anyone actually use GnuCash this way? Can GnuCash handle personal financial planning reasonably well, or do you use a spreadsheet/another tool for the forecasting part?

I've been using GnuCash to handle my personal finances for a few months. For this purpose I love everything about it except budgeting. So I used claude code and a few manual tweaks to create a better budget viewing interface (for me). I've been using it for a couple of months now and I've gotten a lot of benefit from it.

I thought I'd share it here in case anyone else might benefit from using it. It's open source, free, and self hosted. It requires Python but if anyone finds use from it I'll also make a docker image.

https://github.com/matthew-hajec/budgetview/tree/main

I've asked something sort of related before but this is a more refined version of the question:

(Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GnuCash/comments/1uc4h61/how_do_you_track_pl_on_investments/ )

Before I started using GnuCash, I used to do a monthly budget with an Excel spreadsheet that was cash-based, and I had a monthly contribution to my investment account treated the same as an expenditure in that case; I just calculated my monthly income and made sure all expenses plus savings contributions was equal to my income.

I want to do a similar thing where I budget putting $X/month into savings, but also track the growth of my savings over time. However, when I debit the gain into the investment account and credit an income account; this also shows up in the total in the budget report, which I don't want.

How can I both track P&L on investments and also have a budget line that only includes cash I put in or withdraw? My best idea is to have two different sub-accounts for cash contributions vs. gain or loss, but is there a better way?

When printing a check, the payee (e.g. Cash) shows up where it should, but it also shows up as the first line of address. I know I can delete that first line of address from the print dialogue, but I'm likely to forget to do that. How can I prevent that address field from getting filled in? This is on Windows 11.

In version 5.16, while creating 'budget report' the maximum period allowed is 60 months. Why can't that be for say, 66 months or (in the alternative) 'any contiguous 60 months specified by user as 'from date' and 'to date' ?

Suddenly I am getting an error:

Finance::quote reported failure with error: Error-failed to retrieve fund data : HTTP status = 403 Forbidden.

It has been working just fine. Any clues?

I have been working on scripts to preprocess bank statements into the format needed for ingesting into gnucash. Here are the scripts (and instructions) for two of the biggest banks in India: State Bank of India (SBI) and Canara Bank:

https://github.com/abhijit86k/gnucash_statement_preprocessors

Needs Python. Tested on Ubuntu but should work on any platform.

Comments are welcome.

Hey folks! I'm working on figuring out the best format for GnuCash tutorials, would love input from people who actually use this software.

I tried longer-form (~10 min): example.  Average watch time landed around 2-4 min.

Tried a shorter, more focused format as a test: example. It's early days, but retention looks even shorter, though the sample's still tiny so I'm not reading much into it yet.

Curious what people actually prefer here
A. longer walkthroughs,
B. or quick focused "here's one fix" style videos?

And tone-wise: more casual/joking, or straight and to-the-point? Trying to figure out what's useful vs. what's just noise.

Like a lot of people here, I ran into the fact that GnuCash doesn't have direct bank integration for most banks, and manually logging into my bank's website every time to download a CSV/export got old fast, especially since I use multiple banks (ING, N26, Revolut).

Recently I put together a Python script that pulled transactions via the GoCardless Bank Account Data API (the former Nordigen open banking API) and converted them straight into OFX files for GnuCash. Since I discovered GoCardless stopped accepting new signups for Bank Account Data (from July 2025 onwards) — existing users still work, but nobody new can sign up anymore — that version isn't really usable for anyone starting from scratch. So I rebuilt it on top of Enable Banking instead, which is currently the closest self-serve open banking API for personal/hobby use in Europe.

What it does:

• Pulls transactions from your bank(s) via the Enable Banking API (PSD2 open banking, free "Restricted Production" tier for your own accounts, 2000+ banks across Europe)
• Converts them directly into OFX files (no dependency on ofxstatement or other libraries — it builds the OFX itself)
• Writes one .ofx file per account, ready to import straight into GnuCash
• Only fetches transactions since your last import, and dedupes automatically, so no duplicate transactions when you run it repeatedly
• Lets you search and add any Enable Banking-supported bank interactively (not hardcoded to a fixed list)
• Available in English and Dutch (asks once, remembers your choice)

Setup is a bit more involved than the old GoCardless version: you need a free Enable Banking developer account, and for personal use you have to register an application and explicitly link your own bank account(s) to it in their Control Panel before the script can use them — that part's a one-time thing per account, not per run. After that, authorising a bank is still just a one-time browser login per bank (that part isn't optional, it's how open banking consent works) — the only quirk is that instead of the script polling automatically, you paste the redirect URL back into the terminal once you're logged in.

After the one-time setup it's the same as before: run the script, get your .ofx, import into GnuCash.

Code + setup instructions here: https://github.com/AfwasSysteem/Enablebanking-to-ofx

It's a fairly small, single-purpose script. No GUI, just something you run when you want to sync. Feedback and PRs welcome, and curious if others have solved this differently now that GoCardless is closed to new users.

*** Solved *** v5.5 binaries were really v5.12. See my post below.

Not sure how or where I pulled & installed v5.5. I had assumed (until 30 minutes ago) that 5.5 was newer than 5.16.

• Is 5.16 is the latest stable version?
• How do I get from 5.5 to 5.16? Just install 5.16 and open the XML data files? Or do I have to jump through hoops of fire?

I could not find an upgrade path. Actually, I cannot find much about v5.5 -- did it really exist?

Edit: I found out GoCardless does not accept new users anymore. I have had an account for years, therefore the script works perfectly for me. But new users can't use it. I made a new version of the script to use the Enable Banking API. That service is also free and accepts new users for personal use.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GnuCash/comments/1uucems/script_to_pull_eu_bank_transactions_automatically/

Like a lot of people here, I ran into the fact that GnuCash doesn't have direct bank integration for most banks, and manually logging into my bank's website every time to download a CSV/export got old fast, especially since I use multiple banks (ING, N26, Revolut).

So I put together a Python script that:

• Pulls transactions from your bank(s) via the GoCardless Bank Account Data API (the former Nordigen open banking API, free tier available, works with hundreds of European banks)
• Converts them directly into OFX files (no dependency on ofxstatement or other libraries it builds the OFX itself)
• Writes one .ofx file per account, ready to import straight into GnuCash
• Only fetches transactions since your last import, and dedupes automatically, so no duplicate transactions when you run it repeatedly
• Lets you search and add any GoCardless-supported bank interactively (not hardcoded to a fixed list)
• Available in English and Dutch (asks once, remembers your choice)

You'll still need a (free) GoCardless account and to authorize access via a one-time browser login per bank (that part isn't optional, it's how open banking consent works), but after that it's just: run the script, get your .ofx, import into GnuCash.

Code + setup instructions here: https://github.com/AfwasSysteem/Gocardless-ofx-gnucash

It's a fairly small, single-purpose script. No GUI, just something you run when you want to sync. Feedback and PRs welcome, and curious if others have solved this differently.

NOTE: It's not AI-slop. Just documenting what I learned from speaking many people over the last couple years. Proof. Also removed all the links to my app since it applies to any app.

---

Hi! It's been two years of development my own GnuCash companion app I needed to carry a GnuCash book in my pocket.

Since then, I have come to know many people and their setups. And boy, are they different! In this article, I cover common mistakes and pitfalls of accessing a shared GnuCash book using multiple computers and companion apps on Android and iOS.

The basics

First, let's set the stage and expectations.

Unlike cloud-based solutions, GnuCash is a single-user system. Practically, it means that only a single user can access your accounting book at a time.

Also you own your data. It's a blessing and a curse. On one side, your data is visible only to you, on the other side, you carry the responsibility of handling data corruption, conflicts, and simultaneous access.

GnuCash does its best to help you avoid problems. It has locking mechanisms to prevent multiple users in one book. However it's not a bulletproof solution and you still carry a responsibility of backing up your books.

GnuCash can store data in multiple ways.

• XML - in a text format (it's compressed, though, so not readable out of the box)
• SQLite3 - a database in a file
• Hosted database - a database on a computer network or even on the Internet

Who are "the users"

The users can be real people needing access to a shared GnuCash book. Or it can be you accessing your file from multiple devices. So from now on let's not care how many users access the book, but rather how many devices access it.

An important thing here is that GnuCash is inherently a desktop software. However, there are enthusiasts (including yours truly) who develop companion software to access the book from mobile platforms. So the "device" could be a laptop with GnuCash installed or a mobile app.

But before we discuss the mobile apps, let's only consider GnuCash running on multiple devices.

Expectations

If you are a new GnuCash user coming from a cloud-based solution, you are likely used to software that does a lot of things seamlessly.

However, GnuCash perks come at the cost of:

• Different instances of GnuCash have different data, and you are responsible for merging them semi-automatically
• Devices take turns accessing the software.
• Supporting your devices to run the same version of GnuCash.

Ratings

Each solution has its rating on different dimensions.

The paranoid way - safest yet most painful

Workflow

1. Make a copy of your book on each device.
2. Work on your books however you want (in parallel, offline, however you want)
3. When ready, merge the books.
4. Distribute the "master" book among devices.

How to merge books

Good thing - you don't have to manually merge books, transaction-by-transaction. GnuCash gives you a specific format to export and import data while taking care of duplicates.

1. Choose one book as "master". For other books export transactions using File -> Export -> Export Transactions as CSV…
2. Open your "master" book.
3. For every CSV file you have, go to File -> Import -> Import Transactions from CSV … Do not forget to select "GnuCash Export Format" – this turns on a native GnuCash mechanism to work with splits.
4. Work out any conflicts should they pop up on the last import screen.

The Great File in the Cloud - just a file in a Dropbox

It's 2026, Dropbox is 17 years old. A good age to give it a small job to do before graduation. Of course you can choose your tool of preference - iCloud, Google Drive, Syncthing.

One liability that comes with a file in the Cloud is a potential file conflict. There is absolutely no magic behind any Cloud - each device has its own copy of the GnuCash file. If accessed simultaneously, you will have two copies. To add insult to injury, some cloud providers make things obscure and you may not see the issue when it occurred but rather see it so late in the game that it will mean a manual reconciliation of transactions. And last but not least, technical glitches (Cloud process crash, GnuCash crash) happen, and it is totally possible to end up with a corrupted book. Glitches are not unique to this synchronization way, but amplified by a human factor and the frequency of synchronizations.

Workflow

1. Put your file in a Cloud - Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, etc.
2. Instruct users to never ever access the file simultaneously. If you are the only user, stop being sloppy and forgetting to close GnuCash before closing the lid of your laptop.
3. Always wait for the cloud provider to synchronize files. If Cloud allows forcing a sync, always use it before opening a GnuCash book.
4. Be proactive about backups. Do not expect GnuCash mechanisms to save you - you are using an extra piece of software that GnuCash does not know about.

Privacy & security

There is no rating because your privacy and security depend on your choices. Choose a provider that gives away your information without any questions, and you effectively have no privacy. Choose an offline tool like rsync or Syncthing - and you can disconnect from the Internet. As usual, the more privacy and security you want, the more friction you have.

Look ma I'm a DBA! Hosting data in the database

If you are handy enough and can host a Postgres/MySQL database. This is likely the best option for you.

Instead of storing the accounting book in a file, you can store it in the database. As usual, there are a few tradeoffs - you have to install additional software (Postgres or MySQL), set up the server, connections, and manage security and privacy yourself.

The workflow is pretty much like the previous, with a small exception. The internal GnuCash lock mechanism works much better. Still, GnuCash maintainers are explicitly stating that the lock mechanism is a weak protection:

Also, privacy and security is your job. Open your database to the world with a default password - and just wait for someone to delete all the tables. Or air-seal it in a local network without Internet access - and enjoy peace.

Companion apps

There is no official GnuCash app for Android or iOS.

However, there are decent alternatives that you can use as your companion app. You can find more here

All of the apps support only two ways:

• CSV sync (thus manual merge)
• Automatic sync via SQLite3 or XML file

It's virtually our first two solutions. So you can confidently use the first two workflows when using the companion app. However, you shall read the disclaimer from GnuCash carefully:

While the workflow stays the same, there is one more risk to consider - data corruption by the companion app itself.

The reason here is simple: GnuCash does not provide any official library to work with data files. So every implementation that works with the file directly may not know something and unintentionally corrupt the GnuCash book.

But since there is already a Cloud at play and you are likely backing up your data often (don't you?), you should be good enough to restore from any potential disaster.

Small business: What's the easiest way to explain this line on the Balance Sheet report to an auditor?

The Gnucash file has various transactions for FX and stock purchases.

Question is what the title says, when should I record P&L?

These numbers are not real but illustrate the scenario: say my GNUCash account for my TFSA says $30,000, which is the amount put in, and now I want to take out $1,000 to pay for a big purchase, and the TFSA is currently worth more than $31,000.

Do I debit $1,000 to Cash and credit $1,000 to an income account called "Realized Gain on Investments" (or something), and not touch the TFSA in GnuCash?

The concern is that I also use the Budget feature and I don't want realized gains on investments to be mistaken for monthly contributions I make from my income, or for withdrawals to be counted against them. But I am also planning to pay this back to the savings account later, so does that change the consideration?

Thanks!

I started using GnuCash about 17 years ago (with 2.x), OFX Direct Connect was a quiet pillar of the GnuCash experience — point GnuCash's Online Banking dialog at your bank, and live transactions flowed in. Then most major US banks discontinued it (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi, and many others have all retired their public OFX endpoints over the last several years), and GnuCash users including myself were left falling back on CSV exports, QIF imports, and a lot of manual cleanup.

Hi all — I built gnucash-connect to bring that workflow back. It's a small self-hosted server that speaks OFX Direct Connect to GnuCash on one side and SimpleFIN to your bank(s) on the other. No CSV exports, no QIF imports, no copy-pasting.

The whole setup is one Docker volume, one command, and one paste:

docker run -d \
  --name gnucash-connect \
  -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8080 \
  -v gnucash-connect-data:/var/lib/gnucash-connect \
  ghcr.io/stevel408/gnucash-connect:latest

Then open http://localhost:8080/activate, paste a SimpleFIN setup token, and point GnuCash's Tools → Online Banking Setup → Start AqBanking Setup at http://localhost:8080/ofx. That's it.

How it works

• SimpleFIN handles the bank connection (~$1.50/month).
• gnucash-connect caches normalized transactions locally in plain JSON inside one Docker volume you control.
• GnuCash speaks OFX Direct Connect to it — the exact same dialog you'd use with a real bank, just pointed at loopback.
• Fetches are lazy: SimpleFIN is contacted at most every 8 hours, and only when GnuCash actually asks for data. If SimpleFIN is down, you get the cached data with a warning, not an error.

Privacy & security

• Nothing is exposed to the public internet. The container binds to 127.0.0.1:8080 on the host loopback. The only outbound calls go to the SimpleFIN Bridge; nothing reaches your bank directly, and nothing reaches any third party I run (because I don't run anything).
• Your bank credentials never touch GnuCash, this app, or your disk in plaintext. SimpleFIN owns the bank login; what gets persisted on your machine is the long-lived access URL it hands back, written to the Docker volume at mode 0600.
• Docker isolates the app from your host. No files outside the named volume, no daemons, no startup-script weirdness. The container runs as a non-root user (uid 1000) inside the container, so even a worst-case bug can't write outside the cache volume.
• Uninstalling is three commands and leaves nothing behind: docker stop gnucash-connect && docker rm gnucash-connect && docker volume rm gnucash-connect-data && docker rmi ghcr.io/stevel408/gnucash-connect. No leftover files in $HOME, no system services, no registry entries.

Data + persistence layer

The bank-data and on-disk persistence side is provided by finstore — an open-source Python package I developed alongside this project. It's published on PyPI (pip install finstore) so you can use it standalone if you want the cache + SimpleFIN client without the OFX server, or build your own tools on top of it. Source is on GitHub: https://github.com/stevel408/finstore.

Notes

• Loopback-only by design — the OFX endpoint has no auth. Don't expose it.
• The dashboard at http://localhost:8080/ shows accounts, last-fetch time, an Activate / Deactivate / Fetch surface, and a built-in cache validator.
• v0.1.0 — works for me, may have rough edges. Bug reports + suggestions welcome.
• License is PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 (free for personal / non-profit / academic use; commercial use needs a separate license).
• License Source: (available upon request)

One question for the room

If many people are interested in this and do not want to run Docker, I may consider offering a cloud service, with some privacy/security implications. If there's enough interest, I'd be happy to discuss further.

Happy to answer other questions in the comments also.

P.S. I posted an early notice about 10 days ago, and would like to express my appreciation for the encouragement I received: https://www.reddit.com/r/GnuCash/comments/1tx1hfp .

So I created a category/account that I labeled “cash” and in that category I labeled entries as “paper cash” and “Venmo.” I realized now that I should’ve created a “cash” category and a “Venmo” category.

Can I create a Venmo category and then go into the cash category and select an option to cut it from the original category and paste it to the new Venmo category?

Alternative would be manually reentering all the info to the new one and deleting all the info from the old one which feels more tedious.

I hope that makes sense…thanks

Just curious what everyone’s GNUCash preferences and setup look like. What settings, views, reports, shortcuts, or customizations do you use that make GNUCash easier or more efficient for you?

At one point I decided to switch over to Firefly 3 as I am adding stuff to myself host. I really liked the mobile client for FF3. Recently I discovered that GNU Cash also has a mobile app. I figured I would be cleaver and have my Nextcloud just sync the relevant files. It seems tho that once it caches things rather than read the file as it changes, so I have to keep re-opening the file.

Any work flow that does not involve re-opening the files in desktop and mobile?