Recommendations for bookkeeping software?

My dream is for it to be free, open-source, not cloud based... probably other stuff, but I've never used any bookkeeping programs, so don't even really know what makes one good. If I can use it for payroll too, that would be helpful.

So? Any recommendations? Any tips on what makes a good program?

Jan, what is your goal for using bookkeeping software?

I tried several programs over the years and found them to be repetition and time-consuming.

The system I set up years ago involves a check register and a book to make monthly entries.

At a glance, I have many years of where the money was spent.

An office supply will have an accounting book for these entries.

free, open-source, not cloud based.

Maybe the office supply store sells programs that are not internet reliant.

It's for a business, Anne. Mostly just to keep my expenses categorized and organized for taxes, but, like I said, I'll be doing payroll as well. The business is a sole proprietorship amd I won't have any long-term  debt or accounts receivable, so don't really need anything more complex than just expense and income tracking, apart from the payroll.

I think for me a physical book would be more time consuming, but I haven't tried it, so I guess I don't actually know.

Having been an accounting person in my past life, I really only have used the accounts receivable/payable type books.

I used quick books or an excel accounting programs for my personal banking which just didn't work out.

I asked Mr. Google:

investopedia said, " Which accounting is best for small business?
The 5 Best Accounting Software for Small Business of 2022

   Best Overall: QuickBooks Online.
   Best for Micro-Business Owners: Xero.
   Best for Service-Based Businesses: FreshBooks.
   Best for Part-Time Freelancers: QuickBooks Self-Employed.
   Best Free Software: Wave.

open office, by apache, they have a free quickbooks, not the latest and greatest, but very usable

Over the years I've found most accounting programs too complex for a really small business.  Actually I worked for one business in which the accounts weren't set up correctly and I spent several hours with an accountant trying to correct everything a few years afterwards.  

For our business I use excel and create custom linked spreadsheets. For instance the total sales for today are also plugged into the monthly and yearly totals with only one entry.  Payroll is handled by inserting formulas into the correct cells so that most taxes are computed by the amount of gross pay. I still have to enter a few manually but it's still a time-saver.  It does take quite a bit of time to create and link the sheets but I have a master copy that I just start with at the beginning of the year.

use excel

That's what I was starting to think.  I've downloaded a few programs and played around with them and nine of them are quite what I want or have too much of what I don't want.

Haven't looked at the Open Office one, yet.

You may look at Gnucash. Free, as far as I know and availabl for Windows and Linux flavors. I don't think it is difficult to use. Problem with free programs is the lack of documentation or/and support. We seem to repeat old sayings like "You get what you pay for", but I find that it is not always true. Big name software packages, yes, but lesser known...you are rolling the dice. Check reviews from well-known sites remembering to look for available support options. Even if they don't have good support on-site. there may be great user communities that offer fairly quick response. Good luck!

I tend to use Open Office by Apache.

John F Dean wrote:I tend to use Open Office by Apache.

True, I have used Open Office on both Windows and Linux platforms. I currently use Libre Office for office applications. Both Open Office and Libre Office can open and convert Microsoft Office files to native formats. But as far as I know, only Libre Office can save files in the DOCX and XLSX formats.

Hi!

If you're in Canada or the USA, Wave is a free bookkeeping application and seems to work well for small businesses but it is cloud based. I'm a bookkeeper using QuickBooks Online in Canada. I find many small businesses are on Wave and later move to QBO when their businesses grow.
Looks like they have a payroll module too, but I'm not sure if it's also free... could be worth a look!
Hope this helps!

Nat

Doh! How could I forget about Gnucash? I'll put it on my list to play with.

Wave is mostly free, which is nice. It's all web based, which I'd like to avoid. I have limited internet only through my phone plan at home.

More votes for open office.

Thanks for all the suggestions!