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Beancount
What it is
Beancount is a double-entry bookkeeping language for recording financial transactions in text files and producing reports. Its `bean-check` command checks ledger files, while `bean-query` extracts tables of data. Documentation covers importing files downloaded from financial institutions and tools to automate parts of that process. The `bean-price` tool can retrieve commodity prices, but Beancount does not fetch prices automatically during ledger processing; reports can therefore run offline and remain deterministic. It supports multiple currencies and documents exporting a portfolio to external portfolio-tracking websites. Beancount is open-source software under GNU GPLv2 only, with a plan priced as free; no free trial is offered. The project identifies version 3 as its current stable, maintained branch and version 2 as frozen and obsolete. Version 3 removed some tools, and `bean-report` and `bean-web` are deprecated. Installation guidance covers uv, pipx, pip, and source, including Windows instructions for v3. Contributed editor support includes Emacs, Sublime Text, Vim, and two Visual Studio Code extensions.
For and against
For
- Ledger checks and table queries are available
- Reports can run offline without automatic price retrieval
- Supports multiple currencies
- Installation instructions include Windows support for v3
Against
- No free trial
- Some tools were removed in version 3
- `bean-report` and `bean-web` are deprecated
The verdict
Beancount combines text-based double-entry records with ledger checks, queries, and reporting. Users considering version 3 should note that some tools were removed and two reporting tools are deprecated.
Who it suits
Beancount suits people who want to keep accounting records in text-based ledgers and generate reports, including those managing multiple currencies. It may appeal to users comfortable with command-line tools and importing files from financial institutions.
Plans and prices
Beancount
open-source bookkeeping software
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Audience
- The author says the project began as a tool for doing personal accounting and is intended to be useful to others as open-source software.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Data import
- The documentation describes importing external files downloaded from financial institutions and tools and libraries to automate parts of that process.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Editor integrations
- The installation guide lists contributed support for Emacs, Sublime Text, Vim, and two Visual Studio Code extensions.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- External data
- Beancount documentation covers importing data from files downloaded from financial institutions and tools to automate parts of that process.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The documentation recommends running Beancount with uv and also describes installation with pipx, pip, or from source.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- The author says the project began as a tool for doing his own accounting and was built to be useful to others.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Ledger checks
- The bean-check tool checks a Beancount ledger file.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Ledger validation
- The bean-check command checks Beancount input files.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- License and cost
- The project README says Beancount is distributed under GNU GPLv2 only and describes its open source stance as free.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Portfolio export
- The user manual includes documentation on exporting a portfolio to external portfolio-tracking websites.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Price behavior
- Beancount does not fetch prices automatically when processing a ledger, so reports can be deterministic and run offline.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Prices
- The bean-price tool can fetch price data for commodities held in accounts.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Beancount is a double-entry bookkeeping language for recording financial transactions in text files and generating reports.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Query
- Bean-query lets users extract tables of data from a Beancount ledger file.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Querying
- The documentation describes bean-query as a command-line tool for extracting tables of data from a ledger file.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- The project page identifies the code license as GNU GPLv2 only.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- The documentation says ledger processing uses the file contents and does not automatically retrieve prices from the internet.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- Users can ask questions on the Beancount mailing list or report problems through a GitHub issue.beancount.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
