Frappe Books
Free, open-source accounting for small businesses, now a self-hosted web app built on the Frappe Framework.
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About Frappe Books
Frappe Books is an open-source accounting app from Frappe, the company behind ERPNext. It started as a desktop app for freelancers and small businesses and has since been rebuilt on the Frappe Framework: you now install it on your own server and your team uses it in a web browser on a computer or phone, while the old desktop app is no longer supported. It covers quotes, sales and purchase invoices, payments, returns, price lists and discounts, inventory basics, taxes and standard financial reports, with a clean, modern interface. The software is free under the AGPL-3.0 licence; there is no paid tier for the app itself, so costs are your own hosting and time. It suits technically comfortable owners who want simple books without ERPNext's breadth. Because of the platform change, check the current install docs, and expect fewer integrations and a smaller community than commercial tools.
Best for: Small businesses that want free, simple, self-hosted books with a modern interface.
Pros and cons
What works
- Free under AGPL-3.0 with no paid tier
- Clean interface for invoicing and basic inventory
- Self-hosted, so your data stays on your server
Why people leave
- The original desktop app is no longer supported
- Needs a server and some technical comfort
- Few integrations and a small community
Top Frappe Books alternatives
See all 5- 1
ERPNext66.5Frappe's full ERP when you outgrow simple books and need stock, HR or manufacturing.
- 2
Akaunting62.6Another self-hostable web accounting app with a hosted option.
- 3
GnuCash59.6Free desktop double-entry accounting that needs no server.
- 4
Invoice Ninja57.2Stronger invoicing and payments, also self-hostable.
- 5
Wave55.3Free hosted bookkeeping if you would rather not run a server.
Why people left Frappe Books
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Frappe Books: common questions
Is Frappe Books free?
Yes. Frappe Books is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.
Is Frappe Books open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at frappe/books. You can also run it on your own server.
What platforms does Frappe Books run on?
Frappe Books is available for Web and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Frappe Books?
The highest-ranked Frappe Books alternatives right now are ERPNext, Akaunting and GnuCash. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.