shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Frappe Books?

Free, open-source desktop accounting for small businesses - frappebooks.com

Worth it. Buy if you're a freelancer or small business wanting free, offline double-entry accounting with no subscription. Skip it if you need cloud access, bank-feed automation, or vendor support.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; no third-party review ratings or vendor security disclosures found.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo security page or findings in evidence

Pricing

Free

Desktop app

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Freelancers and solo businesses
  • Small businesses wanting free desktop accounting
  • Open-source and offline-first users
  • Simple invoicing plus double-entry bookkeeping

Not for

  • Teams needing cloud or multi-user access
  • Anyone wanting Stripe or bank-feed auto-import
  • Businesses needing official support or SLAs
  • Buyers wanting a vendor security page

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Desktop-only: top GitHub request is online hosting with anywhere access; not available yet

medium

App is free, but third-party resellers charge up to ₹6,000/month for setup and hosting

medium

No security page published; you rely on open-source code review, not vendor assurances

low

Syncing with ERPNext is a community case-study topic, not a built-in feature

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Completely free, open-source desktop accounting software
  • Double-entry accounting, invoicing, and payments included
  • Standard reports: P&L, trial balance, balance sheet
  • Runs offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • No paid tiers; the entire desktop application is free

Cons

  • Desktop only; no official hosted or online version
  • No official support channel; resellers charge separately
  • No published security page on the product site
  • Users still request cloud sync and Stripe import

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x2review x5security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Completely free; no paid tiers exist
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Called simple, well-designed, user-friendly in reviews
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Solid core accounting; no bank automation or payroll
  • Support quality: 2/5. No official support; third-party resellers charge extra
  • Security posture. No security page or findings in evidence
  • Free Starting price Entire desktop app, no paid tiers
  • Yes Free tier Open source, all features included
  • 2020 Founded Mumbai, India; 51-100 employees
  • Win, Mac, Linux Platforms Desktop only; no official web app

Pricing

Desktop app

Free

  • Double-entry accounting, invoicing, payments
  • P&L, trial balance, balance sheet reports
  • All currencies; open source

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Users praise it as a genuinely free, simple desktop accounting tool for solo businesses, while the loudest complaint is the lack of an online version.

“I suggest Frappe Books Desktop Version is completely free”
Reddit, r/Bookkeeping
“I want to host frappebooks as a website and use it online and access it from anywhere in the world.”
GitHub issue #896
“But with Frappe Books, you can skip complicated spreadsheets and tedious manual calculations.”
YouTube review
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; no third-party review ratings or vendor security disclosures found.

Free open-source desktop accounting. Great for solo businesses; wrong if you need cloud, bank feeds, or support.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; no third-party review ratings or vendor security disclosures found.

Sources

  1. Desktop Accounting Software | Frappe Booksfrappe.io
    official
  2. frappe/books: Free Accounting Softwaregithub.com
    official
  3. Frappe Books Review 2026: Features, Pricing, and Alternativesgappsy.com
    review
  4. Frappe Books Reviews - SourceForgesourceforge.net
    review
  5. Frappe Books Insights - Linux Foundationinsights.linuxfoundation.org
    news
  6. The price of bookkeeping software is nutsreddit.com
    review
  7. What's better Akaunting, Frappe Books, or GnuCash?reddit.com
    review
  8. FRAPPEBOOKS ONLINE VERSION - GitHub Issue #896github.com
    review
  9. Frappe Books Accounting Software listingindiamart.com
    news
  10. Security pagefrappebooks.com
    security

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