When we started building Bigcapital, the goal was to create a modern, advanced open-source core accounting system with deep, multi-dimensional financial statements and insightful KPIs. We also wanted it to integrate with sales platforms like Shopify and Stripe, and with banking systems, so Bigcapital could become the financial backbone that tracks every business transaction and turns it into clear reports for accountants and business owners.
In my opinion, great core accounting software should have:
- Insightful financial statements, three-dimensional reports, and analysis KPIs that give executives a clear picture of the organization's financial position.
- Integrations with other systems, so sales, POS, payment, and payroll tools can sync transactions into the accounting system automatically.
- An intuitive user interface for everyone, regardless of their technical or accounting background.
- Inventory tracking, including FIFO and average-cost tracking, for e-commerce companies and any business that sells physical goods.
Key features of Bigcapital — a QuickBooks alternative
Some of the features that make Bigcapital a strong alternative to QuickBooks are:
Financial statements
The main benefit of recording every transaction in an accounting system is getting financial statements and reports that can be filtered and customized. The Reports section includes the balance sheet, trial balance, profit and loss, journal, general ledger, inventory summary, inventory valuation, A/R summary, A/P summary, and reports for sales and purchases.
Inventory management
Bigcapital helps you organize inventory, find products across warehouses, track stock levels, and receive reorder alerts. You can also create bundles by grouping multiple products and services.
Multiple branches and warehouses
As businesses grow and open new branches and warehouses, it becomes important to track transactions by location. Bigcapital lets you create branches and warehouses, assign them to transactions, and evaluate each one's performance.
Multiple currencies
Multi-currency accounting simplifies global business. Bigcapital supports transactions in different currencies, applies exchange rates, consolidates balances under customers or vendors, and includes detailed reports for better financial visibility.
Banking sync
Connect your bank accounts and sync transactions directly into the ledger. Whether you work with multiple currencies or consolidate balances under customers and vendors, your financial statements stay up to date.
Cloud and self-hosted accounting
Bigcapital Cloud gives you access to your financial data from anywhere, automatic updates, and easier collaboration. You can also host Bigcapital on your own server for more control over data security and customization, with simple CLI commands for installation and setup.
Getting started with Bigcapital
Bigcapital Cloud is the easiest way to run Bigcapital. Sign up and get the early adopter plan for unlimited users and full feature access.
You can also install and self-host Bigcapital yourself since it is open source. With 2,100+ GitHub stars, you can find the instructions for self-hosting Bigcapital.