Linux Personal Finance Software Solutions

Making the most of your money and budgeting it properly plays a key role in financial success, and the right personal finance software can help you get there. Unlike Windows or Mac, Linux is one of the most reliable and efficient computer operating systems available. It keeps your personal financial information secure by protecting it against viruses, malware, and loss of data. Linux is an efficient, problem-free platform for both your desktop and server that supports different types of personal financial management software for users. The software has various features and accessories that can perform basic as well as advanced functions.

Moneydance

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Moneydance for Linux offers several impressive features, including multiple currency support, currency rate updates, an organized home page, and backup to Dropbox. Easy-to-install extensions are available to enhance many of these features. 

Like most good personal finance software, Moneydance has online banking capabilities. It features graphs, reports, and a nice summary page to give you a visual feel for where your finances stand. You can use it to set up payment schedules for recurring or one-time transactions. You can also get a Moneydance app for your iPhone if you want to keep your budget with you at all times. 

You Need a Budget

This popular app has a lot of fans, and it runs on Linux systems courtesy of Adobe AIR, a platform that allows for You Need a Budget's slick look with easy-to-read graphic qualities.

YNAB is great for anyone who's really into keeping tabs on their budget, and it's the budgeting software to check out for anyone who wants to get started with budgeting. It offers some great options for support, and for learning about budgeting and living within your means.

A word of caution, however: YNAB was initially designed for Mac and Windows, and then Linux users alerted the company that it also was working fine on their operating systems. Some bugs were subsequently reported. They've been fixed, and yes, the software will work for you, but YNAB won't guarantee its performance.  

GnuCash

GnuCash for Linux sports a rather plain-looking interface, but it still has a good feature set, including online stock quotes ​and multiple currency support.

It's suitable for both personal use and small business needs with double-entry accounting. It operates on basic accounting principles that are easy to understand and that also ensure your books and financial calculations are kept and done right. Mac and Windows ports are available, too, if you're not a purist, and GnuCash offers a pretty nice mobile app as well, although it won't sync with your software. 

KMyMoney

Users claim that KMyMoney is as easy to use as Quicken—in fact, that's one of its claims to fame. But for all of its user-friendly features, it's also a pretty comprehensive program.

KMyMoney supports investment accounts and can retrieve online stock quotes. Personal finance reports can be configured in a number of ways, and KMyMoney widgets can be installed to add further functionality, such as a pop-up calculator and date selection calendar.

The interface looks clean, and it's easy to navigate and less dated than some of the other personal finance options for Linux. There's even a nifty account setup wizard. KMyMoney's online user manual is an excellent resource that takes you step-by-step through all of its features. They're not as numerous as those offered by GNUCash—it doesn't have a classification function, for example—but if you don't need all of those features, why pay for them? 

Buddi

Buddi is designed for ease of use even if you have absolutely no financial background and are wading into the concept of budgeting for the first time. It has very simple features for tracking accounts and for generating a few personal finance reports, and it includes translations for many languages. Plug-ins are available to extend Buddi's features for reporting, data synchronization, and importing or exporting data. Buddi will even tap you on the shoulder to let you know how your budget is coming along. 

The interface is clean, but perhaps a little too clean. There are no icon buttons for frequently used features. All commands are done from the File, Edit, or another menu. But the online documentation is understandable, so this is definitely worth a try if you want personal finance software with bare-bones features. It's released as Open Source Software, designed specifically for use with Linux. 

wxBanker

wxBanker is somewhat bare bones, but some users just want to keep track of their most basic finances and this software has that functionality. For example, if you spent $240 at the grocery, the software will help you keep track of what you bought and the cost of each item.

The interface is incredibly clean as a result, and wxBanker does sync with Mint.com, which is a nice touch. It does not handle your small business needs and will not sync with your bank records. However, it will record all of your transactions and includes a built-in calculator. 

HomeBank

HomeBank is compatible with Linux, Mac OS, and Windows. Setup can be a little tricky, but the extra effort may pay off, as HomeBank is loaded with reporting and charting options. They're available through either the Reports menu or the main toolbar. It has translation capabilities for 56 languages and will flag duplicate transactions. You can even filter your transactions by selecting your own criteria. 

It may not be suitable for businesses, as it doesn't support items such as double-entry accounting procedures. However, if you are an individual who just wants to keep a firm grip on your money, then HomeBank might be the right software for you.

Skrooge

Skrooge's most distinctive feature is the way it can import so many formats used by various banks. It's KDE-based and will also run on Mac, although it may not run with Windows if you're thinking about using it across multiple computers. Otherwise, your data can move pretty effortlessly across multiple devices. 

Skrooge also lends itself to more professional uses, so it can handle many small business needs. The undo/redo feature allows you to change your mind if something isn't working properly. Skrooge works with multiple currencies and its reporting features even include videos. 

Online Personal Finance Software

You can always try online personal finance software if you're not completely satisfied with your Linux personal finance software experience. Web-based financial software is being actively developed by many competitors, and most of them offer free personal finance software. Most online personal finance software will run in Firefox for Linux.

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