These days, we're all watching our funds closely, and if you want a little help from the world of open source, GnuCash is out in a brand new version 2.2.8. This is one of the long-standing FOSS finance management applications, as useful for individuals as it is for small businesses who want to use it for accounting tasks and the like. Like QuickBooks and other proprietary products, it includes a checkbook-style register, follows generally accepted accounting principles, and produces particularly detailed reports. Here's what you'll find under the hood.

Want an open-source alternative to Quicken?  Look no further than GNUCash, a double-entry accounting program that offers a huge number of features, compatibility supporting a wide variety of accounts, currencies, and languages.  With a set of built-in functions that should satisfy most simple needs, and an extension language that allows you to write custom programs and reports, GNUCash is an application that deserves to be mentioned more in discussions of open-source productivity software.

For more than 10 years, I've covered financial management software applications for business use, on the proprietary side and in the open source arena. The availability of robust open source financial applications for businesses is now at a point where many firms are saving a lot of money by turning to free solutions. In particular, open source ERP (enterprise resource planning) applications, which feature strong financial modules, have taken a bite out of the software cost structure for many firms. In this post, I'll round up eight open source finance solutions that can save your business money.