A Better Alternative to Akaunting
All the accounting features you need, with no hidden costs or rigid limitations
Tired of Akaunting's Hidden Costs?
Pay Extra for Basics
Need a Chart of Accounts? That's $9/month extra. Want bank feeds? Another $17/month. Basic accounting shouldn't cost extra.
Rigid Structure
Credit card showing as an asset instead of a liability? No way to fix it without database access. Seriously.
Complex Setup
Bank feeds require separate Plaid/GoCardless accounts, API keys, and manual configuration. It shouldn't be this hard.
How FinchKeep is Different
Everything Included - No Hidden Costs
Chart of Accounts, Balance Sheet, double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation - all included in the free tier. No surprise app purchases. No nickel-and-diming.
Full Control Over Your Chart of Accounts
Drag-and-drop to move accounts between categories. Edit account types anytime. Fix mistakes yourself without database access. Your COA, your control.
Effortless Bank Integration (NZ-First)
Connect all NZ banks in 2 clicks via Akahu. No API keys, no Plaid account, no GoCardless signup. Plus built-in PayPal and Stripe OAuth integration.
- ❌ Sign up for Plaid/GoCardless
- ❌ Get API keys
- ❌ Manual configuration
- ❌ Limited NZ bank support
- ✅ Click "Connect Bank"
- ✅ Select your bank
- ✅ Done. That's it.
- ✅ All NZ banks supported
Smart Features Akaunting Doesn't Have
FinchKeep isn't just cheaper - it's smarter. Get AI-powered suggestions to clean up your Chart of Accounts, automatic transaction pattern matching, and intelligent reconciliation hints.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | FinchKeep | Akaunting |
|---|---|---|
| Core Accounting | ||
| Chart of Accounts | ✓ Free | $9/mo extra app |
| Double-Entry Accounting | ✓ Free | $9/mo extra app |
| Balance Sheet | ✓ Free | $9/mo extra app |
| Income Statement | ✓ Free | ✓ $12/mo |
| Banking & Automation | ||
| Bank Transaction Import | ✓ Free (Akahu) | $17/mo extra app |
| NZ Bank Support | ✓ All banks | Limited (Plaid) |
| Setup Complexity | 2 clicks | API keys required |
| PayPal/Stripe Integration | ✓ OAuth built-in | Separate apps |
| Chart of Accounts Flexibility | ||
| Edit Account Types | ✓ Anytime | ✗ Rigid |
| Move Accounts Between Categories | ✓ Drag & drop | ✗ Not available |
| Fix Miscategorized Accounts | ✓ Self-service | ✗ Database access |
| Smart Features | ||
| COA Cleanup Suggestions | ✓ Free | ✗ Not available |
| Transaction Pattern Matching | ✓ Free | ✗ Not available |
| Push Notifications | ✓ Free (ntfy) | ✗ Not available |
| Developer Experience | ||
| REST API | ✓ Simple & modern | Complex setup |
| Database Architecture | ✓ UUIDs (secure) | Auto-increment IDs |
| API Documentation | ✓ Interactive docs | Basic docs |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry Price (Real Accounting) | $0-20/mo | $36/mo |
| Hidden App Costs | $0 | $9-17/mo each |
| Per-User Fees | None | Limited per tier |
I tried Akaunting a couple years ago. The credit card account wasn't allocated correctly as a current liability, and there was no way to move it as an end user. That was the deal-breaker for me.
With FinchKeep, this never happens:
- Industry templates ensure credit cards are correctly categorized as Current Liabilities from day one
- Drag-and-drop lets you move any account to the correct category in seconds
- COA Cleanup Suggestions detect structural issues before they become problems
- No database access needed - you're in full control
Ready to Switch from Akaunting?
Start with our free tier and experience real accounting software without hidden costs or limitations.
No credit card required • Cancel anytime • Import your data in minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import my data from Akaunting?
Yes! FinchKeep supports CSV imports in Xero format. Export your transactions from Akaunting and import them into FinchKeep. Our Chart of Accounts import will ensure everything is categorized correctly from the start.
What if I need features Akaunting has in their app marketplace?
FinchKeep focuses on core accounting features done exceptionally well, rather than a sprawling app marketplace. For most NZ small businesses, our built-in features cover everything you need. If you require specialized features like payroll or inventory management, we recommend using dedicated best-in-class tools that integrate with FinchKeep.
Is FinchKeep suitable for accountants managing multiple clients?
Absolutely! FinchKeep supports multi-company management through the organization switcher. Accountants and bookkeepers can be added to multiple client organizations and seamlessly switch between them. Accountant and Bookkeeper access is completely free—only the client organization pays for their subscription. Each organization gets unlimited users with role-based permissions (Owner, Accountant, Bookkeeper, Read-Only). Much simpler (and cheaper) than Akaunting's Ultimate tier at $218/month.
Do you offer self-hosting like Akaunting?
FinchKeep is currently a cloud-only (SaaS) solution. This allows us to provide automatic updates, backups, and security without the complexity of self-hosting. We may consider an on-premise option for enterprises in the future.
Why is FinchKeep so much cheaper than Akaunting with apps?
Akaunting's business model relies on selling apps for features that should be standard (like Chart of Accounts and bank feeds). FinchKeep includes all core accounting features by default. We make money by providing exceptional value at a fair price, not by nickel-and-diming users for basics. Plus, we're NZ-based and understand local business needs.
How does FinchKeep's API compare to Akaunting's?
FinchKeep's API is built on modern Laravel best practices with clean RESTful endpoints and comprehensive interactive documentation. We use UUIDs for all records (more secure than auto-increment IDs), making integrations safer and preventing ID enumeration attacks.
Akaunting's API limitations (from their GitHub repository):
- Uses auto-increment integer IDs (
increments('id')) - exposing business volume and enabling enumeration attacks - Limited documentation - developers must read source code to understand endpoints
- Complex middleware stack requiring data transformation for dates, currency, and files
- HTTP Basic authentication only - no modern OAuth2 or API token options
Our API is designed for developers who want simple, secure access to their accounting data without jumping through hoops.
Why does FinchKeep use UUIDs instead of regular IDs?
UUIDs (Universally Unique Identifiers) provide several advantages over traditional auto-increment IDs:
- Security - No way to guess valid IDs or enumerate all records (prevents /api/invoices/1, /api/invoices/2, etc. attacks)
- Scalability - IDs can be generated anywhere without database coordination
- Merging - No ID conflicts when merging data from multiple sources
- Privacy - Doesn't reveal business volume or record creation order
Akaunting uses traditional auto-increment integer IDs
($table->increments('id')) which expose information about your business volume
and make it trivial for attackers to enumerate all records in your system.