Are there any good open source accountancy programs a startup could use? Double-entry accountancy is required by law in many countries (including mine), so it is a must.
The platform should be either Windows or Linux, "bonus points" if it runs on both.
It would be used in Austria.
I would recommend it based on what I've used it for, however, I am not an accountant nor do I use it professionally. That said, I've found it rather useful for keeping track of finances.
According to its website, it features:
Also, more information about Double-entry accounting with GnuCash can be found here.
If you are looking for a single-user desktop software, GnuCash recommended by @ConfusedStack is the best option (Full disclosure: I am the author of Gnucash 2.4 Small Business Accounting Beginner's Guide by Packt Publishing). It even has an Android expense-tracking companion app.
However, if you need multi-user software, you can try FrontAccounting. It goes beyond accounting and has some ERP capabilities as well. It has the following modules: Sales, Purchases, Inventory, Manufacturing, Dimensions, Banking and General Ledger. It is suitable for small and medium companies for managing purchases, control stock, send offers, book orders and send invoices. Here is a review article and you can read several user reviews here. You can also try out an online demo here.
