Why We Chose Beancount
When building Firela, we evaluated dozens of accounting formats. We chose Beancount. Here’s why.The Problem with Traditional Finance Apps
Most personal finance tools store your data in proprietary databases:- Opaque - You can’t see how your data is structured
- Locked - Export formats are limited or non-existent
- Fragile - One company decision can orphan years of data
Enter Plain Text Accounting
Plain text accounting stores your financial records in simple text files:- Human-readable - Anyone can understand it
- Version-controllable - Track every change with Git
- Portable - Works with any text editor
- Future-proof - Text files will always be readable
Why Beancount Specifically
We evaluated Ledger, hledger, and Beancount. All three are mature, all three enforce balanced entries, and all three support balance assertions — the honest comparison is a matter of fit, not winners:
We picked Beancount for its explicitness (a feature when your ledger must be auditable for life) and its Python ecosystem. If you prefer terse syntax or come from the Ledger lineage, those are excellent tools too — see hledger’s own fair comparison.
Where Firela Is Going with Beancount
The mobile app is in active development, not yet on app stores. What we’re building on top of your plain-text ledger:- Visual editing - a simple UI for transaction entry
- Automated imports - statements parsed on your device into entries you approve
- Reporting - views over a ledger that already balances
.beancount files remain pure text, fully under your control.
You can always edit your Beancount files directly in any text editor. Firela is a layer on top, not a lock-in.