There's a slight learning curve but I've been very happy with GnuCash. It supports multiple accounts and containers, has decent reporting, invoicing, categorizing, etc. I also really like that it's offline.
Yes to GnuCash, but for none of the reasons OP wants.
GnuCash is, let’s be honest, crap. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, it’s totally free, but it’s crap.
However, it forces you to learn how to do proper double-entry bookkeeping. You’ll get it wrong a bunch of times before you get it right. You’ll Google stuff and be frustrated that you can’t find an answer. You’ll just learn, somehow. But then...
...one day something clicks. And that day, you realise why this system has been the way that accountants do things for literally half a millennium [0]. It’s extraordinary. It’s impossible to lose track of money. The benefits are far too many to explain here, but just trust me when I say that when you ‘get it’, it’s like a transcendental moment.
So how do I plan my future? I put in speculative transactions. I forward-plot my income based on work done, invoice payment dates, and known tax office obligations. I play with the future, what-if this, what-if that. This is all really manual, in this software that will undoubtedly frustrate you, but the control you have is unmatched by any smart online Web 2.0 software. It’s like being in the Matrix of your money.
Looks like you might posses valuable knowledge that some are Googling in vain, just as you said. And you have quite pleasant writing style. I would strongly encourage you to document at least some of the endeavours you had with GnuCash, in your free time, for future generations.
Not that I'm using GnuCash or even consider it, heck, I'm not even freelancing. However, people like you, sharing knowledge, are what keeps the Internet alive ;).
Just been switching to beancount from ynab. Apart from minor annoyances it's so much more powerful. If you're up for some programming and customization it's hard to beat (your choice between beancount/ledger/hledger matters less).
Are you trying to import YNAB's budgeting philosphy into Beancount? If so, how? I've considered the same transition but was unsure how to handle having budgetary categories dissociated from physical accounts.
Actually, not really. I found out I never used the budgeting functionality other than to keep track of my previous spending.
I haven't found an existing tool to budget in beancount so you'd have to write it yourself. Other people have successfully used Ledger's virtual postings (which doesn't exist in beancount) for budgeting though[0]. It might be a way forward for you?
I'm fine with speculative transactions, I actually did a draft webapp to do that. I used Gnucash for years too. what I really miss is a more visual way to understand the flow of money and make predictions. Like, seeing a chart where those predictions make a dent in things.
I have all my transactions in GnuCash (i keep thinking it'll be useful one day), but i've never bothered to learn to bend the reports to my will. Do you have to write code? Are there good examples anywhere? Because i find the default reports... Terribly clunky.
I'm a freelancer and I use GnuCash. It isn't flashy, but it is a solid, reliable implementation of Double Entry book-keeping.
Learning to use GnuCash also gives you a good basic knowledge of accountancy principles which are useful skills to have both professionally and in general.
https://www.gnucash.org/