Alternatives to Ledger

The original plain-text double-entry accounting tool for the command line. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Ledger.

  • hledger

    Plain text accounting: double-entry bookkeeping in a text file you own, with command-line, terminal and web interfaces.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    hledger uses a similar plain-text journal but adds terminal, web and editor interfaces, CSV import rules and extensive built-in documentation, under GPL-3.0 instead of BSD.

  • Beancount

    Plain-text double-entry accounting with a strict, checkable ledger format.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    Beancount uses a stricter ledger format with balance assertions checked on every parse, relies on a Python toolchain and is licensed GPL-2.0.

  • GnuCash

    Double-entry accounting for personal and small-business finances.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    GnuCash replaces the text journal and command line with a graphical desktop application offering double-entry accounting, invoicing and scheduled transactions.

  • KMyMoney

    Double-entry personal finance manager from the KDE community.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    KMyMoney provides double-entry accounting in a KDE graphical application with investment and loan handling and online price quotes, instead of a text file.

  • Paisa

    An open-source personal finance manager built on plain-text ledger files and double-entry accounting.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Paisa adds a self-hosted visual dashboard over plain-text ledger files, with investment tracking using market prices and budgeting, credit card and tax views.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Ledger as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Akaunting

    Accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, available online or self-hosted.

    FreemiumProprietaryWebSelf-hosted

    Ledger is a BSD-licensed command-line tool for plain-text double-entry accounting, with no import tooling of its own and no web interface like Akaunting's.

  • Manager.io

    Accounting software for small businesses and personal bookkeeping, with a free desktop edition and a Cloud Edition.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxWeb

    Ledger is a BSD-licensed command-line tool for plain-text double-entry accounting that never modifies your journal, but has no import tooling or graphical interface.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.