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Ledger vs Beancount: catalog facts
Ledger	Beancount
Free The open-source application is available without a license fee.	Free The open-source application is available without a license fee.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Never modifies your journal; reporting is entirely read-only Handles commodities, currencies and arbitrary reporting periods	Balance assertions are verified on every parse, so errors surface immediately The ledger is a plain text file that version control handles perfectly
Command-line only, with a terse query syntax to learn No import tooling of its own	No graphical entry; transactions are typed or imported by scripts Python toolchain and command-line comfort are assumed
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License: GPL-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.