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Ledger vs Prudent: catalog facts
Ledger	Prudent
Free The open-source application is available without a license fee.	Free Free to download and use; the official site offers a download and identifies no paid tier.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS
Never modifies your journal; reporting is entirely read-only Handles commodities, currencies and arbitrary reporting periods	Edits plain-text Ledger files Reports update as transactions change
Command-line only, with a terse query syntax to learn No import tooling of its own	Currently available for macOS only Uses the Ledger accounting format
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

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