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QuickBooks Desktop vs LedgerSMB: catalog facts
QuickBooks DesktopLedgerSMB
Paid

Paid commercial software; Intuit sells several editions.

Free

Free and open source.

macOS Web, Self-hosted
  • Accounting, payroll and inventory in one program
  • Industry-specific editions
  • Proper double-entry, multi-currency accounting
  • Sends invoices and quotes by email with PDF attachments
  • Paid commercial software
  • Intuit steers many customers towards its cloud product instead
  • Needs Perl, PostgreSQL and a web server to run in production
  • Interface is functional rather than modern
Downloadable app Self-hosted
Closed source Open source
License not stated 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

Checked October 2, 2026

Checked October 2, 2026

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