What it does
hledger is free, open-source accounting software that reads plain-text transaction journals. It produces financial reports through command-line, terminal and web interfaces. You can enter transactions in an editor, use guided entry or import existing data, with local files under your control.
In hledger, an opening balance, income and a purchase are entries in a readable text journal. Reports calculate the balances from those entries. The format is useful if you want to inspect your accounting data directly, keep it in version control or use it with scripts.
Start with an official binary for Windows, Mac or Linux, then run hledger setup to check the installation. Keep the first journal small while settling account names. The hledger add command guides you through a transaction, proposes values from similar entries and asks before saving it. hledger check --strict flags issues such as an undeclared currency symbol, helping expose inconsistent journal data.
The CLI, terminal and web interfaces give different views of the same approach. Importing bank data is possible, but rules and any fetching scripts need configuration for your files; it is not a pre-connected banking service. hledger is available under the GPL-3.0 license and its local accounting workflow does not require a hosted account. It suits people comfortable managing structured text who want control over their records.
Strengths
- Accounting journals remain readable local text files
- Guided entry and strict checks help maintain consistent records
- Official binaries cover Windows, Mac and Linux
Watch out for
- Bank imports require rules suited to the bank’s exported format
- Working with journals takes familiarity with accounts and structured text
Best for
- People who want their accounting records in editable text files
Sources
- Home - hledger (Oct 27, 2026)
- hledgerorg/hledger (Oct 27, 2026)
- Install - hledger (Oct 27, 2026)