LedgerSMB vs Manager.io (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manager.io grades higher than LedgerSMB: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
LedgerSMB grades higher on features. Manager.io grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LedgerSMB
Open-source double-entry accounting and ERP you install yourself
Manager.io
Free offline accounting for Windows, Mac and Linux, with a paid cloud
Which one is for you
Pick LedgerSMB if
- Fits if you want a double-entry ledger and have IT help to install it
- Works for multi-currency businesses that would rather not pay a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't have someone to install and maintain it
- Watch out: version 1.12 reaches end of life on 14 December 2026
- Not for you if you need paid support from the project, as only outside professionals offer it
- Too light for convenience: no hosted version, no integrations listed
- Watch out: version 1.13 gets community support only until 4 October 2027
Pick Manager.io if
- Fits if you want full books without a subscription and don't mind importing statements
- Works for accountants keeping many client businesses on one Cloud account at $59 a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want bank transactions to flow in by themselves, as statements are imported by hand
- Not for you if you want a phone app: there's none, and Cloud runs in a phone browser
- Pricey if just two of you need the books, as that means Cloud at $59 a month or your own server
- Watch out: the Server Edition has no published price, and Manager.io won't install it for you
- Skip it if you need payroll, as payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing
How we grade them
| 2.2GPALedgerSMBFair | 2.8GPAManager.ioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree to download, but you host it yourself, which needs a server. Paid help comes from outside professionals with no published prices. | AThe desktop edition is free, with every feature and no limit on data, and it's a program anyone can download and run. You only pay for Cloud, $59 a month or $590 a year, when several people need the books, and that covers unlimited users and businesses. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo limits listed and no paid edition. Free community support covers only releases under active support. | AFree with every feature, no time limit, no usage cap and no ads. The only things it won't do are let a second person in or open the books away from that one computer. |
| Features | BGeneral ledger, sales and purchasing, multi-currency, cash management, inventory, fixed assets and budgets. The core job is covered. | CQuotes through to delivery notes, bank rules and reconciliation, inventory, fixed assets with depreciation and payslips. The listing names the gaps: bank transactions come in by importing statements, not live feeds, and payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing. |
| Ease of use | DYou install and maintain it: an installer, Docker images or release archives. | CNo store rating on record. You download it and start, but it's double-entry books where you import bank statements and set up bank rules yourself, so there's a bit to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations or apps listed. | CWindows, Mac and Linux, plus a web version on Cloud or on a server you run. There's no phone app, the browser has to do on a phone, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | self-hosted double-entry accounting and ERP | full double-entry books free on your own computer |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LedgerSMB and Manager.io. How we grade
Price against what you get
LedgerSMB has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Manager.io starts at $59 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and LedgerSMB starts $59 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, none scores higher than LedgerSMB for less, and 70 score higher than Manager.io for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- LedgerSMB is open source, according to its own site.
- LedgerSMB also covers inventory and quotes and estimates.
- Manager.io also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| LedgerSMB | Manager.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $59 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free to download and run yourself; community support is free for the releases still under active support. | Desktop edition for Windows, Mac and Linux: every feature, no time or usage limits and no ads, for a single user with no remote access. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Manager Cloud, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | LedgerSMB | Manager.io |
| Price read from | ledgersmb.org | manager.cloud |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
LedgerSMB
- You install and run it yourself; the project lists a Debian and Fedora installer, Docker images and release archives.
- Free community support only covers releases under active support; version 1.12 reaches end of life on Dec 14, 2026.
- Paid support is available from outside professionals, not published as plans by the project.
- Version 1.13, the current stable release, has community support until Oct 4, 2027.
Manager.io
- The free desktop edition is single-user; several users or remote access need the paid Cloud Edition or a self-run Server Edition.
- The Server Edition page names no price, and Manager.io does not install it for you.
- There is no phone app; the Cloud Edition is used in a phone or tablet browser.
- Bank transactions come in by importing statements, and payslips are records only, with no payroll tax filing described.
Key features
LedgerSMB
- General ledger
- Double-entry accounting with journal entries, transfers between accounts and a picture of financial health.
- Sales and purchasing
- Tracks customers, quotations, sales orders and invoices, plus vendors, purchase orders and bills.
- Multiple currencies
- Transactions, invoices and payments can be entered in different currencies with different conversion rates.
- Cash management
- Handles cash in and out, writes checks, tracks receipts and reconciles against bank statements.
- Inventory and fixed assets
- Tracks goods, services and assemblies, and fixed assets with depreciation and disposal.
- Time tracking and budgets
- Turns billable hours into invoices and tracks budgets by project or department with variance reports.
Manager.io
- Sales and purchases
- Quotes, orders, invoices, credit notes, delivery notes, late payment fees and billable time on the sales side, with matching purchase documents.
- Bank imports and bank rules
- Import bank statements, then let bank rules allocate matching receipts and payments to accounts. Reconcile accounts against statements.
- Inventory and fixed assets
- Inventory items, kits and locations, plus fixed and intangible assets with depreciation and amortization entries.
- Employees and payslips
- Record employees and create payslips with earnings, deductions and employer contributions for each pay period.
- Works offline
- The desktop edition keeps the books on your computer, and a file made on Windows opens on Mac or Linux.
- Cloud and server editions
- Manager Cloud adds simultaneous users with permissions. The Server Edition runs the same web app on your own server.
Plans
LedgerSMB
Self-hosted$0
Free open-source download; install with the project's installer, Docker images or release archive.
Manager.io
Desktop Edition$0
Single-user software installed on your own computer. Every feature, works offline, no time or usage limits.
Cloud Edition$59
per month for unlimited users and businesses, billed monthly
The same software hosted by Manager.io at your own address, with multi-user access, user permissions, automatic backups and updates.
Ways to pay less
LedgerSMB
No public discounts listed.
Manager.io
- Annual discount
Pay ten months for a year of Cloud
Annual billing for Manager Cloud is ten times the monthly price: $590 a year instead of $708.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LedgerSMB or Manager.io?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LedgerSMB is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $59 a month for Manager.io. LedgerSMB is free, and Manager.io starts at $59 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, LedgerSMB or Manager.io?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LedgerSMB and Manager.io have a free plan.
Which platforms do LedgerSMB and Manager.io run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Manager.io lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.