LedgerHelp, requirements, and how the licence works.
Everything you might want to know before you buy, and the first places to look afterwards.
Getting help
LedgerCaddy is made and supported by a small team, which means the person who answers your email is the person who built the app.
- Email support@ledgercaddy.com. Tell us what you were doing and what you expected to happen. A screenshot helps. We reply within two business days, usually sooner.
- In the app, Help & Guides in the sidebar has a chapter for every screen, and the question-mark button on each workspace explains that screen.
- The Sample Book (Help & Guides, then Try it in the Sample Book) lets you experiment freely without touching your own records.
System requirements
LedgerCaddy is a native Mac app, not a web page in a window. It runs without an internet connection. The only time it connects is briefly when you enter a licence key, and once in a while afterwards to confirm the key is still valid. If you are offline at the time, the app keeps working.
Your books are small. A year of bookkeeping for a typical small business is a file of a few megabytes, plus any receipts you attach.
The free trial
The trial starts the first time you open LedgerCaddy on a Mac and lasts 14 days. It includes every feature: real books, real reports, import, attachments, backups, the Period Pack. There is nothing to sign up for and no card to enter.
When the trial ends, your books are not locked away. You can still open them, browse every workspace, search, back up, and export to CSV. Adding transactions and running reports asks for a licence key. Buy a licence, enter the key, and you carry on exactly where you left off; nothing is lost and nothing needs re-entering.
The Sample Book stays fully usable after the trial, so you can keep exploring.
Your licence
- One purchase, up to two Macs. A licence is for one person and can be active on two Macs you own, for example a desktop and a laptop.
- Moving to a new Mac. Open Settings on the old Mac and choose Deactivate this Mac, then enter your key on the new one. If the old Mac is gone, email us and we will free the slot.
- Updates. Your purchase includes every release for 12 months. After that, an optional $20 USD per year renewal keeps new releases coming. If you skip it, the version you have keeps working, forever.
- Lost your key? Email us from the address you bought with and we will resend it.
- Refunds. Full refund within 30 days of purchase. See the refund policy.
Your data and backups
Each book is one file on your Mac, in a standard SQLite format. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. That also means backing up is your responsibility, and LedgerCaddy makes it easy: automatic backups run on their own, Back Up Now is one click, and Backup & Restore in the sidebar restores any backup. Keep at least one copy somewhere other than the Mac itself, such as an external drive or a folder that syncs to a service you already use.
To hand your books to someone else, an accountant or the next treasurer, give them the book file and a copy of the app. They can open it with their own licence or during a trial.
Questions
Is it really not a subscription?
Really. $50 USD buys LedgerCaddy outright with 12 months of updates. After that, $20 USD a year is optional. Skip it and the version you have keeps working forever.
Can I bring in my existing records?
Yes. Import a CSV export from your spreadsheet or bank, or a backup from Easy Books, and LedgerCaddy walks you through matching accounts and categories.
Can my accountant open my books?
Yes, with a copy of the app and either their own licence or the free trial. Most accountants will only need the Period Pack PDF and a CSV export, which every report produces.
Can I keep separate books for separate things?
Yes. A book is one file, so a landlord can keep one per property, a treasurer one per club, a consultant one for the practice and one for personal records. Manage Books in the sidebar switches between them.
Does it handle sales tax?
Each book has a tax label and a default rate, for example HST at 13 percent. Entering a total works out the tax and the pre-tax amount for you, and the Tax Summary report totals it for any period.
What if LedgerCaddy stops being developed?
Your copy keeps working, your books are a standard SQLite file you can open with free tools, and every report exports to CSV. You are never dependent on us to reach your own records.
Is there a Windows or iPhone version?
No. LedgerCaddy is a Mac app and we intend to keep it that way, so that it stays simple and fast.
Which Macs does it run on?
Apple silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 11 Big Sur or later.