What you get with Ledger, free and Pro, what we ask of you, and what we can and cannot promise.
Last updated 8 September 2026
Changed 8 September 2026. Pro now checks its licence about once a week, instead of being able to run for months without one. If a check cannot be made for a week, the Pro tools pause until the next successful one. Nothing is deleted, and the free version is unaffected. See section 3. If you bought Pro before this change and would rather not accept it, write to us and we will refund you in full, whenever you bought it.
The short version. Ledger is free to use, for as long as you like. Pro is a single payment for extra tools, covers the computers you actually use, and can be refunded within 7 days if it is not for you. Your data is yours and stays on your machine. We do not give financial advice, and the numbers are only as good as what you enter.
Ledger is a Windows application published by WhyItCosts, India. You can reach us at ledger@whyitcosts.com. Our privacy page says exactly what the app sends and what we keep.
Payments for Ledger Pro are taken by Dodo Payments, which acts as the merchant of record. That means Dodo is the seller on your receipt, handles the payment and any tax due on it, and your card statement will read DODOPAY rather than Ledger. Support, licence keys and refunds still come from us, at the address above.
Ledger is licensed to you, not sold. The free version may be used for as long as you like, for personal or business records, at no cost and with no key. It includes accounts, transactions, recurring items, the monthly overview, CSV import and export, and encrypted backup and restore. Those last two are never withheld at any tier or in any licence state, because leaving must always be possible.
A Pro licence is a one-time payment. It unlocks loans and EMIs, investments and deposits, borrowing and lending, the monthly To Pay list, and more than one book. One Pro key may be active on up to three computers at a time. If you replace a computer, deactivate it from Settings, or write to us and we will free the seat.
Some keys are issued for a fixed period, for example for a beta. Their clock starts the first time the key is activated, not the day it was issued, and the app tells you when they run out.
A Pro copy checks its licence with our server when it has internet. That check is quick and carries no financial data. Pro keeps working for a week without one. If a week passes with no successful check, the Pro tools pause until the next one: nothing is deleted, everything you entered stays visible and exportable, and accounts, transactions, the monthly overview, CSV export and backup keep working as normal. Pro comes back on its own the next time the app can check in. A key that has been refunded or withdrawn stops working the same way, usually within hours.
A key found active on many more computers than it covers may be withdrawn. If that happens in error, write to us and it will be restored.
We claim no rights over anything you record in Ledger. Your records live in an encrypted database on your own computer and are never sent to us. That also means we cannot recover them for you. Ledger includes a backup tool; using it is your responsibility, and we recommend keeping a backup somewhere other than the same disk. On a portable copy the database is protected by a passphrase you choose, and there is no way to recover a forgotten passphrase.
Ledger is a record-keeping tool. Balances, schedules, projections and totals are worked out from the figures you enter and the rules you set. They are not financial, tax, investment or legal advice, and they are not a substitute for a statement from your bank or lender. Check any figure you are about to act on.
If Ledger Pro is not what you wanted, write to ledger@whyitcosts.com within 7 days of buying and we will refund you in full. You do not have to give a reason. Write from the address the key was issued to, or include the key. Refunds go back to the method you paid with and normally show within five to ten working days. A refunded key stops working; Ledger continues on the free version and everything you entered stays on your computer. If the computer is online that usually happens within a few hours; offline, the next time it connects, and within a week either way.
Ledger is free to download and use, so you can try it before you spend anything. There are no subscriptions, so there is nothing to cancel and nothing that renews. Full details are on the refunds page.
The installed version checks for updates and installs signed updates when you agree. The portable version tells you when a new version exists and you download it yourself. We may change, add or remove features between versions, and we may stop supporting very old versions.
Ledger is provided as it is. We have tested it, but we cannot promise it is free of faults or that it will suit a particular purpose. Keep backups of anything you care about.
To the extent the law allows, our total liability for any claim relating to Ledger is limited to the amount you paid for it in the twelve months before the claim. We are not liable for lost records, lost income, lost time, or for any decision made on the basis of figures shown in the app.
We may update these terms as the product changes. The version on this page is the one that applies. If we make a significant change we will note it here with a new date.
These terms are governed by the laws of India, and the courts of India have jurisdiction.
Questions about any of this: ledger@whyitcosts.com.