THE QB DESKTOP ALTERNATIVE YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR
LiveBooks: Free, modern desktop accounting powered by GNUCash — the open-source engine trusted since 1998. Native Windows/Mac apps with sleek modern UI for offline-first reliability bookkeepers demand.
QB DESKTOP IS EXPENSIVE, OUTDATED, AND PUSHING YOU TO THE CLOUD
QuickBooks Desktop costs $2,210–$5,364/year, looks like it's from 2005, and Intuit keeps pushing you toward subscriptions. There should be a modern, free alternative.
What's broken
- QB Desktop pricing has 4x'd since 2020 — now $2,210–$5,364/year
- The application itself hasn't been meaningfully updated in over a decade
- Intuit is sunsetting perpetual licenses and forcing cloud subscriptions
- Free alternatives like GnuCash are powerful but look like 1998
QB price timeline
Illustrative timeline from 2020 to 2026.
The core desktop app costs nothing. No trial. No expiration.
A clean, familiar interface — not a 1998 throwback.
Your books live on your machine. No cloud required.
GNUCASH POWER, MODERN INTERFACE, ZERO COST
LiveBooks wraps the battle-tested GnuCash accounting engine in a clean, modern UI. We package them together in one native desktop app. Free, offline and built for modern times.
Get started in minutes
- Download the free Win/Mac desktop app
- Create a company file or import your chart of accounts, customers, and vendors from QuickBooks CSV
- Enter transactions, reconcile accounts by uploading bank CSV/OFX/QFX statements
- Review balances and reports — export for your accountant anytime
Built for Solo Operators
Download v1 anytime below. Optional: leave your email for product updates — no spam.
Download v1 now
No spam. Launch notes and what is shipping next.
Who it is for
- Solo owners who want to stay offline
- Freelancers who need simple invoicing and expenses
- Small shops with 1–5 users, not simultaneous
- Accountant handoff via CSV, XML, or full reports
FREE DESKTOP APP. PAID PRO WHEN YOU WANT MORE.
The core accounting app — including bank reconciliation from downloaded statements — is free forever. LiveBooks Pro is an optional paid tier (about $19/mo) with live bank feeds and priority support. Cloud backup and a cloud activity audit trail are coming soon in Pro.
- Full double-entry accounting with a modern, clean interface
- Import chart of accounts, customers, vendors, employees & products from QuickBooks CSV
- Bank reconciliation from your bank's website (no bank login required in the app)
- Invoices, bills, and payments
- Customers, vendors, and employees
- P&L, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance reports
Optional subscription — same local-first books; Pro unlocks automation and support.
Included with Pro
- Live bank feeds (up to 5 bank account connections via Plaid)
- Priority support
Coming soon in Pro
- Cloud backup for your company file
- Cloud activity audit trail (history for you and support)
Cloud backup and the cloud audit trail ship in a near-term Pro update — we will call them out in release notes.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Is it really free?
Yes. The core desktop app — double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation from downloaded statement files, and QuickBooks list-data import — is completely free. No trial, no expiration, no hidden fees. Invoices, bills, reports, and more are on the roadmap and will also be free. LiveBooks Pro is optional paid software with live bank feeds and priority support; cloud backup and a cloud activity audit trail in Pro are coming soon. Nothing in v1 requires Pro.
Is it Win/Mac only?
Yes. It is native on Windows and Mac. Linux is planned later.
Can I import from QuickBooks?
Yes — your structure and contacts. LiveBooks imports your chart of accounts, customers, vendors, employees, and products/services from QuickBooks Desktop or Online CSV exports, plus opening balances. You start fresh books with your existing setup carried over. Transaction history import is not planned for launch — QBD/QBO transaction exports are notoriously inconsistent, and we'd rather give you a clean start than a broken import.
What's the catch? How do you make money?
The desktop app is free because it's powered by GnuCash, a trusted open-source accounting engine. LiveBooks Pro is a paid add-on (about $19/mo) with a live bank connection (automatic transaction downloads via Plaid — no files to upload) and priority support. Cloud backup and a cloud audit trail in Pro are coming soon. The free app works on its own, including bank reconciliation from manually downloaded statement files.
Is the desktop app open source?
The accounting engine and API layer are powered by GnuCash, an open-source engine used worldwide since 1998, and are available under the GPL license. The user interface is proprietary — that's the modern frontend we've built on top of the engine.
Can multiple people use the same books?
We're exploring multi-user and team access for a future release. At launch, LiveBooks is built for solo owners and their accountants.
Do I have to pay monthly?
No. The core desktop app is yours for free — forever, including bank reconciliation from downloaded CSV/OFX/QFX statements. LiveBooks Pro (about $19/mo) adds a live bank connection and priority support and stays optional. Cloud backup and a cloud activity audit trail in Pro are coming soon. Nothing in v1 requires a subscription.
Do I have to connect my bank to reconcile?
No. The free app supports manual bank reconciliation: download a CSV, OFX, or QFX statement from your bank's website, upload it into LiveBooks, match the lines to your ledger, and finalize. No bank login credentials are ever entered in the app for manual mode. LiveBooks Pro adds automatic transaction downloads via Plaid (no statement files). Cloud backup and a cloud audit trail in Pro are coming soon.