SlowBooks-Pro-2026
by VonHoltenCodes
Slowbooks Pro is a free, source-available accounting program for Windows, macOS and Linux that keeps all records in local files. It covers double-entry bookkeeping, invoicing, US payroll, inventory and bank imports, and is meant as a replacement for QuickBooks.
- Stars
- 828
- Licence
- Unclear
- Runs on
- Your computer
- Setup
- Easy
- Language
- Python
- Age
- 201 days
What you can do with it
- Create invoices, estimates, bills and purchase orders, and record customer and vendor payments
- Run US payroll and produce W-2, W-3, 940 and 941 forms with tamper-evident PDFs
- Import bank transactions, reconcile accounts and produce profit and loss, balance sheet and sales tax reports
Could replace
- QuickBooks
Our suggestion based on what it does, not a feature-by-feature comparison.
Make money with it
A freelance bookkeeper could use it to offer low-cost bookkeeping and invoicing set-up to small clients who do not want to pay for subscription software.
An idea, not financial advice. Check the licence before charging for anything built on it.
Ways a business could use it
- Replace a QuickBooks or similar accounting subscription with a free local bookkeeping system
- Run invoicing, payroll and inventory for a small office from one shared PC using the built-in Server Edition
Can you use it commercially?
No standard licence detected. Read the licence before using it commercially.
Not legal advice. Read the project's licence file before building a product on it.
Getting it running
Download the signed Windows installer or macOS DMG and run it, or use Docker on a Linux server.
Follow the official instructions in the project README.
Things to check
- Licence is not clearly stated (source-available, not a standard open-source licence)
- Payroll and tax features are US-only
- Single-maintainer project, so check tax forms with an accountant before filing
- Optional AI features need paid third-party API keys and send figures to the chosen provider
Who's talking about it
Checked 29 Oct 2026. Summary drafted by AI from the project's README.
