rotki vs ZenLedger: keep your tax data local and auditable
ZenLedger is a hosted crypto tax platform aimed at investors and tax professionals. rotki is the open-source, local-first alternative: your transaction history stays encrypted on your own machine instead of being uploaded to a vendor cloud.
Updated June 2026Key takeaways
- ZenLedger is a hosted platform with workflows aimed at investors and tax professionals.
- rotki keeps your data on your own machine and is fully open source; ZenLedger is a closed-source cloud service.
- Choose ZenLedger for a managed account and pro-facing features; choose rotki for privacy and self-custody.
- rotki has a free local tier and integrates with 180+ exchanges, blockchains, and DeFi protocols.
The verdict
ZenLedger offers a hosted workflow with options aimed at tax professionals, but it stores your data on its servers to do so. rotki keeps your data on your own computer, is fully open source, and covers portfolio tracking, accounting, and tax reporting. If privacy and self-custody matter to you, rotki is the one to choose.
rotki vs ZenLedger: side by side
| rotki | ZenLedger | |
|---|---|---|
| Data storage | Local and encrypted on your own machine | Uploaded to and stored on the vendor cloud |
| Open source | Yes, fully auditable on GitHub | Closed-source |
| Data custody | Self-custodied; you keep your data | You hand your full history to the vendor |
| Breach blast radius | Your device only | Centralized; one vendor breach can affect many users |
| API keys and RPC | Your own read-only keys and endpoints, used locally | Keys and data processed on the vendor servers |
| Deployment | Desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux, or self-hosted via Docker | Hosted web app, with a mobile app where offered |
| Free tier | Free local tier covers core tracking, accounting, and reporting (with limits) | Free to import transactions; a paid plan is needed to view or download tax reports |
| Pricing model | Free, plus an optional subscription (Basic, Advanced, Custom) | Tiered plans, typically priced by transaction volume |
| Tax-professional workflows | Self-serve local reports and exports | Hosted features aimed at working with tax professionals |
| On-chain decoding | Decodes on-chain activity into readable events with full PnL accounting | Cloud import and categorization; coverage varies |
What sets rotki apart
- Your transaction history never leaves your computer; rotki reads exchanges and chains directly with your own keys and endpoints.
- The entire application is open source and auditable, so you can verify exactly how your data is handled.
- Self-custodied data: there is no vendor account holding your full financial history.
- A free local tier covers core portfolio tracking, accounting, and tax reporting.
- On-chain activity is decoded into readable events, so your DeFi and wallet history is accounted for transparently.
Trade-offs
Running locally comes with real trade-offs. Here is what to know, and why we think it is worth it.
- rotki is a desktop app you run yourself rather than a hosted service in a browser. That is what keeps your data on your own machine instead of in a vendor's cloud, and it is worth running an app for.
- Your data lives on the device where you run rotki, so you handle your own backups. Premium adds optional zero-knowledge sync, and either way your history stays encrypted and under your control.
- rotki is self-serve rather than built around a hosted tax-professional workflow, and you can still export reports to share with an accountant. Keeping your data local and auditable is the deliberate trade and the reason to choose it.
Who rotki is for
Choose rotki if
- You want your transaction history to stay on your own computer.
- You value open-source software you can audit and self-host.
- You want transparent on-chain decoding behind your tax numbers.
- You would rather own your data than trade it for cloud convenience.
rotki vs ZenLedger in depth
ZenLedger is a hosted crypto tax platform with features aimed at investors and the tax professionals who serve them. rotki is a local-first, open-source desktop application. Both produce accounting and tax reports; the difference is whether your records live in a managed cloud account or on your own machine.
How ZenLedger works
ZenLedger is a cloud service. You connect exchanges and wallets, your history is imported to its servers, and it builds reports with workflows oriented toward tax filing and working with professionals. The familiar cost is that your full transaction history is stored by the vendor.
How rotki works
rotki runs on your computer and keeps your data in an encrypted local database. It reads exchanges through read-only API keys and chains through RPC endpoints you control, and it is open source so you can verify its behavior. It produces reports and exports you can share with an accountant, all without your data leaving your machine.
Privacy and ownership
This is the deciding factor. A hosted tax platform holds your complete financial history on its servers. rotki keeps that history local and self-custodied, removing the central store that could be breached and the dependence on a vendor's security and retention choices.
The trade-off
rotki does not replicate the hosted, professional-managed account model, and it asks you to run a desktop app and manage your own backups. In return it gives you privacy, self-custody, and open-source transparency, with your data on your own machine; you can still export reports to share with an accountant. For anyone who would rather keep their financial history local than hand it to a platform, that is the trade worth making, and the reason to choose rotki.
Related rotki integrations
rotki integrates with 180+ exchanges, blockchains, and DeFi protocols. A few that are relevant here:
Frequently asked questions
Is ZenLedger open source?
No. ZenLedger is a closed-source, hosted service. rotki is open source and its code can be audited on GitHub.
Does ZenLedger store my data in the cloud?
Yes. ZenLedger imports and stores your transaction data on its servers. rotki keeps your data encrypted on your own machine.
Is rotki a good alternative to ZenLedger?
If privacy, self-custody, and open source matter to you, yes. rotki covers portfolio tracking, accounting, and tax reporting locally, with a free tier and an optional subscription for more.
Does rotki work with tax professionals?
rotki generates accounting and tax reports and standard exports locally that you can share with an accountant. ZenLedger emphasizes hosted features built specifically around tax professionals, which is a different model.
Is rotki free?
rotki has a free local tier that covers core functionality with some limits. A premium subscription unlocks higher limits and additional features.
Try the private, open-source alternative
Download rotki for free. Your keys and data never leave your machine.