diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.hs
index 902db7c44..5dbfb89e5 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.hs
@@ -485,8 +485,8 @@ bareLayoutBalanceReportAsText opts ((items, total)) =
     sizes = fromMaybe 0 . maximumMay . map cellWidth <$>
         transpose ([totalline | not (no_total_ opts)] ++ ls)
     overline = Cell TopLeft . pure . wbFromText . flip T.replicate "-" . fromMaybe 0 $ headMay sizes
-    singleColumnTableOuterBorder       = False
-    singleColumnTableInterColumnBorder = NoLine
+    singleColumnTableOuterBorder       = pretty_ opts
+    singleColumnTableInterColumnBorder = if pretty_ opts then SingleLine else NoLine
 
 {-
 :r
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ multiBalanceReportAsTable opts@ReportOpts{summary_only_, average_, row_total_, b
     maybetranspose | transpose_ opts = \(Table rh ch vals) -> Table ch rh (transpose vals)
                    | otherwise       = id
     multiColumnTableInterRowBorder    = NoLine
-    multiColumnTableInterColumnBorder = NoLine
+    multiColumnTableInterColumnBorder = if pretty_ opts then SingleLine else NoLine
 
 multiBalanceRowAsWbs :: AmountFormat -> ReportOpts -> [DateSpan] -> PeriodicReportRow a MixedAmount -> [[WideBuilder]]
 multiBalanceRowAsWbs bopts ReportOpts{..} colspans (PeriodicReportRow _ as rowtot rowavg) =
@@ -816,7 +816,7 @@ multiBalanceReportTableAsText :: ReportOpts -> Table T.Text T.Text WideBuilder -
 multiBalanceReportTableAsText ReportOpts{..} = renderTableByRowsB tableopts renderCh renderRow
   where
     tableopts = def{tableBorders=multiColumnTableOuterBorder, prettyTable=pretty_}
-    multiColumnTableOuterBorder = False
+    multiColumnTableOuterBorder = pretty_
 
     renderCh :: [Text] -> [Cell]
     renderCh
@@ -868,10 +868,13 @@ budgetReportAsTable ReportOpts{..} (PeriodicReport spans items totrow) =
   maybetransposetable $
   addtotalrow $
     Table
-      (Group NoLine $ map Header accts)
-      (Group NoLine $ map Header colheadings)
+      (Group budgetTableInterRowBorder    $ map Header accts)
+      (Group budgetTableInterColumnBorder $ map Header colheadings)
       rows
   where
+    budgetTableInterRowBorder    = NoLine
+    budgetTableInterColumnBorder = if pretty_ then SingleLine else NoLine
+
     maybetransposetable
       | transpose_ = \(Table rh ch vals) -> Table ch rh (transpose vals)
       | otherwise  = id
diff --git a/hledger/test/balance/pretty.test b/hledger/test/balance/pretty.test
index 7ff2d1083..4c40e859d 100644
--- a/hledger/test/balance/pretty.test
+++ b/hledger/test/balance/pretty.test
@@ -1,29 +1,59 @@
 # * --pretty option and balance command
-# ** 1. Uses Unicode tables when given --pretty=yes
+# ** 1. With --pretty=yes, tables use box drawing characters and more borders.
 $ hledger -f balance-multicol.journal balance --pretty=yes -M
 Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
 
-                 ║ 2012-12  2013-01  2013-02  2013-03 
-═════════════════╬════════════════════════════════════
- assets          ║       0        0        1        0 
- assets:cash     ║       0        0        1        0 
- assets:checking ║      10        0        0        1 
-─────────────────╫────────────────────────────────────
-                 ║      10        0        2        1 
+┌─────────────────╥─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
+│                 ║ 2012-12 │ 2013-01 │ 2013-02 │ 2013-03 │
+╞═════════════════╬═════════╪═════════╪═════════╪═════════╡
+│ assets          ║       0 │       0 │       1 │       0 │
+│ assets:cash     ║       0 │       0 │       1 │       0 │
+│ assets:checking ║      10 │       0 │       0 │       1 │
+├─────────────────╫─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
+│                 ║      10 │       0 │       2 │       1 │
+└─────────────────╨─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘
 
-# ** 2. Uses Unicode tables when given --pretty
+# ** 2. --pretty with no argument does the same.
 $ hledger -f balance-multicol.journal balance --pretty -M
 Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
 
-                 ║ 2012-12  2013-01  2013-02  2013-03 
-═════════════════╬════════════════════════════════════
- assets          ║       0        0        1        0 
- assets:cash     ║       0        0        1        0 
- assets:checking ║      10        0        0        1 
-─────────────────╫────────────────────────────────────
-                 ║      10        0        2        1 
+┌─────────────────╥─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
+│                 ║ 2012-12 │ 2013-01 │ 2013-02 │ 2013-03 │
+╞═════════════════╬═════════╪═════════╪═════════╪═════════╡
+│ assets          ║       0 │       0 │       1 │       0 │
+│ assets:cash     ║       0 │       0 │       1 │       0 │
+│ assets:checking ║      10 │       0 │       0 │       1 │
+├─────────────────╫─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
+│                 ║      10 │       0 │       2 │       1 │
+└─────────────────╨─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘
 
-# ** 3. Uses ASCII tables when given --pretty=no
+# ** 3. The legacy --pretty-tables flag does the same.
+$ hledger -f balance-multicol.journal balance --pretty-tables -M
+Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
+
+┌─────────────────╥─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
+│                 ║ 2012-12 │ 2013-01 │ 2013-02 │ 2013-03 │
+╞═════════════════╬═════════╪═════════╪═════════╪═════════╡
+│ assets          ║       0 │       0 │       1 │       0 │
+│ assets:cash     ║       0 │       0 │       1 │       0 │
+│ assets:checking ║      10 │       0 │       0 │       1 │
+├─────────────────╫─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
+│                 ║      10 │       0 │       2 │       1 │
+└─────────────────╨─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘
+
+# ** 4. With no --pretty option, tables use the original ASCII style.
+$ hledger -f balance-multicol.journal balance -M
+Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
+
+                 || 2012-12  2013-01  2013-02  2013-03 
+=================++====================================
+ assets          ||       0        0        1        0 
+ assets:cash     ||       0        0        1        0 
+ assets:checking ||      10        0        0        1 
+-----------------++------------------------------------
+                 ||      10        0        2        1 
+
+# ** 5. --pretty=no does the same.
 $ hledger -f balance-multicol.journal balance --pretty=no -M
 Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
 
@@ -35,14 +65,3 @@ Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
 -----------------++------------------------------------
                  ||      10        0        2        1 
 
-# ** 4. Still accepts the legacy --pretty-tables for now
-$ hledger -f balance-multicol.journal balance --pretty-tables -M
-Balance changes in 2012-12-01..2013-03-31:
-
-                 ║ 2012-12  2013-01  2013-02  2013-03 
-═════════════════╬════════════════════════════════════
- assets          ║       0        0        1        0 
- assets:cash     ║       0        0        1        0 
- assets:checking ║      10        0        0        1 
-─────────────────╫────────────────────────────────────
-                 ║      10        0        2        1 
diff --git a/hledger/test/balancesheet.test b/hledger/test/balancesheet.test
index 858339212..5c88dc38a 100644
--- a/hledger/test/balancesheet.test
+++ b/hledger/test/balancesheet.test
@@ -219,28 +219,31 @@ Balance Sheet 2017-12-31
 =============++=====================
  Net:        ||         $1       $1 
 
-# ** 9. --pretty=yes uses unicode chars for borders
+# ** 9. With --pretty, tables use box-drawing characters and more borders.
 <
 2016/1/1
   assets  1
   b
-$ hledger -f - balancesheet -M --pretty=yes
+
+$ hledger -f - balancesheet -M --pretty
 Balance Sheet 2016-01-31
 
-             ║ 2016-01-31 
-═════════════╬════════════
- Assets      ║            
-─────────────╫────────────
- assets      ║          1 
-─────────────╫────────────
-             ║          1 
-═════════════╬════════════
- Liabilities ║            
-─────────────╫────────────
-─────────────╫────────────
-             ║          0 
-═════════════╬════════════
- Net:        ║          1 
+┌─────────────╥────────────┐
+│             ║ 2016-01-31 │
+╞═════════════╬════════════╡
+│ Assets      ║            │
+├─────────────╫────────────┤
+│ assets      ║          1 │
+├─────────────╫────────────┤
+│             ║          1 │
+╞═════════════╬════════════╡
+│ Liabilities ║            │
+├─────────────╫────────────┤
+├─────────────╫────────────┤
+│             ║          0 │
+╞═════════════╬════════════╡
+│ Net:        ║          1 │
+└─────────────╨────────────┘
 
 # ** 10. Check that accounts brought to zero by subaccount balances
 # are not erased from balancesheet