Ranking Bookkeepers and accounting firms
The 9 best bookkeepers and accounting firms tools (2026): free trial or free plan
The best bookkeepers and accounting firms tools in October 2026 are BILL, ZipBooks and Akaunting. BILL is the pick for small and midsize businesses and accounting firms automating bill approvals and payments. We read the price of all 9 on their own sites.
9 ranked · each checked against its own site 26–28 October 2026
- Under $2566 of 9
- $25 to $9933 of 9
- $100 to $29900 of 9
- $300 or more00 of 9
- 9
- ranked
- $20
- median first paid plan
- 8
- of the 9 have a free plan
tickmarkbooks.com · First paid plan from each tool's own pricing page, read 26–28 October 2026.
The short answer
BILL ranks first. It has a free plan, and paid plans start at $49 a seat a month.
ZipBooks ranks second with a free plan, then $15 a month, and Akaunting third with a free plan, then $12 a month. Veryfi Expense Management and Melio have free plans too.
Half of the 9 tools with a monthly paid plan charge $20 a month or less.
8 tools here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are BILL, ZipBooks and Akaunting.
Pick by what you need
A free plan before you payBILLFree, then $49 a seat a month
Small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicingZipBooksFree, then $15 a month
Freelancers and small businessesAkauntingFree, then $12 a month
Small teams and accounting practicesVeryfi Expense ManagementFree, then $19.99 a seat a month
Ranked fifthMelioFree, then $25 a month
The lowest monthly price we foundFreeAgentFrom about $13 a month
All 9 picks at a glance
| # | Tool | Best for | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BILL | Small and midsize businesses and accounting firms automating bill approvals and payments | Free, then $49 a seat a monthits pricing page |
| 2 | ZipBooks | Small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place | Free, then $15 a monthits pricing page |
| 3 | Akaunting | Freelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselves | Free, then $12 a monthits pricing page |
| 4 | Veryfi Expense Management | Small teams and accounting practices that chase paper receipts from staff | Free, then $19.99 a seat a monthits pricing page |
| 5 | Melio | US small businesses and accounting firms paying vendor bills by card or bank transfer | Free, then $25 a monthits pricing page |
| 6 |  Inkle | US-incorporated startups and foreign founders needing books and US filings together | Free, then $30 a monthits pricing page |
| 7 |  Expensify | Small finance teams that want receipts, cards and reimbursements feeding one ledger | Free, then $5 a seat a monthits pricing page |
| 8 |  Zoho Books | Small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a monthits pricing page |
| 9 | FreeAgent | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $13 a monthits pricing page |
Checked between 26 October 2026 and 28 October 2026. “About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.
9 tools, ranked. How we rank
About this list
9 of 30 bookkeepers and accounting firms tools match “Free trial or free plan”. Of the rest: 16 on some plans only, 3 no, 2 unknown.
How the bookkeepers and accounting firms tools matching “Free trial or free plan” differ: 8 of 9 also match “Sends invoices”, against 3 of 21 in the rest of the category.
The ranking
A free plan before you pay
Best forsmall and midsize businesses and accounting firms automating bill approvals and payments
Free trial or free plan: Yes — Spend & Expense is $0 a user each month and stays free, and the paid AP and AR plans come with a free trial in most cases, so you can try before paying.“Yes, the BILL Spend & Expense plan is $0 per user per month and includes corporate cards, budgets, expense tracking, and access to credit lines from $1,000-$5M.”Frequently asked questions, "Is there a free plan available with BILL?" · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $49 a seat a month · source
Small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing
Best forsmall businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place
Free trial or free plan: Yes — The Starter plan is free with no expiry, and starring a locked feature turns on a 30-day trial of the paid plans with no contract and no card.“Nope, ZipBooks Starter plans are free forever.”Help article: Did my free plan expire?, first line · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $15 a month · source
Freelancers and small businesses
Best forfreelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselves
Free trial or free plan: Yes — The self-hosted Standard build is free for good, and each cloud plan has a try-it-free link from the plan card before you pay.“The Standard plan of the On-Premise (self-hosted) version is free in terms of price and freedom (source code available).”Home page, Free card · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $12 a month · source
Small teams and accounting practices
Best forsmall teams and accounting practices that chase paper receipts from staff
Free trial or free plan: Yes — There is a standing free plan of 10 receipts a month, and a 14-day trial of the paid plan that needs no card or signature.“When we say free, we mean free. No credit card, contract, or signature required.”Frequently Asked Questions, 14-day free trial question · checked 2026-10-27
- Price
- Free, then $19.99 a seat a month · source
Best forUS small businesses and accounting firms paying vendor bills by card or bank transfer
Free trial or free plan: Yes — Go is a standing free plan with five free ACH payments a month and free invoicing, and every paid plan is free for 90 days with no credit card needed.“Get access to 90 days of unlimited free ACH payments, advanced automations, and more—no credit card needed.”Pricing hero paragraph · checked 2026-10-26
- Price
- Free, then $25 a month · source
Side by side
Every field, side by side
Scroll sideways to see them all.
| Feature | BILL | ZipBooks | Akaunting | Veryfi Expense Management | Melio | Inkle | Expensify | Zoho Books | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | AP, AR and card spend on one platform, with AI agents that code bills and chase vendor W-9s. | Free-forever double-entry books whose machine learning categorizes transactions and learns from your corrections. | Open-source small-business books you host free yourself or run on its cloud, extended by 50+ paid apps. | Receipt and bill capture that reads the paperwork and syncs the expense to QuickBooks or Xero. | Bill pay and invoicing for US small businesses, with AI bill capture and QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite sync. | US accounting software with AI categorization, plus bookkeepers, tax filing and compliance in one app. | Receipt scanning, company cards, bill pay and reimbursements that feed QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite. | Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month. | UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type. |
| Category | Works with QuickBooks Online, Accounts payable and bills, Small businesses, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Free accounting software, Works with Xero | Free accounting software, Accounting software, Small businesses, Freelancers and the self-employed, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms | Free accounting software, Accounting software, Small businesses, Freelancers and the self-employed, Cheapest accounting software, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms | Receipts and expenses, Free accounting software, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms | Accounts payable and bills, Free accounting software, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | Online bookkeeping services, Small businesses, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, With a bookkeeper checking, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Startups | Receipts and expenses, Free accounting software, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses, Startups | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses |
| Tags |
Questions buyers ask
How much do bookkeepers and accounting firms tools cost?
The median first paid plan is $20 a month, across the 9 of the 9 that publish a monthly price. They run from $5 to $49.
Which bookkeepers and accounting firms tools have a free plan?
8 of the 9 have a free plan.
How current are these figures?
The prices were read 26–28 October 2026.
Sources and method
Every price was read on the maker's own pricing page.
Pricing pages 9 read
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