# The 11 best bookkeepers and accounting firms tools (2026): free trial or free plan

> Source: https://tickmarkbooks.com/best/accounting-firms/free (curated, re-verified)

The best bookkeepers and accounting firms tools in November 2026 are **Finlens, Manager.io and BILL**. Finlens is the pick for quickBooks Online accounting firms managing many client closes. We read the price of all 11 on their own sites.

By [Tick Mark Books Research](https://tickmarkbooks.com/authors/research.md).

11 ranked · each checked against its own site 26–29 October 2026

### All 11 tools that publish a monthly price start under $100 a month. The median first paid plan is $20.

*Bookkeepers and accounting firms tools, first paid plan, November 2026*

- Under $25: 6
- $25 to $99: 5
- $100 to $299: 0
- $300 or more: 0

- **11** ranked
- **$20** median first paid plan
- **10** of the 11 have a free plan

First paid plan from each tool's own pricing page, read 26–29 October 2026.

## The short answer

**Finlens** ranks first. It has a free plan, and paid plans start at $49 a month.

**Manager.io** ranks second with a free plan, then $59 a month, and **BILL** third with a free plan, then $49 a seat a month. **ZipBooks** and **Akaunting** have free plans too.

Half of the 11 tools with a monthly paid plan charge $20 a month or less.

10 tools here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are Finlens, Manager.io and BILL.

## Pick by what you need

- A free plan before you pay: [Finlens](https://tickmarkbooks.com/finlens.md), Free, then $49 a month
- Ranked second: [Manager.io](https://tickmarkbooks.com/manager-io.md), Free, then $59 a month
- Small and midsize businesses: [BILL](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill.md), Free, then $49 a seat a month
- Small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing: [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks.md), Free, then $15 a month
- Freelancers and small businesses: [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting.md), Free, then $12 a month
- The lowest monthly price we found: [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md), From about $13 a month

## All 11 picks at a glance

| # | Name | Best for | Starts at |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Finlens](https://tickmarkbooks.com/finlens.md) | QuickBooks Online accounting firms managing many client closes | Free, then $49 a month |
| 2 | [Manager.io](https://tickmarkbooks.com/manager-io.md) | small businesses and accountants keeping many client books in one flat-priced account | Free, then $59 a month |
| 3 | [BILL](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill.md) | small and midsize businesses and accounting firms automating bill approvals and payments | Free, then $49 a seat a month |
| 4 | [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks.md) | small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place | Free, then $15 a month |
| 5 | [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting.md) | freelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselves | Free, then $12 a month |
| 6 | [Veryfi Expense Management](https://tickmarkbooks.com/veryfi-expense-management.md) | small teams and accounting practices that chase paper receipts from staff | Free, then $19.99 a seat a month |
| 7 | [Melio](https://tickmarkbooks.com/melio.md) | US small businesses and accounting firms paying vendor bills by card or bank transfer | Free, then $25 a month |
| 8 | [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle.md) | US-incorporated startups and foreign founders needing books and US filings together | Free, then $30 a month |
| 9 | [Expensify](https://tickmarkbooks.com/expensify.md) | small finance teams that want receipts, cards and reimbursements feeding one ledger | Free, then $5 a seat a month |
| 10 | [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books.md) | small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a month |
| 11 | [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md) | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $13 a month |

Checked between 26 October 2026 and 29 October 2026. “About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.

**11 tools, ranked.**

11 of 33 bookkeepers and accounting firms tools match “Free trial or free plan”. Of the rest: 16 on some plans only, 4 no, 2 unknown.

How the bookkeepers and accounting firms tools matching “Free trial or free plan” differ: 9 of 11 also match “Sends invoices”, against 3 of 22 in the rest of the category.

## The ranking

### 1. Finlens

**A free plan before you pay**

**Best for:** QuickBooks Online accounting firms managing many client closes

- Price: Free, then $49 a month ([source](https://www.finlens.app/features/stripe-revenue-recognition))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/finlens.md)

### 2. Manager.io

**Best for:** small businesses and accountants keeping many client books in one flat-priced account

- Price: Free, then $59 a month ([source](https://www.manager.cloud/))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/manager-io.md)

### 3. BILL

**Small and midsize businesses**

**Best for:** small and midsize businesses and accounting firms automating bill approvals and payments

- Price: Free, then $49 a seat a month ([source](https://www.bill.com/product/pricing))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill.md)

### 4. ZipBooks

**Small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing**

**Best for:** small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place

- Price: Free, then $15 a month ([source](https://zipbooks.com/pricing/))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks.md)

### 5. Akaunting

**Freelancers and small businesses**

**Best for:** freelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselves

- Price: Free, then $12 a month ([source](https://akaunting.com/plans))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting.md)

## Side by side

| Feature | Finlens | Manager.io | BILL | ZipBooks | Akaunting | Veryfi Expense Management | Melio | Inkle | Expensify | Zoho Books | FreeAgent |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Description | AI month-end close automation that syncs reviewed work back to QuickBooks Online. | Double-entry accounting that is free forever installed, or one flat cloud price for unlimited users and businesses. | 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 | AI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Month-end close and reconciliation, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Free accounting software, With a bookkeeper checking, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero | Free accounting software, Accounting software, Small businesses, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Cheapest accounting software | 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 | AI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Month-end close and reconciliation, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Free accounting software, With a bookkeeper checking, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero | Free accounting software, Accounting software, Small businesses, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Cheapest accounting software | 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 |

## Questions buyers ask

### How much do bookkeepers and accounting firms tools cost?

The median first paid plan is $20 a month, across the 11 of the 11 that publish a monthly price. They run from $5 to $59.

### Which bookkeepers and accounting firms tools have a free plan?

10 of the 11 have a free plan.

### How current are these figures?

The prices were read 26–29 October 2026.

## Sources and method

Every price was read on the maker's own pricing page.

### Pricing pages (11 read)

- [Finlens](https://tickmarkbooks.com/finlens.md): [finlens.app/features/stripe-revenue-recognition](https://www.finlens.app/features/stripe-revenue-recognition), checked 29 October 2026
- [Manager.io](https://tickmarkbooks.com/manager-io.md): [manager.cloud](https://www.manager.cloud/), checked 28 October 2026
- [BILL](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill.md): [bill.com/product/pricing](https://www.bill.com/product/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks.md): [zipbooks.com/pricing](https://zipbooks.com/pricing/), checked 28 October 2026
- [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting.md): [akaunting.com/plans](https://akaunting.com/plans), checked 28 October 2026
- [Veryfi Expense Management](https://tickmarkbooks.com/veryfi-expense-management.md): [veryfi.com/plans-pricing](https://www.veryfi.com/plans-pricing/), checked 27 October 2026
- [Melio](https://tickmarkbooks.com/melio.md): [melio.com/pricing](https://melio.com/pricing/), checked 26 October 2026
- [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle.md): [inkle.ai/pricing](https://www.inkle.ai/pricing), checked 27 October 2026
- [Expensify](https://tickmarkbooks.com/expensify.md): [expensify.com/pricing](https://www.expensify.com/pricing), checked 26 October 2026
- [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books.md): [zoho.com/us/books/pricing](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/), checked 26 October 2026
- [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md): [freeagent.com/pricing](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/), checked 26 October 2026