Ranking Bookkeepers and accounting firms
The 8 best bookkeepers and accounting firms tools (2026): ledger included
The best bookkeepers and accounting firms tools in October 2026 are ZipBooks, Akaunting and Xero. ZipBooks is the pick for small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place. We read the price of all 8 on their own sites.
8 ranked · each checked against its own site 26–28 October 2026
- Under $2555 of 8
- $25 to $9933 of 8
- $100 to $29900 of 8
- $300 or more00 of 8
- 8
- ranked
- $22
- median first paid plan
- 4
- of the 8 have a free plan
tickmarkbooks.com · First paid plan from each tool's own pricing page, read 26–28 October 2026.
The short answer
ZipBooks ranks first. It has a free plan, and paid plans start at $15 a month.
Akaunting ranks second with a free plan, then $12 a month, and Xero third from $27 a month.
Half of the 8 tools with a monthly paid plan charge $22 a month or less.
4 tools here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are ZipBooks, Akaunting and Inkle.
Pick by what you need
A free plan before you payZipBooksFree, then $15 a month
Freelancers and small businessesAkauntingFree, then $12 a month
Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the booksXeroFrom $27 a month
Lowest monthly price in the top fiveFreshBooksFrom $23 a month
A US startup or small businessDigitsFrom $65 a month
The lowest monthly price we foundFreeAgentFrom about $13 a month
All 8 picks at a glance
| # | Tool | Best for | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZipBooks | Small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place | Free, then $15 a monthits pricing page |
| 2 | Akaunting | Freelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselves | Free, then $12 a monthits pricing page |
| 3 | Xero | Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees | From $27 a monthits pricing page |
| 4 | FreshBooks | Service businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same place | From $23 a monthits pricing page |
| 5 | Digits | A US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooks | From $65 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 |  Zoho Books | Small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a monthits pricing page |
| 8 | 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.
8 tools, ranked. How we rank
About this list
8 of 30 bookkeepers and accounting firms tools match “Ledger included”. Of the rest: 1 on some plans only, 21 no, 0 unknown.
How the bookkeepers and accounting firms tools matching “Ledger included” differ: 8 of 8 also match “Getting your books out”, against 4 of 22 in the rest of the category.
The ranking
A free plan before you pay
Best forsmall businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place
Ledger included: Yes — ZipBooks is the ledger itself: double-entry books, chart of accounts, income statement and balance sheet are in the subscription, so you pay for no other accounting product.“Does ZipBooks do double-entry ("real") accounting? Absolutely.”Frequently Asked Questions, double-entry accounting answer · 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
Ledger included: Yes — Akaunting is the books itself, so no separate QuickBooks or Xero subscription is needed; the plan price is the whole software cost.“Akaunting is a free, open-source, and online accounting software for small businesses and freelancers.”Hero section under the Free Accounting Software heading · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $12 a month · source
Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books
Best forsmall businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees
Ledger included: Yes — Xero is the double-entry ledger itself, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; the plan price is the whole accounting bill.“Xero online accounting software for your business connects you to your bank, accountant, bookkeeper, and other business apps.”Page meta description, homepage · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- From $27 a month · source
Lowest monthly price in the top five
Best forservice businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same place
Ledger included: Yes — FreshBooks is the ledger itself, with its own chart of accounts and double-entry reports, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; double-entry reports start on Plus.“In FreshBooks, you and your accountant have access to all of the double-entry accounting reports you need to properly operate and grow your small business.”Pricing FAQ, 'What's is double-entry accounting?' answer · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- From $23 a month · source
A US startup or small business
Best forA US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooks
Ledger included: Yes — Digits is the general ledger itself, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; the vendor positions it as a replacement system of record.“Digits is an AI-native general ledger that replaces QuickBooks Online, Xero, or Puzzle as the system of record. It is not an automation layer on top of another ledger.”How Digits differs, 'What Digits is an alternative to' · checked 2026-10-27
- Price
- From $65 a month · source
Side by side
Every field, side by side
Scroll sideways to see them all.
| Feature | ZipBooks | Akaunting | Xero | FreshBooks | Digits | Inkle | Zoho Books | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | 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. | Small-business ledger with a JAX assistant that answers questions in plain language; unlimited users on every plan. | Double-entry small-business ledger built around invoicing, with a read-only Claude connector for questions. | AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles itself, replacing QuickBooks or Xero for US businesses. | US accounting software with AI categorization, plus bookkeepers, tax filing and compliance in one app. | 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 | 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 | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Small businesses, Startups, Freelancers and the self-employed, Bookkeepers and accounting firms | 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 | 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 $22 a month, across the 8 of the 8 that publish a monthly price. They run from $12 to $65.
Which bookkeepers and accounting firms tools have a free plan?
4 of the 8 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.
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