Ranking Free accounting software
The best free accounting software tools (2026): cost at 100 transactions a month
The best free accounting software tools in October 2026 are ZipBooks, Akaunting and Wave. 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 $2566 of 8
- $25 to $9922 of 8
- $100 to $29900 of 8
- $300 or more00 of 8
- 8
- ranked
- $20
- median first paid plan
- 7
- 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 Wave third with a free plan, then $19 a month. QuickBooks Online and Inkle have free plans too.
Half of the 8 tools with a monthly paid plan charge $20 a month or less.
7 tools here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are ZipBooks, Akaunting and Wave.
Pick by what you need
A free plan before you payZipBooksFree, then $15 a month
Freelancers and small businessesAkauntingFree, then $12 a month
Freelancers and solo ownersWaveFree, then $19 a month
Small businesses that want one ledger plus payroll, paymentsQuickBooks OnlineFree, then $38 a month
Ranked fifthInkleFree, then $30 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 | Wave | Freelancers and solo owners who want real double-entry books without paying for software | Free, then $19 a monthits pricing page |
| 4 | QuickBooks Online | Small businesses that want one ledger plus payroll, payments and an accountant login | Free, then $38 a monthits pricing page |
| 5 | Inkle | US-incorporated startups and foreign founders needing books and US filings together | Free, then $30 a monthits pricing page |
| 6 | QuickBooks Solopreneur | Self-employed one-person businesses filing a Schedule C | Free, then $20 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 15 free accounting software tools match “Cost at 100 transactions a month”. Of the rest: 0 on some plans only, 0 no, 7 unknown.
How the free accounting software tools matching “Cost at 100 transactions a month” differ: 8 of 8 also match “Cost at 500 transactions a month”, against 0 of 7 in the rest of the category; and 8 of 8 also match “Ledger included”, against 0 of 7 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
Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $10 a month on Accountant for 100 transactions. Includes required fees: USD per client account license a month $10.“Your account is free, and client account licenses are $10 each per month.”Help article on signing up for the Accountant plan, pricing 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
Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $36 a month on Premium Cloud for 100 transactions.“$36 per month”Plan cards, PREMIUM CLOUD column, price cell with the MONTHLY toggle selected · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $12 a month · source
Freelancers and solo owners
Best forfreelancers and solo owners who want real double-entry books without paying for software
Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $19 a month on Pro for 100 transactions. Pro is 50% off for 3 months for new customers ($9.50 a month), on offer until 6 January 2026. The figure is the regular $19, paid after it.“$19USD/month Billed monthly”Plan cards, Pro Plan column, price cell with the Monthly/Annual tab set to Monthly · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $19 a month · source
Small businesses that want one ledger plus payroll, payments
Best forsmall businesses that want one ledger plus payroll, payments and an accountant login
Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $38 a month on Simple Start for 100 transactions. Simple Start is 50% off for 3 months for new customers ($19 a month). The figure is the regular $38, paid after it.“Simple Start See profit & loss in real time $38”Simple Start plan card, price cell · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free, then $38 a month · source
Best forUS-incorporated startups and foreign founders needing books and US filings together
Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $0 a month on Basic for 100 transactions.“Free”Accounting software section, Basic plan card price cell · checked 2026-10-27
- Price
- Free, then $30 a month · source
Side by side
Every field, side by side
Scroll sideways to see them all.
| Feature | ZipBooks | Akaunting | Wave | QuickBooks Online | Inkle | QuickBooks Solopreneur | 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. | Free double-entry books for solo owners, with bank imports, receipts and payroll kept behind the paid Pro Plan. | Intuit's cloud ledger, now with Intuit Intelligence agents that categorize, reconcile and flag errors. | US accounting software with AI categorization, plus bookkeepers, tax filing and compliance in one app. | Intuit's one-person-business ledger: bank feeds, receipts, mileage and Schedule C tax readiness. | 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, Free accounting software, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, 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 | AI tax for the self-employed, Freelancers and the self-employed, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, 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 free accounting software tools cost?
The median first paid plan is $20 a month, across the 8 of the 8 that publish a monthly price. They run from $12 to $38.
Which free accounting software tools have a free plan?
7 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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