Skip to content
Tick Mark Books
Sign inSubmit a tool

Ranking Freelancers and the self-employed

The best freelancers and the self-employed tools (2026): cost at 100 transactions a month

The best freelancers and the self-employed 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 14 on their own sites.

Tick Mark Books ResearchUpdated

14 ranked · each checked against its own site 26–28 October 2026

Compare all 14 picksMarkdown
Freelancers and the self-employed tools, first paid plan, October 2026 All 14 tools that publish a monthly price start under $100 a month. The median first paid plan is $20.
  1. Under $2599 of 14
  2. $25 to $9955 of 14
  3. $100 to $29900 of 14
  4. $300 or more00 of 14
14
ranked
$20
median first paid plan
6
of the 14 have a free plan

tickmarkbooks.com · First paid plan from each tool's own pricing page, read 26–28 October 2026.

On this page
  1. The short answer
  2. Pick by what you need
  3. All 14 picks at a glance
  4. The ranking
  5. Side by side
  6. Questions buyers ask
  7. Sources and method

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.

Half of the 14 tools with a monthly paid plan charge $20 a month or less.

6 tools here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are ZipBooks, Akaunting and Wave.

Pick by what you need

This ranking

  • 14 tools ranked
  • 6 free or freemium
  • verified 28 October 2026
How we rank →

All 14 picks at a glance

#ToolBest forStarts at
1ZipBooksSmall businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one placeFree, then $15 a monthits pricing page
2AkauntingFreelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselvesFree, then $12 a monthits pricing page
3WaveFreelancers and solo owners who want real double-entry books without paying for softwareFree, then $19 a monthits pricing page
4XeroSmall businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user feesFrom $27 a monthits pricing page
5FreshBooksService businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same placeFrom $23 a monthits pricing page
6DigitsA US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooksFrom $65 a monthits pricing page
7fileLedger by fileAISmall accounting firms drowning in client invoices and statements that already run on XeroFrom $13 a monthits pricing page
8SimpleAIAccounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statementsFrom $79 a monthits pricing page
9PennylaneSmall businesses in France and their accounting firm working in one shared fileFrom about $7.82 a monthits pricing page
10InkleUS-incorporated startups and foreign founders needing books and US filings togetherFree, then $30 a monthits pricing page
11Sage AccountingVAT-registered sole traders and small firms up to 49 employees wanting payroll built inFrom about $27 a monthits pricing page
12QuickBooks SolopreneurSelf-employed one-person businesses filing a Schedule CFree, then $20 a monthits pricing page
13Zoho BooksSmall businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suiteFree, then $20 a monthits pricing page
14FreeAgentUK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self AssessmentFrom 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.

14 tools, ranked. How we rank

About this list

14 of 26 freelancers and the self-employed tools match “Cost at 100 transactions a month”. Of the rest: 1 on some plans only, 0 no, 11 unknown.

How the freelancers and the self-employed tools matching “Cost at 100 transactions a month” differ: 14 of 14 also match “Cost at 500 transactions a month”, against 0 of 12 in the rest of the category.

The ranking

  1. 1

    ZipBooks

    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
    Visit ZipBooks ↗Read the reviewGet a quote →
  2. 2

    Akaunting

    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
    Visit Akaunting ↗Read the reviewGet a quote →
  3. 3

    Wave

    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
    Visit Wave ↗Read the reviewGet a quote →
  4. 4

    Xero

    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

    Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $27 a month on Early for 100 transactions. Early is 90% off for 6 months for new customers ($2.70 a month), on offer until 2 November 2026. The figure is the regular $27, paid after it.“Then $27 per month”Plan cards, Early column · checked 2026-10-28

    Price
    From $27 a month · source
    Visit Xero ↗Read the reviewGet a quote →
  5. 5

    FreshBooks

    Lowest monthly price in the top five

    Best forservice businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same place

    Cost at 100 transactions a month: Yes — $43 a month on Plus for 100 transactions.“Plus ⭐ Most Popular $ 8 .60 USD/mo 80% Off for 4 Months Was $43.00 | Save $137.60 $ 43 .00 USD/mo ... Send invoices to 50 clients”Plus plan card · checked 2026-10-26

    Price
    From $23 a month · source
    Visit FreshBooks ↗Read the reviewGet a quote →

Side by side

Every field, side by side

Scroll sideways to see them all.

FeatureZipBooksAkauntingWaveXeroFreshBooksDigitsfileLedger by fileAISimpleAIPennylaneInkleSage AccountingQuickBooks SolopreneurZoho BooksFreeAgent
DescriptionFree-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.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.Agent plans that read invoices and bank statements and post them into your Xero or QuickBooks books.AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.AI-native invoicing, accounting and business banking for small businesses and their accounting firms.US accounting software with AI categorization, plus bookkeepers, tax filing and compliance in one app.Sage's cloud small-business ledger with built-in payroll and the Sage Copilot assistant; US edition retired.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.
CategoryFree accounting software, Accounting software, Small businesses, Freelancers and the self-employed, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firmsFree accounting software, Accounting software, Small businesses, Freelancers and the self-employed, Cheapest accounting software, Works with QuickBooks Online, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firmsAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businessesAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businessesAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businessesAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Small businesses, Startups, Freelancers and the self-employed, Bookkeepers and accounting firmsAI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Cheapest accounting software, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businessesAI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, StartupsAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businessesOnline 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, StartupsAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businessesAI tax for the self-employed, Freelancers and the self-employed, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, Small businessesAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses, StartupsAccounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Free accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses
TagsFree accounting softwareAccounting softwareSmall businessesFreelancers and the self-employedCheapest accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFree accounting softwareAccounting softwareSmall businessesFreelancers and the self-employedCheapest accounting softwareWorks with QuickBooks OnlineWorks with XeroBookkeepers and accounting firmsAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareFree accounting softwareFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareSmall businessesStartupsFreelancers and the self-employedBookkeepers and accounting firmsAI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and XeroCheapest accounting softwareWorks with XeroBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesAI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and XeroCheapest accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedStartupsAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesOnline bookkeeping servicesSmall businessesCheapest accounting softwareFree accounting softwareWith a bookkeeper checkingWorks with XeroBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedStartupsAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesAI tax for the self-employedFreelancers and the self-employedCheapest accounting softwareFree accounting softwareSmall businessesAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareFree accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businessesStartupsAccounting softwareCheapest accounting softwareFree accounting softwareBookkeepers and accounting firmsFreelancers and the self-employedSmall businesses

Questions buyers ask

How much do freelancers and the self-employed tools cost?

The median first paid plan is $20 a month, across the 14 of the 14 that publish a monthly price. They run from $7.82 to $79.

Which freelancers and the self-employed tools have a free plan?

6 of the 14 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 14 read

Get quotes from the top tools

Describe what you need. We route it to the best-matched providers.