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

> Source: https://tickmarkbooks.com/best/freelancers/cost-100 (curated, re-verified)

The best freelancers and the self-employed tools in November 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.

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

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

### All 14 tools that publish a monthly price start under $100 a month. The median first paid plan is $20.

*Freelancers and the self-employed tools, first paid plan, November 2026*

- Under $25: 9
- $25 to $99: 5
- $100 to $299: 0
- $300 or more: 0

- **14** ranked
- **$20** median first paid plan
- **6** of the 14 have a free plan

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.

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

- A free plan before you pay: [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
- Freelancers and solo owners: [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave.md), Free, then $19 a month
- Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books: [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero.md), From $27 a month
- Lowest monthly price in the top five: [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks.md), From $23 a month
- The lowest monthly price we found: [Pennylane](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pennylane.md), From about $7.82 a month

## All 14 picks at a glance

| # | Name | Best for | Starts at |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks.md) | small businesses and freelancers wanting free invoicing and books in one place | Free, then $15 a month |
| 2 | [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting.md) | freelancers and small businesses that want open-source books they can host themselves | Free, then $12 a month |
| 3 | [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave.md) | freelancers and solo owners who want real double-entry books without paying for software | Free, then $19 a month |
| 4 | [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero.md) | small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees | From $27 a month |
| 5 | [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks.md) | service businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same place | From $23 a month |
| 6 | [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits.md) | A US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooks | From $65 a month |
| 7 | [fileLedger by fileAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/fileai.md) | small accounting firms drowning in client invoices and statements that already run on Xero | From $13 a month |
| 8 | [SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai.md) | accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month |
| 9 | [Pennylane](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pennylane.md) | small businesses in France and their accounting firm working in one shared file | From about $7.82 a month |
| 10 | [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle.md) | US-incorporated startups and foreign founders needing books and US filings together | Free, then $30 a month |
| 11 | [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting.md) | VAT-registered sole traders and small firms up to 49 employees wanting payroll built in | From about $27 a month |
| 12 | [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-solopreneur.md) | self-employed one-person businesses filing a Schedule C | Free, then $20 a month |
| 13 | [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 |
| 14 | [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 28 October 2026. “About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.

**14 tools, ranked.**

14 of 27 freelancers and the self-employed tools match “Cost at 100 transactions a month”. Of the rest: 1 on some plans only, 0 no, 12 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 13 in the rest of the category.

## The ranking

### 1. ZipBooks

**A free plan before you pay**

**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)

### 2. 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)

### 3. Wave

**Freelancers and solo owners**

**Best for:** freelancers and solo owners who want real double-entry books without paying for software

- Price: Free, then $19 a month ([source](https://www.waveapps.com/pricing))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave.md)

### 4. Xero

**Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books**

**Best for:** small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees

- Price: From $27 a month ([source](https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero.md)

### 5. FreshBooks

**Lowest monthly price in the top five**

**Best for:** service businesses and freelancers who bill clients and want their books in the same place

- Price: From $23 a month ([source](https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing))
- [Read the review](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks.md)

## Side by side

| Feature | ZipBooks | Akaunting | Wave | Xero | FreshBooks | Digits | fileLedger by fileAI | SimpleAI | Pennylane | Inkle | Sage Accounting | 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. | 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. |
| 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, 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 | AI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Cheapest accounting software, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | AI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Startups | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, 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 | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | 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 | 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, 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 | AI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Cheapest accounting software, Works with Xero, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | AI bookkeeping for QuickBooks and Xero, Cheapest accounting software, Bookkeepers and accounting firms, Freelancers and the self-employed, Startups | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, 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 | Accounting software, Cheapest accounting software, Freelancers and the self-employed, Small businesses | 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 |

## 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)

- [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
- [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave.md): [waveapps.com/pricing](https://www.waveapps.com/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero.md): [xero.com/us/pricing-plans](https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/), checked 28 October 2026
- [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks.md): [freshbooks.com/pricing](https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits.md): [digits.com/pricing](https://digits.com/pricing/), checked 27 October 2026
- [fileLedger by fileAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/fileai.md): [file.ai/platform/fileledger](https://www.file.ai/platform/fileledger), checked 28 October 2026
- [SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai.md): [simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing), checked 27 October 2026
- [Pennylane](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pennylane.md): [pennylane.com/fr/tarifs](https://www.pennylane.com/fr/tarifs), checked 27 October 2026
- [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle.md): [inkle.ai/pricing](https://www.inkle.ai/pricing), checked 27 October 2026
- [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting.md): [sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/), checked 27 October 2026
- [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-solopreneur.md): [quickbooks.intuit.com/solopreneur](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/solopreneur/), checked 27 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