# The best Small businesses tools (2026) — Tick Mark Books

> Source: https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/small-business (curated, re-verified)
> Updated 31 October 2026 · Reviewed by the Tick Mark Books editorial team

We compare 27 accounting and bookkeeping tools for small businesses as of October 2026. Pennylane has the lowest paid entry price, from about $7.82 a month. 11 have a free plan.

27 tools in this category, ranked by what we can confirm about each (a public price, an API and docs, independent sources, stated limits; payment never changes the order). Each name links to its answer-first markdown twin.

## Facts

- Free to start: 11 of 27
- API: 0 of 27
- First paid plan a month: 23 of 27 publish one, $4.99 to $549, median $20
- Checked against their own sites: 26–31 October 2026 (27 of 27)
- Added in October 2026: 27

| Name | What it is | Pricing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle.md) | US accounting software with AI categorization, plus bookkeepers, tax filing and compliance in one app. | Free, then $30 a month |
| [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks.md) | Free-forever double-entry books whose machine learning categorizes transactions and learns from your corrections. | Free, then $15 a month |
| [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave.md) | Free double-entry books for solo owners, with bank imports, receipts and payroll kept behind the paid Pro Plan. | Free, then $19 a month |
| [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-solopreneur.md) | Intuit's one-person-business ledger: bank feeds, receipts, mileage and Schedule C tax readiness. | Free, then $20 a month |
| [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books.md) | Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month. | Free, then $20 a month |
| [doola](https://tickmarkbooks.com/doola.md) | Back office for a U.S. company formed from anywhere: formation, bookkeeping with a dedicated bookkeeper, and tax filing. | From $297 a year |
| [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md) | UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type. | From £10 a month (about $13) |
| [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero.md) | Small-business ledger with a JAX assistant that answers questions in plain language; unlimited users on every plan. | From $27 a month |
| [Puzzle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle.md) | AI-native accounting software with optional bookkeeper services for startups and small businesses. | — |
| [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting.md) | Open-source small-business books you host free yourself or run on its cloud, extended by 50+ paid apps. | Free, then $12 a month |
| [QuickBooks Online](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-online.md) | Intuit's cloud ledger, now with Intuit Intelligence agents that categorize, reconcile and flag errors. | Free, then $38 a month |
| [fileLedger by fileAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/fileai.md) | Agent plans that read invoices and bank statements and post them into your Xero or QuickBooks books. | From $13 a month |
| [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks.md) | Double-entry small-business ledger built around invoicing, with a read-only Claude connector for questions. | From $23 a month |
| [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting.md) | Sage's cloud small-business ledger with built-in payroll and the Sage Copilot assistant; US edition retired. | From £20 a month (about $27) |
| [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits.md) | AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles itself, replacing QuickBooks or Xero for US businesses. | From $65 a month |
| [Pennylane](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pennylane.md) | AI-native invoicing, accounting and business banking for small businesses and their accounting firms. | From €7 a month (about $7.82) |
| [Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot.md) | A bookkeeping and tax service for startups that pairs software-driven dashboards with human financial advisors. | — |
| [Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai.md) | An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents. | — |
| [Bookkeeper360](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bookkeeper360.md) | US-based outsourced bookkeeping, tax and CFO team working in your QuickBooks Online or Xero. | From $19 a month |
| [BILL](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill.md) | AP, AR and card spend on one platform, with AI agents that code bills and chase vendor W-9s. | Free, then $49 a seat a month |
| [Dext](https://tickmarkbooks.com/dext.md) | Captures receipts, invoices and statements, codes them and publishes to QuickBooks, Xero or Sage. | From $31.50 a month |
| [Expensify](https://tickmarkbooks.com/expensify.md) | Receipt scanning, company cards, bill pay and reimbursements that feed QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite. | Free, then $5 a seat a month |
| [Hubdoc](https://tickmarkbooks.com/hubdoc.md) | Document capture that extracts data from bills and receipts and publishes them into Xero or QuickBooks Online. | From $12 a month |
| [Melio](https://tickmarkbooks.com/melio.md) | Bill pay and invoicing for US small businesses, with AI bill capture and QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite sync. | Free, then $25 a month |
| [Shoeboxed](https://tickmarkbooks.com/shoeboxed.md) | Receipt scanning app plus a mail-in scanning service, with staff-checked data and automatic mileage tracking. | From $9 a month |
| [SnapTax](https://tickmarkbooks.com/snaptax.md) | Year-round quarterly tax estimates for 1099 workers, built on uploaded bank statements instead of bank connections. | Free, then $4.99 a month |
| [Zeni](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni.md) | AI bookkeeping with a dedicated finance team, built on QuickBooks Online Plus. | From $549 a month |

## October in accounting and bookkeeping tools for small businesses

- Prices checked: 24 of 27 tools, on their own pricing pages
- Last checked: 31 Oct, oldest check 26 Oct

## Accounting and bookkeeping tools for small businesses compared

| Tool | Price on its site | MCP server | API | Open source | Self-host |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle) | Free, then $30 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks) | Free, then $15 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave) | Free, then $19 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-solopreneur) | Free, then $20 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books) | Free, then $20 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [doola](https://tickmarkbooks.com/doola) | From $297 a year | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent) | From about $13 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero) | From $27 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Puzzle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/puzzle) | No list price | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting) | Free, then $12 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [QuickBooks Online](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-online) | Free, then $38 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [fileLedger by fileAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/fileai) | From $13 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks) | From $23 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting) | From about $27 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits) | From $65 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Pennylane](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pennylane) | From about $7.82 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Pilot](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pilot) | No list price | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Booke AI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/booke-ai) | No list price | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Bookkeeper360](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bookkeeper360) | From $19 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [BILL](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill) | Free, then $49 a seat a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Dext](https://tickmarkbooks.com/dext) | From $31.50 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Expensify](https://tickmarkbooks.com/expensify) | Free, then $5 a seat a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Hubdoc](https://tickmarkbooks.com/hubdoc) | From $12 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Melio](https://tickmarkbooks.com/melio) | Free, then $25 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Shoeboxed](https://tickmarkbooks.com/shoeboxed) | From $9 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [SnapTax](https://tickmarkbooks.com/snaptax) | Free, then $4.99 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| [Zeni](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni) | From $549 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |

All 27 accounting and bookkeeping tools for small businesses we list.

## Narrow it down

- [Cost at 100 transactions a month](https://tickmarkbooks.com/best/small-business/cost-100): 18
- [PayPal](https://tickmarkbooks.com/best/small-business/paypal): 11
- [Australia](https://tickmarkbooks.com/best/small-business/australia): 9

Accounting software, bookkeeping tools and services for small businesses, with what keeping the books costs a month.

## Questions buyers ask

### Which tool here costs the least?

11 of the 27 have a free plan: Akaunting, BILL, Expensify, Inkle and Melio and 6 more. The lowest paid plan is Pennylane, from about $7.82 a month. Price checked on 27 October 2026.

### How much do accounting and bookkeeping tools for small businesses cost?

Paid plans run from $4.99 to $549 a month, across the 23 with a monthly price. The median is $20 a month.

### When were these prices checked?

We read each price between 26 October 2026 and 31 October 2026 on the maker's own pricing page.

## Sources and method

Cheapest month first, the ledger included; products we could not price at the end. [How we rank](https://tickmarkbooks.com/methodology/)

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

- [Akaunting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/akaunting): [akaunting.com/plans](https://akaunting.com/plans), checked 28 October 2026
- [BILL](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bill): [bill.com/product/pricing](https://www.bill.com/product/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [Bookkeeper360](https://tickmarkbooks.com/bookkeeper360): [bookkeeper360.com/app](https://bookkeeper360.com/app/), checked 27 October 2026
- [Dext](https://tickmarkbooks.com/dext): [dext.com/us/business/pricing](https://dext.com/us/business/pricing), checked 27 October 2026
- [Digits](https://tickmarkbooks.com/digits): [digits.com/pricing](https://digits.com/pricing/), checked 27 October 2026
- [doola](https://tickmarkbooks.com/doola): [doola.com/pricing](https://www.doola.com/pricing/), checked 28 October 2026
- [Expensify](https://tickmarkbooks.com/expensify): [expensify.com/pricing](https://www.expensify.com/pricing), checked 26 October 2026
- [fileLedger by fileAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/fileai): [file.ai/platform/fileledger](https://www.file.ai/platform/fileledger), checked 28 October 2026
- [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent): [freeagent.com/pricing](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/), checked 26 October 2026
- [FreshBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freshbooks): [freshbooks.com/pricing](https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [Hubdoc](https://tickmarkbooks.com/hubdoc): [hubdoc.com/pricing](https://www.hubdoc.com/pricing), checked 27 October 2026
- [Inkle](https://tickmarkbooks.com/inkle): [inkle.ai/pricing](https://www.inkle.ai/pricing), checked 27 October 2026
- [Melio](https://tickmarkbooks.com/melio): [melio.com/pricing](https://melio.com/pricing/), checked 26 October 2026
- [Pennylane](https://tickmarkbooks.com/pennylane): [pennylane.com/fr/tarifs](https://www.pennylane.com/fr/tarifs), checked 27 October 2026
- [QuickBooks Online](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-online): [quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/), checked 28 October 2026
- [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://tickmarkbooks.com/quickbooks-solopreneur): [quickbooks.intuit.com/solopreneur](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/solopreneur/), checked 27 October 2026
- [Sage Accounting](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting): [sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/), checked 27 October 2026
- [Shoeboxed](https://tickmarkbooks.com/shoeboxed): [shoeboxed.com/pricing](https://www.shoeboxed.com/pricing), checked 26 October 2026
- [SnapTax](https://tickmarkbooks.com/snaptax): [snaptaxapp.com/pricing](https://snaptaxapp.com/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave): [waveapps.com/pricing](https://www.waveapps.com/pricing), checked 28 October 2026
- [Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/xero): [xero.com/us/pricing-plans](https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/), checked 28 October 2026
- [Zeni](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni): [zeni.ai/pricing](https://www.zeni.ai/pricing), checked 31 October 2026
- [ZipBooks](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zipbooks): [zipbooks.com/pricing](https://zipbooks.com/pricing/), checked 28 October 2026
- [Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books): [zoho.com/us/books/pricing](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/), checked 26 October 2026

## Where next

### Related categories

- [Cheapest accounting software](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/cheapest)
- [Freelancers and the self-employed](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/freelancers)
- [Bookkeepers and accounting firms](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/accounting-firms)
- [Accounting software](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/accounting-software)
- [Free accounting software](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/free-plan)
- [Works with QuickBooks Online](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/works-with-quickbooks)
- [Works with Xero](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/works-with-xero)
- [Startups](https://tickmarkbooks.com/category/startups)