# Alternatives to Manager.io

> Source: https://tickmarkbooks.com/manager-io/alternatives (re-verified)
> Updated: 7 November 2026

## At a glance

| Name | Best for | Starts at | A month at 100 transactions | Better than Manager.io at | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Manager.io](https://tickmarkbooks.com/manager-io.md) | Small businesses and accountants keeping many client books in one flat-priced account | Free, then $59 a month | $0 | — | 28 October 2026 |
| [Zeni](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni.md) | U.S. startups that want AI bookkeeping and a dedicated finance team | From $549 a month | Quote only | Promotion and regular price, Notice before a price rise | 6 November 2026 |
| [Sage Accounting (US)](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 | No longer sold | Promotion and regular price | 3 November 2026 |
| [FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent.md) | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $26 a month | About $26 | Promotion and regular price, Notice before a price rise | 6 November 2026 |
| [SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai.md) | Accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month | $106 | — | 7 November 2026 |
| [Zoho Expense](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-expense.md) | US finance teams reimbursing employee travel and card spend alongside QuickBooks or Xero | Free, then $4 a seat a month | Does not apply | Promotion and regular price, Support | 27 October 2026 |
| [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 | $20 | Support | 26 October 2026 |
| [Glean.ai](https://tickmarkbooks.com/glean-ai.md) | High-growth finance teams managing vendor invoices and spend | From $295 a month billed annually | Quote only | Support | 6 November 2026 |
| [Cranston](https://tickmarkbooks.com/cranston.md) | CPA firms that want returns and monthly books drafted inside their own software | From $40 per outcome | Does not apply | Support | 6 November 2026 |
| [Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave.md) | Freelancers, contractors and solo owners who want simple books and invoicing | Free, then $19 a month | $19 | Notice before a price rise | 7 November 2026 |

“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 10 November 2026.

The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches.

## Shortlist

### 1. Zeni

AI bookkeeping for startups that runs on QuickBooks Online Plus, with a dedicated finance team checking the work.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Promotion and regular price: partial — yearly shown monthly: no promotion is shown, but the page opens on annual billing at $494 a month (billed annually), against $549 a month under the Monthly link, which is still an annual contract.](https://www.zeni.ai/pricing)
- [Notice before a price rise: yes — The terms of service promise at least 45 days' written notice, including by email, before pricing changes for a renewal term; prices are fixed within the current term.](https://www.zeni.ai/legal/terms-of-service)
- [Support: yes — Customers can email their dedicated address or request a call; concierge staff work weekdays 9 AM–6 PM Pacific.](https://www.zeni.ai/pricing)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Ledger included: no — Zeni requires a separate QuickBooks Online Plus subscription to synchronize its dashboard.](https://www.zeni.ai/pricing)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: yes — Zeni charges a $2,000 setup fee for CFO Lite and $6,000 for CFO Premium and Enterprise.](https://www.zeni.ai/pricing)
- [Payroll: partial — add-on: a Payroll Manager Service from $199 a month on an annual contract has Zeni staff run your existing payroll system; extras such as W-2 preparation and state filings cost more.](https://www.zeni.ai/pricing)

[View Zeni](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zeni)

### 2. Sage Accounting (US)

Sage's cloud ledger for US small businesses. Sage retired it on 31 December 2024, and access ended on 31 January 2025.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Promotion and regular price: yes — promotion: the headline price is a new-customer discount of 90% off for six months in the UK (GBP 2 then GBP 20) and 75% off for six months in Canada, after which the regular rate resumes.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Reads receipts and bills: partial — Receipt and invoice snapping is excluded from the entry Start plan and metered above it, with 30 captures on Standard and 100 on Plus before GBP 0.20 each.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Supplier and purchase invoice management starts on the Standard plan, not the entry plan, and Sage's pages describe no approval routing or outbound payment run for those bills.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)
- [Accrual books and reports: partial — Sage names accrual accounting as a reason to take the middle Standard plan rather than the entry plan, and its pages list advanced and custom reports without naming a monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow set.](https://www.sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting/)

[View Sage Accounting (US)](https://tickmarkbooks.com/sage-accounting)

### 3. FreeAgent

UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Promotion and regular price: yes — promotion: every paid plan is advertised at 50% off for the first six months (or first year on annual billing), after which the regular published price applies.](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/)
- [Notice before a price rise: yes — The terms of service promise at least 60 days' advance notice of a price or payment-term change, and a chance to decide whether to carry on before any increase.](https://www.freeagent.com/company/terms/)
- [Support: yes — UK support accountants answer by phone on 0800 288 8691, email and chat, 9am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am-4pm Friday, so there is no weekend or after-hours cover.](https://www.freeagent.com/company/contact-us/)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bills are captured, recorded and tracked as accounts payable inside FreeAgent, but actually paying them is left to partner products in its own Payment solutions directory rather than done in the product.](https://www.freeagent.com/features/expenses/)
- [Accrual books and reports: partial — It keeps accruals-basis books with automatic accounting reports, a dashboard profit and loss and limited-company Final Accounts; what it publishes for cash is a Cashflow forecast, not a monthly cash flow statement.](https://www.freeagent.com/pricing/)
- [Inventory: partial — Stock items can be created, bought and sold on the one subscription, but the vendor states the stock functionality is unavailable on unincorporated landlord accounts and on cash-basis accounts.](https://support.freeagent.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115001219690-Create-a-new-stock-item)

[View FreeAgent](https://tickmarkbooks.com/freeagent)

### 4. SimpleAI

AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Ledger included: no — SAAM is not the ledger: it extracts and classifies documents and then publishes entries into the accounting software you already pay for, so a Xero, QuickBooks or Accurate subscription sits on top of its price.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/contact)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bills are captured and classified and every plan includes an approval workflow, but the agent's documented end point is publishing entries into your accounting software, not paying suppliers.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en)
- [Sends invoices: partial — Sending invoices belongs to the other product lines, not SAAM: NOVA handles invoices and AR aging conversationally, and the e-Invoicing module issues Peppol invoices for Singapore, while SAAM only extracts AR documents.](https://simpleaiworks.com/en/solutions/nova)

[View SimpleAI](https://tickmarkbooks.com/simpleai)

### 5. Zoho Expense

Travel, expense and corporate card management with Zia AI receipt capture, from $4 per user a month.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Promotion and regular price: partial — yearly shown monthly: the pricing page opens on the Yearly control, so the $3 and $5 per-user figures a visitor sees first are annual-billed rates, not the $4 and $6 month-to-month prices.](https://www.zoho.com/us/expense/pricing/)
- [Support: yes — Email is 8x5 on Free, paid plans add toll-free phone 8x5 with an 8-hour target, and $490/year Premium Support brings 24x5 email, phone and live chat.](https://www.zoho.com/us/expense/support-pricing/)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Cost for a solo freelancer: partial — One freelancer can run a month at $0 on the Free plan with personal-card import, GPS mileage and receipt capture, but only 20 AI receipt scans a month.](https://www.zoho.com/us/expense/pricing/)
- [Ledger included: no — No ledger is included; Zoho Expense is a travel and expense system that pushes approved expenses into an accounting product you pay for separately.](https://www.zoho.com/us/expense/expense-faqs/)
- [Setup or onboarding fee: partial — No mandatory setup charge, but guided onboarding is sold as the Jumpstart add-on from $500 with a dedicated expert, integrations and training.](https://www.zoho.com/us/expense/expense-faqs/)

[View Zoho Expense](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-expense)

### 6. Zoho Books

Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Support: yes — Free gets email support only; every paid plan adds voice and chat, with the US line and mailbox staffed Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm ET.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Categorizes transactions: partial — Zia pre-fills the account and vendor against each imported bank line, so it suggests rather than posts by itself, and the page does not claim it learns from your corrections.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/accounting-software/ai-in-accounting/)
- [Pays your bills: partial — Bills and vendor approvals are in the paid plans, but paying vendors by ACH with two- and three-way matching is the separate BillPay add-on at $59 a month billed annually ($69 monthly).](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/)
- [Your accountant can sign in: partial — The Free plan is quoted as one user plus one accountant, so an accountant seat is free there; the paid plans are quoted only as user counts, with extra users at $3 a month.](https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/pricing-comparison.html)

[View Zoho Books](https://tickmarkbooks.com/zoho-books)

### 7. Glean.ai

Bill pay that reads every invoice line item and benchmarks what you pay vendors against peers.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Support: yes — Customer support is offered by email, while support hours and phone or chat availability are undisclosed.](https://www.glean.ai/plans)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Cost for a solo freelancer: partial — One person pays the same as a team, because the plans are sold by invoice volume and not per user: the cheapest public plan is $295 a month billed annually for up to 35 invoices, and that price does not include the accounting software the product connects to.](https://www.glean.ai/plans)
- [Ledger included: no — Glean is an accounts payable platform that integrates with a separate accounting system rather than replacing it.](https://www.glean.ai/)
- [Reconciles your accounts: no — It does not reconcile your accounts; the terms put reconciling the funding bank account on you, and the ledger sync only aims to save reconciliation time.](https://www.glean.ai/legal)

[View Glean.ai](https://tickmarkbooks.com/glean-ai)

### 8. Cranston

AI that prepares whole tax returns inside Drake, Lacerte, CCH Axcess, UltraTax and ProSeries for CPA firms.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Support: yes — Paid customers get email support during US business hours with a one-business-day response target; no phone line, live chat or after-hours cover is offered, and hello@cranston.ai handles billing questions.](https://cranston.ai/csa)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Cost for a solo freelancer: partial — One freelancer's books cost a firm $30 a month as a single client book, but the client still needs a QuickBooks Online or Xero subscription and Cranston sells to the firm rather than to the freelancer.](https://cranston.ai/pricing)
- [Ledger included: no — Cranston is not a ledger; it reads the client's QuickBooks Online books to prepare returns, and the client keeps and pays for its own accounting system.](https://cranston.ai/integrations/quickbooks-online)
- [Categorizes transactions: no — Daily transaction categorization belongs to the Bookkeeping product, which the vendor labels as coming in 2027 with a waitlist, so it is not available yet.](https://cranston.ai/product/bookkeeping)

[View Cranston](https://tickmarkbooks.com/cranston)

### 9. Wave

Free double-entry books and invoicing, with bank import and receipt reading on a low-cost Pro plan.

**Where it improves on Manager.io:**
- [Notice before a price rise: yes — The subscription terms promise commercially reasonable efforts to give at least 30 days' notice before a fee change, which is an effort rather than a firm guarantee.](https://www.waveapps.com/legal/wave-subscriptions-terms-of-service)

**Trade-offs against Manager.io:**
- [Pays your bills: partial — You can record bills on every plan, but paying them happens in a connected third-party check and payment tool rather than inside Wave, and no approval routing is described.](https://www.waveapps.com/integrations)
- [Payroll: partial — add-on: Wave Payroll is sold separately for the US and Canada, at a $40 base fee plus $6 per employee and $6 per contractor paid in the US, with a 30-day free trial.](https://www.waveapps.com/payroll)
- [Getting your books out: partial — A free spreadsheet connection moves customers, products, invoices and transactions in and out of your books, but no full report or trial balance export is described.](https://www.waveapps.com/integrations)

[View Wave](https://tickmarkbooks.com/wave)