Top 9 of 46 alternatives
FreeAgent and Zoho Books: 9 Melio alternatives (2026)
The closest alternatives to Melio in October 2026 are FreeAgent, Zoho Books and Puzzle.
9 tools compared · entry plans $13.40 to $79 a month · 2 with a free plan · prices checked 26–28 October 2026
Reviewed by the Tick Mark Books editorial team.
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Melio and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starts at | A month at 100 transactions | Better than Melio at | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melio | US small businesses and accounting firms paying vendor bills by card or bank transfer | Free, then $25 a month source | Does not apply | 26 October 2026 | |
| FreeAgent | UK sole traders and small limited companies filing their own VAT and Self Assessment | From about $13 a month source | About $25 | Ledger included, Notice before a price rise | 26 October 2026 |
| Zoho Books | Small businesses and startups that want one ledger plus the wider Zoho app suite | Free, then $20 a month source | $20 | Ledger included, Users included | 26 October 2026 |
| Puzzle | A US startup on Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Stripe and Gusto that wants to replace QuickBooks | Price not established | $30 | Ledger included, Categorizes transactions | 26 October 2026 |
| Stampli | Finance teams with high invoice volume, many approvers and several entities | On quote source | — | Categorizes transactions, Your own bookkeeper | 26 October 2026 |
| Booke AI | A business or bookkeeping firm already on QuickBooks Online or Xero | Price not established | $156 | Categorizes transactions, Bank and card feeds | 26 October 2026 |
| Pilot | A US startup or small business that wants its books done for it in QuickBooks Online | Price not established | $137 | Categorizes transactions, Your own bookkeeper | 26 October 2026 |
| SimpleAI | Accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month source | $106 | Users included, What the AI costs | 27 October 2026 |
| Expensify | Small finance teams that want receipts, cards and reimbursements feeding one ledger | Free, then $5 a seat a month source | Does not apply | Users included, Notice before a price rise | 26 October 2026 |
| Xero | Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees | From $27 a month source | $27 | Ledger included, Users included | 28 October 2026 |
“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.
Closest alternatives to Melio
The ones people open most here come first, then the closest matches. How we rank
- From £10 a month (about $13)
UK cloud accounting with HMRC filing, bank feeds and AI receipt capture, priced per business type.
Why it's on this listLedger included: YesFreeAgent is the accounting ledger itself: it keeps the books, builds the accounting reports and files the returns, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it.
- From Free
Cloud accounting ledger with Zia AI, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099 e-filing, from $20 a month.
Why it's on this listLedger included: YesZoho Books is the accounting ledger itself, so no QuickBooks or Xero subscription sits underneath it; the plan fee covers invoicing, banking, journals and the reports.
- Price not established
AI-native accounting software with optional bookkeeper services for startups and small businesses.
Why it's on this listLedger included: YesIt is the ledger; no QuickBooks or Xero needed. Puzzle is a double-entry general ledger of its own, sold as a QuickBooks replacement (Core card: 'Your QuickBooks replacement').
The rest of the shortlist
- On quote
Stampli
Procure-to-pay workspace for invoices, vendors, payments and card spend, with AI coding and routing.
- Price not established
Booke AI
An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents.
- Price not established
Pilot
A bookkeeping and tax service for startups that pairs software-driven dashboards with human financial advisors.
- From $79 a month
SimpleAI
AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.
- From Free
Expensify
Receipt scanning, company cards, bill pay and reimbursements that feed QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite.
- From $27 a month
Xero
Small-business ledger with a JAX assistant that answers questions in plain language; unlimited users on every plan.
Compare Melio with the shortlist
Compare alternatives to Melio
The digest
What changed in tools. New tools and articles, by email, at most once a week.
Questions buyers ask
What are the best alternatives to Melio?
FreeAgent, Zoho Books and Puzzle are the closest. They share the most of Melio's features.
What is the cheapest alternative to Melio?
2 of the 9 have a free plan: Zoho Books and Expensify. The lowest paid plan is FreeAgent, from about $13 a month. Price checked on 26 October 2026.
How much do Melio alternatives cost?
Entry plans run from $13.40 to $79 a month, and half cost $27 or less.
When were these prices checked?
We read each price between 26 October 2026 and 28 October 2026 on the maker's own pricing page.
Sources and method
Closest first: most of Melio's features, then the fewest gaps. How we rank
Every price was read on the maker's own pricing page.
- Melio: melio.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- FreeAgent: freeagent.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- Zoho Books: zoho.com/us/books/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- Stampli: stampli.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- SimpleAI: simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- Expensify: expensify.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- Xero: xero.com/us/pricing-plans, checked 28 October 2026
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