Top 9 of 44 alternatives
Xero alternatives, led by FreeAgent (on quote)
The closest alternatives to Xero in October 2026 are FreeAgent, Zoho Books and Puzzle. Xero is from $27 a month. FreeAgent has the lowest paid plan here, from about $13 a month.
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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Xero and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starts at | A month at 100 transactions | Better than Xero at | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Small businesses wanting the whole team and their advisor on the books, no per-user fees | From $27 a month source | $27 | 28 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 | Notice before a price rise, Categorizes transactions | 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 | Sends invoices, Moves your history in | 26 October 2026 |
| Puzzle | A US startup on Mercury, Brex, Ramp, Stripe and Gusto that wants to replace QuickBooks | Price not established | $30 | Categorizes transactions, Sends invoices | 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 | 26 October 2026 |
| Booke AI | A business or bookkeeping firm already on QuickBooks Online or Xero | Price not established | $156 | Categorizes transactions, Support | 26 October 2026 |
| SimpleAI | Accounting firms and finance teams processing high volumes of invoices and bank statements | From $79 a month source | $106 | Past your plan’s limits, Categorizes transactions | 27 October 2026 |
| QuickBooks Online | Small businesses that want one ledger plus payroll, payments and an accountant login | Free, then $38 a month source | $38 | Categorizes transactions, Sends invoices | 28 October 2026 |
| Sage Accounting | VAT-registered sole traders and small firms up to 49 employees wanting payroll built in | From about $27 a month source | About $58 | Categorizes transactions, Sends invoices | 27 October 2026 |
| Digits | A US startup or small business that wants its own AI-kept ledger in place of QuickBooks | From $65 a month source | $65 | Categorizes transactions, Sends invoices | 27 October 2026 |
“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.
Closest alternatives to Xero
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 listNotice before a price rise: YesThe 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.
- 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 listSends invoices: YesInvoices, recurring invoices, credit notes, payment reminders and a customer portal are on every plan, with online payment links and offline payments recorded against the invoice.
- Price not established
AI-native accounting software with optional bookkeeper services for startups and small businesses.
Why it's on this listCategorizes transactions: YesCategorizes by itself and learns from you. Every plan auto-categorizes ('Up to 98% auto-categorization' on Starter).
The rest of the shortlist
- Price not established
Pilot
A bookkeeping and tax service for startups that pairs software-driven dashboards with human financial advisors.
- Price not established
Booke AI
An AI bookkeeper that works inside QuickBooks Online and Xero to categorize transactions and match documents.
- From $79 a month
SimpleAI
AI agents that extract, classify and reconcile accounting documents, then publish them into Xero or QuickBooks.
- From Free
QuickBooks Online
Intuit's cloud ledger, now with Intuit Intelligence agents that categorize, reconcile and flag errors.
- From £20 a month (about $27)
Sage Accounting
Sage's cloud small-business ledger with built-in payroll and the Sage Copilot assistant; US edition retired.
- From $65 a month
Digits
AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles itself, replacing QuickBooks or Xero for US businesses.
Compare Xero with the shortlist
Compare alternatives to Xero
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 Xero?
FreeAgent, Zoho Books and Puzzle are the closest. They share the most of Xero's features.
What is the cheapest alternative to Xero?
2 of the 9 have a free plan: Zoho Books and QuickBooks Online. The lowest paid plan is FreeAgent, from about $13 a month. Price checked on 26 October 2026.
How much do Xero alternatives cost?
Entry plans run from $13.40 to $79 a month, and half cost $26.80 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 Xero's features, then the fewest gaps. How we rank
Every price was read on the maker's own pricing page.
- Xero: xero.com/us/pricing-plans, checked 28 October 2026
- FreeAgent: freeagent.com/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- Zoho Books: zoho.com/us/books/pricing, checked 26 October 2026
- SimpleAI: simpleaiworks.com/en/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
- QuickBooks Online: quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing, checked 28 October 2026
- Sage Accounting: sage.com/en-gb/sage-business-cloud/sage-accounting, checked 27 October 2026
- Digits: digits.com/pricing, checked 27 October 2026
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