Accounting · 8 tools compared
What is the best accounting app in 2026?
Short answer
Zoho Books ranks first on published facts: a free plan (1 user, revenue under 50K USD), paid plans from $10 / mo. The cheapest paid option in the first year is ERPNext ($60). 4 of 8 have a free plan.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | 1st year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Zoho Books | Free tier for micro businesses | Yes | $10 / mo | $120 |
| 2. ERPNext | Open-source ERP with accounting | Yes | $5 / mo | $60 |
| 3. Wave | Free invoicing for freelancers | Yes | $19 / mo | $228 |
| 4. FreshBooks | Freelancers invoicing clients | No | $23 / mo | $276 |
| 5. Xero | Unlimited-user cloud accounting | No | $27 / mo | $324 |
| 6. QuickBooks Online | US small-business bookkeeping standard | No | $38 / mo | $456 |
| 7. Odoo Accounting | Accounting inside a full ERP suite | Yes | $31.10 / seat / mo | $1,866 |
| 8. FreeAgent | Freelancers and small agencies | No | $27 / mo | $324 |
From = cheapest paid plan, billed yearly where offered. 1st year = that plan for 12 months.
How did we rank these 8 accounting apps?
On published facts only, scored out of 7: free plan (2, or 1 for a trial), first-year cost against the others (up to 3), three or more paid plans (1), mobile apps (1). We do not test tools hands-on.
| Tool | Score / 7 |
|---|---|
| Zoho Books | 6.6 |
| ERPNext | 6 |
| Wave | 5.1 |
| FreshBooks | 4.7 |
| Xero | 4.3 |
| QuickBooks Online | 3.4 |
| Odoo Accounting | 3 |
| FreeAgent | 2.3 |
The 8 best accounting apps, ranked
Zoho Books
Best for: free tier for micro businesses
- Free plan
- Yes, 1 user, revenue under 50K USD
- From
- $10 / mo
- 1st year
- $120
ERPNext
Best for: open-source ERP with accounting
- Free plan
- Yes, open source, self-hosted
- From
- $5 / mo
- 1st year
- $60
Wave
Best for: free invoicing for freelancers
- Free plan
- Yes, Starter: unlimited invoices
- From
- $19 / mo
- 1st year
- $228
FreshBooks
Best for: freelancers invoicing clients
- Free plan
- No, 30-day trial
- From
- $23 / mo
- 1st year
- $276
Xero
Best for: unlimited-user cloud accounting
- Free plan
- No, 30-day trial
- From
- $27 / mo
- 1st year
- $324
QuickBooks Online
Best for: US small-business bookkeeping standard
- Free plan
- No, 30-day trial
- From
- $38 / mo
- 1st year
- $456
Odoo Accounting
Best for: accounting inside a full ERP suite
- Free plan
- Yes, One app, unlimited users
- From
- $31.10 / seat / mo
- 1st year
- $1,866
FreeAgent
Best for: freelancers and small agencies
- Free plan
- No
- From
- $27 / mo
- 1st year
- $324
Which accounting app is cheapest?
ERPNext, at $60 for the first year, then Zoho Books at $120.
| Tool | Cheapest plan | 1st year |
|---|---|---|
| ERPNext | Frappe Cloud Sites | $60 |
| Zoho Books | Standard | $120 |
| Wave | Pro | $228 |
| FreshBooks | Lite | $276 |
| Xero | Early | $324 |
| FreeAgent | FreeAgent | $324 |
| QuickBooks Online | Simple Start | $456 |
| Odoo Accounting | Standard | $1,866 |
Which accounting apps have a free plan?
4 of 8: Zoho Books, ERPNext, Wave, Odoo Accounting.
- Zoho Books: 1 user, revenue under 50K USD
- ERPNext: open source, self-hosted
- Wave: Starter: unlimited invoices
- Odoo Accounting: One app, unlimited users
Sources
| Vendor page | URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books pricing | zoho.com/books/pricing/ | 27 Oct 2026 |
| ERPNext pricing | frappe.io/erpnext/pricing | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Wave pricing | waveapps.com/pricing | 27 Oct 2026 |
| FreshBooks pricing | freshbooks.com/pricing | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Xero pricing | xero.com/us/pricing/ | 27 Oct 2026 |
| QuickBooks Online pricing | quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/ | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Odoo Accounting pricing | odoo.com/pricing | 27 Oct 2026 |
| FreeAgent pricing | freeagent.com/us/pricing/ | 27 Oct 2026 |
Prices in USD as published by each vendor, billed yearly where offered. How we compare