- 250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
- 95+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
- 75+ categories of best business software selections.
- Objective and comprehensive business accounting software ratings rubric. (Learn more about our star ratings.)
Best Free Accounting Software for Small Businesses
Product | Promotion | Learn more | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Zoho Books Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Scalability | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275. | 14-day free trial of the Premium plan. | Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website |
Wave Accounting | 3.5/5 Best for Overall free accounting software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16 | N/A | |
ZipBooks | Best for Free accounting software for Macs | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom. | 30-day free trial | |
Odoo | 4.0/5 Best for Business software integrations | $0 For use of a single app. Additional pricing tiers per user (per month): $38.90, $58.40. | Monthly discount for the first 12 months. | |
Brightbook | Best for Freelancers and self-employed professionals | $0 | N/A | |
ProfitBooks | Best for Inventory management | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20. | N/A | |
Manager | Best for Desktop-based free accounting software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $59 for cloud edition. | 14-day free trial of cloud edition. | |
GnuCash | Best for Open-source free accounting software | $0 | N/A |
Our pick for
Scalability
With six accounting plan options to choose from — including a robust free plan that allows you to send up to 1,000 invoices per year — Zoho Books offers some of the most scalable accounting products on the market. Start strong with all of the standard accounting features in the free plan, then upgrade as you require additional users, more invoices or advanced features like billing, purchase orders, custom reporting and more.
Zoho Books
on Zoho Books' secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
of the Premium plan.
Pros
- Less expensive than some competitors; free plan available for businesses with less than $50k in annual revenue.
- Email support in free plan; phone and chat support in paid plans.
- Rich feature set includes excellent invoicing, inventory management, workflow rules and a capable mobile app.
- Add accounting widgets to your phone’s home screen; track time using your Apple Watch.
Cons
- Fewer third-party integrations and reports than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
Our pick for
Overall free accounting software
Wave is our top pick for free accounting software because it delivers all the expected accounting functions and offers its complementary and robust invoicing software also free of charge. If you’re a freelancer or small business owner with simple accounting and accounts receivable needs, then Wave can likely serve you well.
Wave Accounting
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16
Pros
- Free plan available.
- Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
Cons
- Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails.
- Must subscribe to Wave’s Pro plan or other paid services (payroll, payments, advisor, etc.) to receive customer support from a human.
- No third-party integrations, mileage tracking feature or ability to accept in-person card payments.
Our pick for
Free accounting software for Macs
ZipBooks is easy-to-use and intuitive accounting software with a clean interface and a few plan options, including a free accounting plan. The free plan allows you unlimited invoices and clients plus the ability to integrate with Square or PayPal to accept online payments.
ZipBooks
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom.
Pros
- Free plan available.
- Send unlimited invoices and add expenses.
- Unlimited customer and vendor management.
- Free plan includes direct integration with Square and PayPal for payment processing.
Cons
- Free plan lets users connect to only one bank account.
- Limited to one user in the free plan.
- Free plan doesn’t include live customer support.
Our pick for
Business software integrations
Odoo’s collection of nearly 50 open-source business applications is designed from the ground up to work seamlessly together. Start with one app for free, then build the right network of apps for your business needs with Odoo’s own integrations.
Odoo
For use of a single app. Additional pricing tiers per user (per month): $38.90, $58.40.
for the first 12 months.
Pros
- Unlimited users.
- Vast library of directly integrated apps means the software can grow with your business.
- Open-source model encourages regular testing and improvement of the software.
Cons
- Paid plan is required to access the full list of features for most apps and any additional apps.
- Phone support is only available for database emergencies.
Our pick for
Freelancers and self-employed professionals
Low-cost, high-quality accounting software for freelancers exists, but if you’re looking for completely free software with a full suite of accounting features and you run a business of one, then Brightbook may be a fit for you.
Brightbook
Pros
- Send unlimited invoices.
- Add unlimited users.
- Run basic reports, like a profit and loss statement and tax report.
Cons
- Does not use double-entry accounting.
- Must manually import bank statements.
Our pick for
Inventory management
It’s rare to find inventory management capabilities within free accounting software, so this is where ProfitBooks stands out among its free accounting software competition. The software includes tools for managing suppliers, warehouse and manufacturing inventory and purchase orders.
ProfitBooks
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.
Pros
- Run more than 40 financial reports.
- Manage inventory.
- In-app chat and email support available.
Cons
- Free plan capped at 25 invoices per month and can track no more than 25 products or services.
- Free plan accommodates just one user.
- Must manually import bank statements.
Our pick for
Desktop-based free accounting software
Business owners who don’t require mobile access to their accounting software and tend to do most or all of their work on a single desktop machine may prefer a desktop-based accounting solution. Manager offers its desktop accounting software for free with the option to upgrade to a paid plan to access the cloud version of its software.
Manager
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $59 for cloud edition.
of cloud edition.
Pros
- Send unlimited invoices.
- Run reports, including a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, aged payables, aged receivables, cash flow statement.
- Email support available.
Cons
- Must upgrade to cloud edition to support multiple users.
- Must manually import bank statements.
Our pick for
Open-source free accounting software
GnuCash, like Odoo, is another open-source accounting software option. Open-source accounting software may be most appealing to those who are more tech savvy (or have a team that’s comfortable with some coding) and who prefer to own their own data.
GnuCash
Pros
- Open-source software is customizable, according to your business’s needs.
- Run reports — like a balance sheet and profit and loss statement — and display results as a bar chart, pie chart or scatter plot.
- Supports double-entry accounting.
Cons
- Less automated than some competitors. Checkbook-style register can make entering transactions tedious.
- Outdated user interface.
- Not capable of multiuser access.
- Support is only available via chat and email forums and user guides; no dedicated customer support team.
Wave Accounting
- $0 for the Starter plan.
- $16 per month for the Pro plan.
Zoho Books
- $0 per month for the Free plan.
- $20 per month for the Standard plan.
- $50 per month for the Professional plan.
- $70 per month for the Premium plan.
- $150 per month for the Elite plan.
- $275 per month for the Ultimate plan.
ZipBooks
- $0 per month for the free plan.
- $15 per month for the Smarter plan.
- $35 per month for the Sophisticated plan.
Odoo
- $0 per month for use of a single app.
- $38.90 per user per month for access to all apps.
- $58.40 per user per month for access to all apps across multiple companies plus Odoo’s external API.
Brightbook
ProfitBooks
- $0 per month for the Startup plan.
- $20 per month for the SMB plan.
Manager
- $0 per month for the desktop version.
- $59 per month for the cloud edition.
GnuCash
Free accounting software features
- Income and expense tracking.
- The ability to automatically import your bank transactions so that you can categorize them.
- Third-party integrations or in-house software options for payments, payroll, etc.