Accounting software

Everything below links to the page it comes from, and says when we checked it.

What you pay once the welcome offer ends

Three of the ten lead with a discount for new customers. Check the price you'll pay after it.

• QuickBooks Simple Start is $19 a month for the first 3 months, then $38. You get the discount or a 30-day free trial, not both. The first year comes to $399.
• Patriot Accounting Basic is free for 30 days, then $10 a month for 3 months, then $20.
• FreshBooks Lite is $1 a month for your first year, then $23 a month. The page showed no end date for the offer.

Zoho Books, Wave, Kashoo, ZipBooks, Bonsai and Akaunting show no introductory discount, so the listed price is the regular one. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Xero's prices went up on October 1

Since October 1, 2026, Xero's pricing page lists Early at $27 a month, Growing at $59 and Established at $97, up from $25, $55 and $90 (price update page). New US customers now get 80% off the base plan for the first 3 months, then the regular price; Xero can change or cancel that offer at any time. Early is billed monthly only, and it limits you to 20 invoices; the other plans have unlimited invoicing. Read Oct 1, 2026.

Check what the entry plan leaves out

We check five things on each entry plan: unlimited invoices, bank feeds, receipt capture, bank reconciliation, and both a profit and loss report and a balance sheet.

• Kashoo includes all five on its one plan.
• QuickBooks Simple Start includes bank feeds, receipt capture, reconciliation and both reports. Its pages publish no invoice limit for Simple Start; the only cap they state is the Free plan's 2 a month.
• Patriot Accounting Basic includes four. Receipt management is on Premium, $30 a month.
• Xero Early includes four, but invoices stop at 20.
• Zoho Books Standard includes four, with 200 receipt scans a month, but invoices stop at 5,000 a year.
• ZipBooks Smarter includes four. Reconciliation is on Sophisticated, $35 a month. You store receipts from a computer: its mobile app has been discontinued.
• Wave Starter includes unlimited invoices, reconciliation and reports. Bank connections need Pro, and receipt scanning is a paid add-on.
• FreshBooks Lite sends unlimited invoices, but to 5 clients only, and imports bank transactions. Receipt scanning, reconciliation and the balance sheet start on Plus, $43 a month.
• Akaunting Standard Cloud includes reconciliation. Invoices stop at 1,000. Bank feeds and the balance sheet need Premium, $36 a month, and receipt scanning comes with Elite.
• Bonsai Essentials includes unlimited invoices, bank sync for expenses and receipt uploads. We didn't find reconciliation or a balance sheet on its pages.

Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

If more than one person keeps the books

Xero, Patriot and Kashoo include unlimited users. Zoho Books Standard includes 3, then $3 a user a month. ZipBooks Smarter adds 5 team members.

The rest start with one person. QuickBooks Simple Start is 1 billable user plus 2 accounting firms, and Akaunting Standard Cloud is 1 user plus 1 accountant. On Wave, sharing the business with other users needs Pro. FreshBooks charges $11 a month per team member, so Lite for three people is $45 a month. Bonsai prices every seat: three people on Essentials pay $75 a month, or $57 billed annually. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

If you bill by the hour or run jobs

Time tracking is on the entry plan at ZipBooks, FreshBooks and Bonsai. At Zoho Books, Xero and QuickBooks it starts on a higher plan. Our ranking for freelancers scores what a one-person business bills with.

For contractors, Kashoo's one plan tracks income and expenses by project. At four others, costs by job start on a higher plan: Zoho Books Professional at $50 a month, FreshBooks Premium at $70, Xero Established at $97, and QuickBooks Plus at $140. Zoho Books Standard lists progress invoicing and 1099 e-filing. See accounting software for construction and trades and our guide for contractors. Checked Sep 25 to Sep 27, 2026.

How the ranking weighs them

The regular price counts for 30% of the score, and what the entry plan includes another 30%. The price after any introductory offer, users included, how you leave, and a free plan or trial count for 10% each. We score the regular price, never the discount. The formula behind each criterion is on how we score accounting software.

Frequently asked questions

How much does accounting software cost?

Entry plans at the regular price, before taxes:

• Wave Starter is $0; Wave Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year.
• Akaunting Standard Cloud is $12 a month, or $8 a month billed yearly.
• ZipBooks Smarter is $15 a month.
• Zoho Books Standard is $20 a month, or $15 a month billed annually.
• Patriot Accounting Basic is $20 a month.
• FreshBooks Lite is $23 a month, or $248.40 a year.
• Bonsai Essentials is $25 a user a month, or $19 billed annually.
• Xero Early is $27 a month (since October 1, 2026), with 80% off the first 3 months for new US customers.
• Kashoo is $30 a month, or $324 a year.
• QuickBooks Simple Start is $38 a month.

Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Is there free accounting software?

Four have a free plan. Wave Starter is free, with online payments, receipt scanning and payroll as paid extras. ZipBooks Starter is free forever, with unlimited invoices and 1 bank account. Zoho Books Free is for businesses with revenue under $50K a year. QuickBooks Free allows 1 user, 2 invoices a month and 1 bank connection; it was missing from the QuickBooks pricing page when we viewed it in a browser. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Can I try it before I pay?

• FreshBooks: 30 days, no credit card.
• QuickBooks: 30 days, in place of the 3-month discount.
• Patriot: 30 days free.
• Kashoo: 14 days, no credit card.
• Bonsai: 7 days with full access.
• Akaunting offers a free trial; we didn't find how long it lasts.
• Xero's offer terms describe a 30-day trial, but we saw no trial button on its site.

Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

What happens to my books if I cancel?

• Read-only access: QuickBooks for one year, with export to Excel; Zoho Books and Patriot as well.
• Back to the free plan: ZipBooks keeps your data, and Wave Pro returns you to Starter.
• FreshBooks says your data stays preserved, but the same article says accounts inactive 30 days or more may be deleted.
• Export first: Kashoo removes your access to the data, and Akaunting warns you lose all business data unless you download it.
• Xero needs one month's notice, which you pay for; after that the data is archived.

Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.

Can I run payroll from my accounting software?

Xero sells payroll powered by Gusto at $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor. FreshBooks charges $40 a month plus $6 per user, Wave from $40 a month, and Patriot $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid. QuickBooks sells it as QuickBooks Workforce, and Zoho Payroll is a separate Zoho product. ZipBooks connects to Gusto instead, and Kashoo has you enter payroll by hand. Compare payroll services in our payroll ranking. Checked Sep 25 and Sep 27, 2026.