Best invoicing and accounting tools for small businesses

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Replace QuickBooks? When it makes sense, and when it doesn't

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#1Wave

Free plan

Try Wave (opens in new tab)

Best for: Very small teams wanting free invoicing and bookkeeping

Price: Starter $0. Pro $19/mo monthly or $190/yr

Free tier with unlimited invoices
Flat pricing, not per seat

US/Canada focus
Fewer integrations than QuickBooks/Xero

Source: waveapps.com/pricing · checked Oct 13, 2026

#2Zoho Invoice

Free

Try Zoho Invoice (opens in new tab)

Best for: Service businesses that only need invoices

Price: $0 (per pricing page)

Free
Zoho ecosystem

Not full accounting

Source: zoho.com/us/invoice/pricing · checked Oct 13, 2026 · Plan limits unverified

#3Zoho Books

Free planLow-cost

Try Zoho Books (opens in new tab)

Best for: Small teams wanting cheap full accounting with sales-tax and 1099 support

Price: Free (1 user + accountant). Standard $15/org/mo billed annually ($20 monthly), 3 users. Professional $50/org/mo monthly

Free plan for solo owners
Priced per organization, not per user

Standard includes only 3 users
Smaller US accountant ecosystem than QuickBooks

Source: zoho.com/us/books/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#4Xero

Low-cost

Try Xero (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that want full double-entry accounting

Price: Early $27/mo, Growing $59/mo, Established $97/mo (intro discounts for first 3 months)

Full accounting with bank reconciliation
Large accountant network

Payroll is an add-on

Source: xero.com/us/pricing-plans · checked Oct 14, 2026 · Per-user limits not verified

#5FreshBooks

Low-cost

Try FreshBooks (opens in new tab)

Best for: Agencies and consultants that bill time

Price: Lite $23/mo, Plus $43/mo, Premium $70/mo (list). Team members +$11/mo each

Strong time-to-invoice flow

Per-user add-ons add up

Source: freshbooks.com/pricing · checked Oct 13, 2026

#6Invoice Ninja

Open sourceSelf-hostable

Try Invoice Ninja (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that want open-source invoicing

Price: Free (5 clients). Pro $14/mo. Enterprise from $18/mo

Self-host option

Price at 10 users not published in our fetch

Source: invoiceninja.com/pricing-plans · checked Oct 13, 2026

#7QuickBooks Online

Legacy

Visit site (opens in new tab)

Best for: US small businesses whose accountant works in QuickBooks

Price: Simple Start $38/mo, Essentials $85/mo, Plus $140/mo, Advanced $340/mo (list; 50% off 3 months promo). Advanced: 25 users

The default for US accountants
Deep payroll, payments and app ecosystem

List prices are high after the promo

Source: quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026 · User limits for Simple Start/Essentials/Plus not captured

Frequently asked questions

Are there free invoicing & accounting tools?

Yes. Options with a $0 plan or free software include Wave, Zoho Invoice. Free plans have limits; see each card.

Are there open-source invoicing & accounting tools?

Yes: Invoice Ninja. Self-hosting means you handle updates, backups and security.