Country guide · Canadian prices checked on official pages, 18–19 October 2026
Best Accounting Software in Canada 2026: Prices in CAD Compared
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Quick answer
For most Canadian small businesses, QuickBooks Online is the safest all-round choice: the cheapest paid entry (Lite C$20), standalone payroll from C$30 a month, and inventory on Plus. Zoho Books is the best value, with a free plan and Standard at C$20 a month (C$15 billed annually). Wave is the best free option. Xero suits teams because it has no per-user fees. FreshBooks suits freelancers who bill clients. Sage suits businesses that want GST/HST returns and an English/French interface.
All prices are regular monthly prices in Canadian dollars, before tax, from each provider’s official Canadian pricing page (18–19 October 2026). We haven’t run hands-on tests, so there are no star ratings here. For other countries, see the best accounting software for small business by country.
Canadian prices at a glance
| Software | Plans (CAD/month) | Free option | Offer when checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | Lite 20 · Essentials 70 · Plus 110 · Advanced 220 | 30-day trial | 90% off for 6 months |
| Zoho Books | Free · Standard 20 (15 yearly) · Professional 35 (30) · Premium 50 (40) · Elite 200 (165) · Ultimate 350 (290) | Free plan | — |
| Wave | Starter 0 · Pro 25 (or 250/year) | Free plan | — |
| Xero | Starter 25 · Standard 60 · Premium 80 | 30-day trial | 80% off for 3 months |
| FreshBooks | Lite 26 · Plus 42 · Premium 72 (team members 13 each) | 30-day trial | 80% off for 4 months |
| Sage Accounting | Start 23 · Standard 50 · Plus 72 | — | 75% off for 6 months (new monthly customers) |
MYOB and FreeAgent aren’t sold in Canada. Compare these tools side by side in our comparison table.
QuickBooks Online: best all-rounder
QuickBooks has the cheapest paid entry in Canada and the widest range. Lite (C$20) is invoicing and basic reports for 1 user, with no accountant access, and Intuit says payroll isn’t available on Lite. Essentials (C$70) adds 3 users, accountant access, bill management and multiple currencies. Plus (C$110) adds 5 users, budgets, inventory, project profitability and up to 40 classes and locations. Advanced (C$220) allows 25 users.
Trade-offs: an accountant can’t log in until Essentials, so for many businesses the real entry price is C$70. Intuit was also showing an alternative “EasyStart” line-up to some visitors when we checked, so confirm the plans you see at checkout. See our QuickBooks Online review.
Zoho Books: best value
Zoho Books has a dedicated Canadian edition with a free plan, and its paid plans undercut most rivals: Standard is C$20 a month, or C$15 billed annually. The Canadian edition lists GST and sales tax handling, and Professional (C$35, or C$30 annually) adds projects and inventory. That’s the cheapest inventory option on this list.
Trade-offs: the lowest prices need annual billing, and Zoho says an organisation’s country and base currency can’t be changed later. See our Zoho Books review.
Try Zoho Books free (partner link, opens in a new tab)
Wave: best free option
Wave is only sold in Canada and the US. Starter is free, with unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records. Pro costs C$25 a month or C$250 a year, and adds automatic bank imports and receipt capture. On Starter, receipts are an add-on at C$11 a month or C$96 a year.
Trade-offs: no inventory or project tracking, and card fees on online payments. See our Wave review.
Xero: best for teams
Xero charges no per-user licence fees, so a growing team pays the same as one person. Starter (C$25) allows 20 invoices and 5 bills. Standard (C$60) removes those caps and adds auto-reconciliation, budgets and dashboards. Premium (C$80) adds multiple currencies and a 180-day cash flow forecast. Expense claims (from C$5 a month) and project tracking (from C$10 a month) are optional extras on every plan, and Starter can add auto-reconcile for C$5.
Trade-offs: the Starter caps are tight, and C$25 is more than QuickBooks Lite (C$20). See our Xero review.
See Xero’s current offer (partner link, opens in a new tab)
FreshBooks: best for freelancers
FreshBooks is built around billing clients. Every plan has unlimited time tracking and expenses, and proposals and retainers start on Plus. Canadian prices are C$26, C$42 and C$72 a month, and team members cost C$13 each.
Trade-offs: client caps (5 on Lite, 50 on Plus), and payroll in Canada runs through a partner, PaymentEvolution. See our FreshBooks review.
See FreshBooks’ current offer (partner link, opens in a new tab)
Sage Accounting: GST/HST and bilingual
Sage’s Canadian Accounting Start plan (C$23) says it calculates your GST/HST for submission to the CRA and supports English and French. Standard (C$50) adds receipt capture, advanced reports, purchase invoices and quotes. Plus (C$72) adds inventory, multi-currency banking and an exchange-rate gains and losses report. Payroll is an optional add-on at checkout.
See our Sage Accounting review.
Payroll in Canada
| Provider | Payroll price (CAD/month) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Payroll | Core 30 + 5/employee · Premium 55 + 8/employee · Elite 80 + 15/employee | Can be bought without an accounting plan; 30-day trial |
| Wave Payroll | 25 base + 6/employee + 6/contractor paid | Automatic CRA remittances, T4/T4A slips; not available in Quebec |
| FreshBooks | Via partner (PaymentEvolution) | Ask FreshBooks for pricing |
| Sage | Optional add-on at checkout | Price shown during checkout |
For other countries, see our payroll comparison. Worked example from those list prices: paying 3 employees costs C$45 a month on QuickBooks Payroll Core (30 + 3 × 5), or C$43 on Wave (25 + 3 × 6), before the accounting plan.
Which one should you choose?
- Sole proprietor, low volume: Wave (free) or Zoho Books Free.
- Small business with an accountant: Zoho Books Standard (C$15–20), or QuickBooks Essentials (C$70) if your accountant uses QuickBooks.
- Team of 5+: Xero, with no per-user fees.
- Freelancer billing hours: FreshBooks.
- Inventory: Zoho Books Professional (C$35), Sage Plus (C$72) or QuickBooks Plus (C$110).
- Quebec or French-speaking: check language and payroll coverage. Sage lists English and French, and Wave Payroll excludes Quebec.
Still not sure? Our how to choose accounting software checklist walks through users, volume caps and year-two cost. You can also run the finder with Canada selected.
FAQ
What is the cheapest accounting software in Canada?
Wave and Zoho Books both have free plans. The cheapest paid plans are QuickBooks Lite and Zoho Books Standard at C$20 a month (Zoho is C$15 billed annually), then Sage Start at C$23 and Xero Starter at C$25.
Which accounting software handles GST/HST in Canada?
Sage’s Accounting Start plan says it calculates GST/HST for submission to the CRA, and Zoho Books’ Canadian edition lists GST and sales tax handling. QuickBooks and Xero also sell Canadian editions; check your plan’s sales-tax features before you buy.
Is Wave free in Canada?
Yes. Wave’s Starter plan is free in Canada. Pro costs C$25 a month or C$250 a year, and payroll starts at C$25 a month plus C$6 per employee (not available in Quebec).
How much does QuickBooks cost in Canada?
QuickBooks Online Canada costs C$20 (Lite), C$70 (Essentials), C$110 (Plus) or C$220 (Advanced) a month. Payroll starts at C$30 a month plus C$5 per employee. New customers were offered 90% off for 6 months, or a 30-day trial, when we checked.
