Pricing guide · Checked on official pages 18–19 October 2026
Best Free Accounting Software in 2026
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Short answer
Zoho Books is the best free accounting software for most small businesses: its free plan covers real bookkeeping, not just invoices, and it’s offered in every country edition we checked. In the US and Canada, Wave is the most generous for invoicing, with no invoice cap. If you’d rather install software than use the cloud, Manager.io and GnuCash are free desktop programs with no time limits.
Limits below come from each provider’s official pricing page or website, read on 18–19 October 2026. “Free” means a plan you can keep using at $0, not a trial. If you can spend a little, our small business accounting software comparison ranks the paid options too.
Free plan vs free trial: the difference
Plenty of “free accounting software” lists mix three different things together. They aren’t the same, and the difference matters once your first month is up:
- Free plan — $0 for as long as you stay within its limits. Zoho Books, Wave Starter and QuickBooks Free work this way.
- Free software — a program you download and keep, like Manager.io Desktop and GnuCash.
- Free trial or promo — temporary. Xero, FreshBooks and Sage offer these, then you pay full price.
This guide only recommends the first two. If a trial is fine for you, our free trials and offers list shows what each provider is running in your country.
Free accounting software at a glance
| Software | Type | Who can use it | Free plan limits | First paid step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books | Cloud | Every edition we checked (18 countries + Global) | US: revenue up to $50K/year, 1,000 invoices and 1,000 expenses/year | Standard, $20/mo ($15 billed yearly) |
| Wave | Cloud | US and Canada only | Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and records; no automatic bank import | Pro, $19/mo or $190/yr |
| QuickBooks Free | Cloud | US (listed on the US pricing page) | 1 user, 2 invoices a month, 1 bank connection, no accountant access | Simple Start, $38/mo |
| FreeAgent | Cloud | UK only | Free with an eligible NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank or Mettle account | Sole trader £19/mo (excl. VAT) |
| Manager.io Desktop | Desktop | Windows, Mac, Linux | No time or usage limits (official site) | Cloud Edition is a separate paid product |
| GnuCash | Desktop, open source | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free under the GNU GPL | None — volunteer-supported |
Want to compare the cloud options side by side, plan by plan and country by country? Open them in our comparison table.
Zoho Books: best free plan overall
Zoho’s free plan is real accounting software, not a stripped-down invoicing app. The UK edition’s Free plan, for example, lists journals, bank reconciliation and 50+ reports including P&L and balance sheet. Zoho lists a Free plan in every country edition we checked, from the US and UK to India, Australia, the UAE and Kenya. Those editions handle local tax differently, which no other free option here can claim.
Know the limits before you build on it. Zoho’s US FAQ says the free plan stays free as long as your revenue for the financial year doesn’t exceed $50K, and allows up to 1,000 invoices and 1,000 expenses a year. Support is by email. Limits differ by country: the Australian edition, for example, caps revenue at A$50K. In the UK, the Free plan even lists MTD VAT filing and Self Assessment. How it stacks up against QuickBooks Free: Zoho Books vs QuickBooks.
Pros
- Free in every edition we checked, with local tax handling
- Bank reconciliation, 50+ reports and online payments at $0 (UK and India editions)
- Clear upgrade path ($15–$20 a month for Standard in the US)
Cons
- Revenue and volume limits (US: $50K, 1,000 invoices a year)
- Email-only support on the free plan
- You can’t change an organisation’s country edition later
Start Zoho Books free (partner link, opens in a new tab)
Wave: best free invoicing (US & Canada)
Wave’s Starter plan has no invoice cap: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, plus a mobile app. For a US or Canadian sole proprietor who mostly sends invoices, it’s the most generous free plan going. Full details in our Wave review. Torn between Wave and Zoho? See Zoho Books vs Wave.
But read the fine print. Wave states it is only available to businesses in the United States and Canada. Automatic bank imports and unlimited receipt capture need Pro ($19 a month, CA$25 in Canada); on Starter, receipts are an $8-a-month add-on. Accepting card payments costs 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction on Starter.
Pros
- Unlimited invoices and records at $0
- Cheap upgrade ($190 a year)
- Mobile app for invoicing on the go
Cons
- US and Canada only
- No automatic bank feeds on the free plan
- Receipts and payroll cost extra
QuickBooks Free: fine for trying, tight for running
Intuit now has a genuinely free QuickBooks plan, and it says so plainly: “Not a trial. Just free.” No credit card is needed. On the US pricing page it includes income and expense tracking, a profit and loss report, 1 bank connection and chat support for 1 user.
The catch is volume. QuickBooks Free allows 2 invoices a month and no accountant access, so it suits a side hustle more than a working business. We only found it on Intuit’s US pricing page; the UK, Canadian and Australian pages list paid plans only. The next step up, Simple Start, is $38 a month. If QuickBooks’ prices are why you’re here, see our QuickBooks alternatives guide.
FreeAgent: free for some UK bank customers
FreeAgent doesn’t have a free plan as such, but many UK businesses can still use it for nothing. It’s free for as long as you keep a business current account with NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank, or have a Mettle account and make at least one transaction a month.
That covers FreeAgent’s software for your business type, including invoicing, expenses, MTD-compatible VAT returns and Self Assessment; optional add-ons may still cost extra. Without an eligible account, sole traders pay £19 a month (excluding VAT). It’s UK-only.
Manager.io: best free desktop software
Manager.io’s Desktop Edition is free accounting software for Windows, Mac and Linux. Its website promises no time limits, no usage limits and no ads, and it works offline. Its demo company shows the scope: invoices, bills, inventory, payslips and fixed assets, all in one program.
The trade-off is that it’s desktop software. Your data lives on your computer, so backups are your job. If you need multi-user online access, Manager sells a separate Cloud Edition.
GnuCash: best open-source option
GnuCash is free, open-source accounting software for personal and small-business finances. It’s licensed under the GNU GPL and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (version 5.17 when we checked). It tracks bank accounts, income and expenses, and its site says it’s built on professional accounting principles to keep books balanced.
It’s built and supported by volunteers, so help comes from mailing lists and the wiki rather than a support team. It suits someone comfortable with bookkeeping who wants full control and zero cost. Choose something else if you want online invoice payments or bank feeds out of the box.
Popular tools that aren’t free
You’ll see these on “free” lists, but on their official pricing pages they’re paid products with a trial or launch discount:
- Xero — no free plan. The US page offered 80% off for 3 months or one month free; Canada, South Africa and Singapore list a 30-day free trial. See how it stacks up in Xero vs QuickBooks.
- FreshBooks — a 30-day free trial, then from $23 a month in the US.
- Sage Accounting — discounts (90% off for 6 months in the UK) rather than a free plan.
A trial can still be the smarter choice if you’ll outgrow a free plan’s limits in the first few months anyway. Our freelancer guide compares the paid options on price and limits.
What “free” can still cost you
- Payment fees: taking card payments on invoices costs a per-transaction fee, e.g. 2.9% + $0.60 on Wave Starter.
- Add-ons: receipts, payroll and extra users are often paid even when the core plan is free.
- Limits you’ll hit: revenue caps (Zoho), invoice caps (QuickBooks Free), or bank conditions (FreeAgent).
- Support: free plans usually get email support only, and open-source tools rely on volunteers.
- Switching later: moving books between systems takes time, so pick one whose paid plans you could live with.
Which free option should you choose?
- Most small businesses, anywhere: Zoho Books Free.
- US or Canadian sole proprietor who invoices a lot: Wave Starter.
- UK business banking with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank or Mettle: FreeAgent.
- Want to try QuickBooks before paying: QuickBooks Free (US).
- Prefer offline desktop software: Manager.io Desktop, or GnuCash if you want open source.
Not sure your business fits a free plan? The finder can filter for “Free plan” and show what’s available in your country. Contractors should also read our construction guide, since Zoho’s UK free plan tracks CIS and retention payments.
FAQ
Is there truly free accounting software?
Yes. Zoho Books, Wave and QuickBooks all have $0 plans you can keep using within their limits, and Manager.io Desktop and GnuCash are free programs with no subscription. Xero, FreshBooks and Sage only offer trials or discounts.
Is Wave still free in 2026?
Yes. Wave’s Starter plan is $0 with unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records, but it is only available to businesses in the US and Canada. Bank imports and unlimited receipts need the Pro plan ($19 a month or $190 a year).
Is QuickBooks free?
QuickBooks Free costs $0 with no credit card, but it allows only 2 invoices a month, 1 user and 1 bank connection. We found it on the US pricing page only. Paid plans start with Simple Start at $38 a month.
What is the best free accounting software in the UK?
Zoho Books UK has a free plan that lists MTD VAT filing and Self Assessment. FreeAgent is free if you bank with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank or Mettle (with at least one transaction a month). Sage Sole Trader Free is another £0 option for non-VAT sole traders; see our UK guide.
