7 best QuickBooks alternatives
This page compares seven accounting tools that small businesses use in place of QuickBooks Online, from paid cloud suites to free and open-source software. Each entry lists the starting price and free plan status taken from the vendor's official US pricing page, checked on October 12, 2026. All research for this page was done with Firecrawl Alexandria.
QuickBooks alternatives compared
Starting prices as each vendor lists them on its pricing page, checked October 12, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Small businesses that need several users | No (free plan) | $27/month (Early plan) | No (open source) |
| FreshBooks | Freelancers and service businesses that invoice clients | No (free plan) | $23/month (Lite plan) | No (open source) |
| Zoho Books | Micro businesses that need a free plan with core bookkeeping | Yes (free plan) | $0/month (Free plan); Standard $20/org/month, or $15/org/month billed annually | No (open source) |
| Wave | Sole proprietors on a tight budget | Yes (free plan) | $0 (Starter); Pro $19/month or $190/year | No (open source) |
| Patriot Software | US small businesses that want low-cost accounting and payroll | No (free plan) | $20/month (Accounting Basic) | No (open source) |
| Sage 50 | Businesses that want desktop accounting with cloud access | No (free plan) | $132.17/month (Pro Accounting, 1 user) | No (open source) |
| GnuCash | Owners comfortable with free desktop software | Yes (free plan) | Free | Yes (open source) |
| QuickBooks(for reference) | Small business accounting software | Yes (free plan) | $0/month (QuickBooks Free); Simple Start $38/monthQuickBooks Online pricing | See vendor |
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Why people look for QuickBooks alternatives
Recurring price increases
Intuit raised monthly prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus and Advanced again starting August 1, 2026, which gives owners on those plans a reason to compare cheaper tools at renewal.
Source: Firm of the Future: QuickBooks Online pricing changes
Introductory discounts end after 3 months
The pricing page advertises 50% off for the first 3 months, after which Simple Start doubles from $19 to $38 a month and Plus goes from $70 to $140 a month.
Source: QuickBooks Online pricing
User caps push teams to higher tiers
Simple Start includes 1 billable user, Essentials 3 and Plus 5, so adding a bookkeeper or second partner can mean moving up a plan.
Frustration with customer support and billing
Reviewers on Trustpilot repeatedly describe long hold times, cases closed without a fix, and charges that continued after cancellation.
The 7 best QuickBooks alternatives in detail
1. Xero
Visit siteBest for Small businesses that need several users
Xero is a cloud accounting platform with bank reconciliation, invoicing, bill pay, sales tax and 1099 management. No plan charges per-user license fees, and payroll is offered as a Gusto-powered add-on.
Strengths
- No per-user license fees
- Free standard ACH bill payments on all plans
- Large app marketplace and accountant network
Watch out for
The Early plan caps invoices and bills, so most active businesses need Growing at $59/month.
- Starting price
- $27/month (Early plan)
- Free plan
- No
- Note
- New US customers were offered 80% off for the first 3 months ($5.40/month on Early), then the regular price applies. Early limits you to 20 invoices and 5 bills; Growing is $59/month and Established is $97/month.
- Source
- Xero US pricing
2. FreshBooks
Visit siteBest for Freelancers and service businesses that invoice clients
FreshBooks centers on invoicing, time tracking, estimates and expense tracking for service-based businesses. Plans are tiered by the number of billable clients, from 5 on Lite to unlimited on Premium.
Strengths
- Invoicing and client payments in one flow
- Built-in time tracking and estimates
- Accepts cards, ACH, Apple Pay and Google Pay
Watch out for
Lite only covers 5 billable clients, and each extra team member adds $11 a month.
- Starting price
- $23/month (Lite plan)
- Free plan
- No
- Note
- Lite was offered at $1/month for the first year as a promotion, and Plus at 80% off for 3 months, then $43/month. Extra team members cost $11/month per user.
- Source
- FreshBooks pricing
3. Zoho Books
Visit siteBest for Micro businesses that need a free plan with core bookkeeping
Zoho Books offers a free plan with invoices, bank reconciliation, recurring invoices, 1099 filing and more than 50 reports for 1 user plus 1 accountant. Paid tiers add users and automation and connect to the wider Zoho suite.
Strengths
- Free plan covers core bookkeeping and 1099s
- Per-organization pricing instead of per-user
- Connects with Zoho CRM, Inventory and other Zoho apps
Watch out for
The free plan supports only 1 user plus an accountant and offers email support only.
- Starting price
- $0/month (Free plan); Standard $20/org/month, or $15/org/month billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- Professional is $50/month ($40 billed annually) and Premium is $70/month ($60 billed annually).
- Source
- Zoho Books US pricing
4. Wave
Visit siteBest for Sole proprietors on a tight budget
Wave's free Starter plan includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, with card processing charged per transaction. The Pro plan adds automation and lower online payment fees.
Strengths
- Unlimited invoices and bills on the free plan
- Mobile invoicing
- Optional payroll and bookkeeping services
Watch out for
Online payment fees on the free plan add up for businesses with high card volume.
- Starting price
- $0 (Starter); Pro $19/month or $190/year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- Pro was offered at $9.50/month for the first 3 months on monthly billing. Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction on Starter. Bookkeeping services start at $149/month.
- Source
- Wave pricing
5. Patriot Software
Visit siteBest for US small businesses that want low-cost accounting and payroll
Patriot Accounting covers unlimited customers, invoices and vendors, bank imports and reconciliation, with a separate low-cost payroll product. Support is US-based by phone, email or chat.
Strengths
- Low regular price for unlimited invoices
- Pairs with Patriot's own payroll
- Free US-based support
Watch out for
Estimates and recurring invoices require the Premium plan.
- Starting price
- $20/month (Accounting Basic)
- Free plan
- No
- Note
- Listed with 30 days free plus 50% off for 3 months ($10/month), then $20/month. Accounting Premium is $30/month and adds estimates, recurring invoices and user permissions.
- Source
- Patriot Software pricing
6. Sage 50
Visit siteBest for Businesses that want desktop accounting with cloud access
Sage 50 is a long-running accounting product now sold as Sage 50 Cloud, with a Sage 50 Desktop option for local installs. Sage offers free data migration from most QuickBooks versions.
Strengths
- Free import from most QuickBooks versions
- Desktop and cloud deployment options
- Payroll bundles available
Watch out for
It costs far more than most cloud tools here and requires an annual commitment.
- Starting price
- $132.17/month (Pro Accounting, 1 user)
- Free plan
- No
- Note
- Minimum one-year commitment required. A 30-day free trial is available.
- Source
- Sage 50 pricing
7. GnuCash
Visit siteBest for Owners comfortable with free desktop software
GnuCash is free, GPL-licensed double-entry accounting software for Windows, macOS and Linux. It handles small-business accounting, reports, scheduled transactions and QIF/OFX bank imports.
Strengths
- No subscription cost
- Double-entry accounting
- Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
Watch out for
It is desktop software with volunteer support, so there is no cloud access or vendor help desk.
- Starting price
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Note
- Free under the GNU GPL. Developed and supported by volunteers.
- Source
- GnuCash official site
How this page is built
Every price on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing page, read with Firecrawl and checked on October 12, 2026. Each figure links to the page it came from.
To run the same research yourself, connect Firecrawl to ChatGPT and ask it to compare any tool's alternatives. It reads live pricing pages and pulls data from Firecrawl Alexandria providers such as AlternativeTo. Developers can make the same calls through the API.
Try these prompts in ChatGPT
“Compare the current starting prices of QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks from their official pricing pages.”
“Which QuickBooks alternatives have a free plan, and what are the limits?”
“Find open source or self-hosted alternatives to QuickBooks and list their licenses.”
“Read QuickBooks's pricing page and explain what each plan includes.”
QuickBooks alternatives FAQ
- Is there a free alternative to QuickBooks?
- Yes. Zoho Books and Wave both offer free plans for invoicing and bookkeeping, and GnuCash is free open-source desktop software. QuickBooks also has its own Free plan, but it is limited to 2 invoices a month.
- Which QuickBooks alternative is cheapest for a small business?
- Among paid plans checked in October 2026, Zoho Books Standard is $15 per organization per month billed annually, Wave Pro is $19 per month, and Patriot Accounting Basic is $20 per month at regular price. QuickBooks Simple Start is $38 per month after its introductory discount.
- Can I move my data from QuickBooks to another accounting tool?
- Most alternatives support importing QuickBooks data. Sage states that Sage 50 can import data from most QuickBooks versions for free, and GnuCash can import bank data in QIF and OFX formats. Check each vendor's migration guide for what transfers.
- Which QuickBooks alternative is best for multiple users?
- Xero does not charge per-user license fees on any plan, and Zoho Books prices per organization. QuickBooks Online caps billable users at 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials and 5 on Plus.
- Is Xero better than QuickBooks?
- Xero suits teams that want to avoid per-user license fees, while QuickBooks offers more plan tiers and a free option. Xero's Early plan starts at $27 per month and caps you at 20 invoices, so compare the plan limits against your monthly volume.