16 tools to consider instead of QuickBooks, with who each one suits, where it falls short and a source for every price. No scores or star ratings.
Updated 27 Sep 2026 · Next review 26 Dec 202616 tools · 22 min read
Q
Disclosure: We make startbuddi, so we've put it first and been upfront about where it falls short. There are no scores or star ratings here. Every price and feature below comes from the tool's own website or our own test account, and each one links to its source.
TL;DRThe short answer
Small businesses that invoice clients and want to see money in and out?startbuddi.
Small businesses that want accounting and invoicing in one?Xero.
US and Canadian freelancers who want free invoicing and bookkeeping?Wave.
Freelancers and small service businesses that bill clients and need simple accounting?FreshBooks.
Small businesses that want accounting, invoicing and tax in one app?Zoho Books.
UK small businesses that need Making Tax Digital VAT returns and payroll in one place?Sage Accounting.
Find your fit · 2 questions
Which alternative suits you?
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2. Which sounds most like you?
Answer both to see a suggestion. It only uses the facts on this page.
Businesses already on Stripe that want hosted invoices and automatic collection
Percentage-based pricing from the US page. No fixed fees or setup costs. Plus is 0.5% per
Not stated
Prices are list prices as each company publishes them, never converted. startbuddi's price is shown in your currency where we can.
The alternatives
01
startbuddi
Our productBest for small businesses that invoice clients and want to see money in and out
Best for
Small businesses that invoice clients and want to see money in and out
Starting price
Free plan. Paid from $29 a month Starter plan, our pricing
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Money Manager covers invoices, payment links, subscriptions, estimates and contracts, expenses and bills, cash flow and simple profit and loss. Payments by card and bank transfer run through Paystack or Stripe.
Strengths
Invoices, payment links and a pay-me page
Expenses, bills and cash flow in one place
Paystack and Stripe for payments
Limitations
Not accounting software: no general ledger, tax filing or bank reconciliation
Best for small businesses that want accounting and invoicing in one
Best for
Small businesses that want accounting and invoicing in one
Starting price
$25 USD, per month (Early, US)
Free plan
No
Platforms
Web
Xero is accounting software covering invoices, quotes, bills and cash flow forecasts. The US plans run from Early to Established, with limits on invoices and bills on the entry plan.
Strengths
Quotes and invoices on every plan
Cash flow forecasts on every plan
Multiple currencies and project tracking on Established
Best for uS and Canadian freelancers who want free invoicing and bookkeeping
Best for
US and Canadian freelancers who want free invoicing and bookkeeping
Starting price
$19 USD, per month (Pro; $190 per year)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, mobile app
Wave is accounting and invoicing software for small businesses in the US and Canada. The free Starter plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records. Pro adds bank transaction import, receipt capture, late payment reminders and lower card fees on the first 10 transactions each month.
Strengths
Unlimited invoices, estimates and bookkeeping records on the free plan
Card payments at 2.9% + $0.60 on Starter, with the fixed fee waived for the first 10 transactions a month on Pro
Pro adds automatic bank import and unlimited receipt capture
Optional payroll and bookkeeping services
Limitations
Only available to businesses in the US and Canada
Automatic bank transaction import and late payment reminders are Pro only
Removing Wave branding and adding more users need Pro
Best for freelancers and small service businesses that bill clients and need simple accounting
Best for
Freelancers and small service businesses that bill clients and need simple accounting
Starting price
$23 USD, per month (Lite), regular price
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
FreshBooks is accounting and invoicing software for freelancers and small businesses, with expenses, time tracking, payments and double-entry accounting. Plans are priced by the number of billable clients.
Strengths
Invoicing, recurring billing and online payments
Receipt scanning and bank imports for expenses
Double-entry accounting and reports
iPhone and Android apps
Limitations
Lite plan allows only 5 billable clients; Plus allows 50
Each extra team member costs $11 a month
Project profitability and automated client emails need Premium ($70 a month regular price)
Best for small businesses that want accounting, invoicing and tax in one app
Best for
Small businesses that want accounting, invoicing and tax in one app
Starting price
₦3,600 per month, billed yearly (Standard)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Windows
Zoho Books is online accounting software for invoicing, expenses, bank reconciliation, tax and reports. The free plan covers 1 user and 1 accountant for businesses under a revenue threshold, and paid plans add users, bank feeds, inventory and projects.
Strengths
Free plan with invoices, quotes, expenses, recurring invoices and a customer portal
Bank reconciliation, payment reminders and 50+ reports on the free plan
Standard adds bank feeds, e-invoicing, VAT returns and API access
Apps for iOS, Android and Windows
Limitations
The free plan is limited to businesses with revenue under 50K USD a year and 1,000 invoices a year
Sales and purchase orders, multi-currency, inventory and timesheet billing are not on Standard
Standard includes 3 users; extra users are a paid add-on
Best for uK small businesses that need Making Tax Digital VAT returns and payroll in one place
Best for
UK small businesses that need Making Tax Digital VAT returns and payroll in one place
Starting price
£20 per month, excluding VAT (Start)
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web
Sage Accounting is cloud accounting software for UK sole traders and small businesses, now bundled with payroll and the Sage Copilot assistant. It covers invoicing, bank reconciliation, VAT returns under Making Tax Digital and CIS. Plans differ mainly by users and features such as inventory and multi-currency.
Strengths
Unlimited sales invoices and automatic invoice chasing
Making Tax Digital VAT submissions
Payroll included, with 1 employee on Start and Standard
Plus plan has unlimited users
Limitations
Start allows 1 user; Standard allows 3
Receipt and invoice capture is not included on Start
Inventory and multi-currency need Plus (£59 per month excl. VAT after the offer)
Best for uK sole traders and small companies that file to HMRC themselves
Best for
UK sole traders and small companies that file to HMRC themselves
Starting price
£10 per month (Unincorporated landlords), excluding VAT
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, mobile app
FreeAgent is UK accounting software that covers invoicing, expenses, bank feeds, payroll, VAT returns and Self Assessment, filing directly to HMRC. Plans are priced by business type, and some UK bank customers get it free.
Strengths
Files MTD VAT returns and Self Assessment directly to HMRC
Payroll, projects and time tracking included
Free with a NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank business current account (and Mettle for most plans)
30-day free trial with cancel anytime
Limitations
Built around UK tax; the features pages focus on HMRC filing
Smart Capture is capped at 10 a month unless you add Unlimited (£5 per month)
The partnerships plan does not include Self Assessment
Best for small businesses that want double-entry bookkeeping with unlimited users
Best for
Small businesses that want double-entry bookkeeping with unlimited users
Starting price
$30 USD, per month, or $324 per year billed annually
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web
Kashoo is online accounting software with invoicing, online payments, expense and bill tracking, bank feeds and a double-entry ledger in one plan. It has a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
Strengths
One plan with unlimited invoices and unlimited users
Bank feed sync, sales tax tracking and multi-currency
Project and inventory tracking
14-day free trial with no credit card
Limitations
No free plan
Only one plan, so there is no cheaper tier; the company points new users towards its newer product, TrulySmall
Prices are set by location in the page script (USD or CAD)
Web (works on computer, tablet or phone); self-hosted
Akaunting is open-source online accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, covering invoicing, expenses, cash flow and a client portal. The self-hosted Standard edition is free with source code available, and hosted cloud plans start with the one-person Standard Cloud plan.
Strengths
Self-hosted Standard edition is free, with the source code available
Standard Cloud includes 1 company, 1 user plus 1 accountant and 1,000 invoices
App store adds modules such as double-entry, payroll, inventory and CRM
Client portal lets clients see transactions and pay invoices
Limitations
Cloud plans have no free tier, only a free trial
Double-entry, bank feeds and the client portal start on Premium Cloud ($24 a month billed yearly)
Payroll, inventory and CRM apps start on Elite Cloud ($56 a month billed yearly)
Best for small businesses that want free, offline accounting software
Best for
Small businesses that want free, offline accounting software
Starting price
$59 USD, per month (Cloud Edition)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Windows, Mac, Linux (desktop and server); web (Cloud Edition)
Manager.io is accounting software with a free desktop edition for Windows, Mac and Linux that has no time or usage limits. A free server edition can be self-hosted, and a paid Cloud Edition is hosted for you with multi-user access.
Strengths
Free desktop edition with no time limits, usage limits or ads
Works offline
Free self-hosted server edition
Cloud Edition includes unlimited users and businesses for one price
Limitations
Hosted multi-user access in a browser needs the paid Cloud Edition at $59 a month
No installation help for the server edition
Mobile use is through the browser on Cloud; no native app mentioned
Invoice Ninja is invoicing software with quotes, recurring billing, expenses, projects and a client portal. It is open source and can be self-hosted, and the hosted free plan allows up to 5 clients with unlimited invoices.
Strengths
Free plan with unlimited invoicing for up to 5 clients
Open source with a self-hosting option
Connects to Stripe, PayPal, Square, GoCardless and many other gateways
Native apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Limitations
Free plan is limited to 5 clients and shows 'Created by Invoice Ninja'
Extra account users, bank sync and e-invoicing (PEPPOL) need Enterprise, from $18 a month
Auto late-payment reminders and REST API access are not on the free plan
Best for freelancers and small agencies who want proposals, contracts and invoices together
Best for
Freelancers and small agencies who want proposals, contracts and invoices together
Starting price
$9 USD, per user per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Bonsai combines client management, projects, time tracking, proposals, contracts and invoicing for freelancers and small service businesses. The cheapest Basic plan covers time and task tracking; invoices, payments and contracts start on Essentials.
Strengths
Proposals, contracts, invoices and payments in one account (Essentials and up)
Client portal, forms and scheduling on Essentials
Unlimited projects and clients on every plan
iOS and Android apps
Limitations
No free plan, only a 7-day free trial
Invoicing and payments are not in the Basic plan; they start on Essentials at $19 per user per month billed annually
Integrations (QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier) and branding removal start on Premium
Best for sole traders and service businesses sending a small number of invoices
Best for
Sole traders and service businesses sending a small number of invoices
Starting price
$79.99 USD, per year, billed annually (Starter)
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
iOS, Android, Web
Invoice2go is an invoicing app for service businesses, with estimates, reminders, card and bank payments and a US business bank account. Plans are limited by the number of invoices a year, and there is a 30-day free trial.
Strengths
Unlimited estimates, projects, clients and team members on every plan
Free bank transfers (ACH) and a business bank account and debit card
QuickBooks and Xero integration and advanced reports on Professional
30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Limitations
Starter is capped at 30 invoices a year and Professional at 100
Card payment fees are 3.5% on Starter, 3% on Professional and 2.9% on Premium
Recurring invoices and phone support are only on Premium; banking is provided by a US bank
Best for uS small businesses sending invoices and taking card or bank payments
Best for
US small businesses sending invoices and taking card or bank payments
Starting price
$49 USD, per month per location (Square Plus)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Square Invoices lets businesses send invoices, recurring invoices and estimates, and get paid by card or bank transfer. It is part of Square's free plan, with paid Plus and Premium plans that lower some processing fees and add features. Fees are charged per payment.
Strengths
Invoices, recurring invoices, estimates and contracts on the free plan
ACH bank transfers on invoices cost 1% with a $1 minimum
Plus caps ACH invoice fees at $10 and adds payment schedules and custom invoice templates
Premium includes 24/7 phone support
Limitations
Online card payments on the free plan cost 3.3% + 30¢ (2.9% + 30¢ on Plus)
Paid plans are charged per location per month
This page covers US pricing; fees and features vary by country
Best for businesses already on Stripe that want hosted invoices and automatic collection
Best for
Businesses already on Stripe that want hosted invoices and automatic collection
Starting price
Percentage-based pricing from the US page. No fixed fees or setup costs. Plus is 0.5% per
Free plan
Not stated
Platforms
Web (Stripe Dashboard), API
Stripe Invoicing creates and sends invoices from the Stripe Dashboard or API, with a hosted payment page for each invoice. It charges a percentage of each paid invoice on top of Stripe's payment processing fees.
Strengths
No fixed fees or setup costs
Stripe-hosted invoice page and a customer portal
Automatic reminders and Smart Retries for failed payments
Auto-reconciliation of invoices paid by ACH credit or wire
Limitations
Stripe Payments processing fees apply on top of the invoicing fee
Built for or usable by small businesses and small teams
A published product page and pricing page we could check
Actively maintained, with a working sign-up or trial
Covers the core job this list is about, not just a feature of it
A mix of free, low-cost and established options
About this list
Where the facts come from
Every price, plan and feature comes from the tool's own website, pricing page or docs, or from our own test account. Each tool links to its sources and shows the date we checked them.
What we leave out
No scores, star ratings or review counts. If we can't confirm a fact from an official source, we leave it out and mark it "not published".
When it's reviewed
Last updated 27 Sep 2026. Next review due 26 Dec 2026. We review every list at least every 90 days.
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