Best Free Accounting Software 2026
Quick Take
Free accounting software that's actually usable — not just 'free trial' bait. These tools offer genuine free tiers for accounting, invoicing, or expense management without time limits.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
| # | Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wave | Best all-around free accounting | $0/mo | 6.8/10 |
| 2 | Zoho Books | Best free accounting with limits | $0/mo | 9.3/10 |
| 3 | Melio | Free B2B payments | $0/mo | 4.6/10 |
| 4 | Ramp | Free expense management | $Custom/mo | 7.7/10 |
| 5 | Kashoo | Free invoicing | $0/mo | 7.3/10 |
1. Wave | Best all-around free accounting
Genuinely free accounting and invoicing. no catch, no 'freemium' bait-and-switch. Wave makes money on payment processing and payroll add-ons. Perfect for solopreneurs and micro-businesses who need real double-entry accounting without spending a dime.
Our take: Full double-entry accounting, invoicing, and receipt scanning at $0/mo. The gold standard for free accounting software.
Wave Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting (Free) | $0 | — |
| Payments | $0 | — |
| Payroll (Tax States) | $40 | — |
2. Zoho Books | Best free accounting with limits
Part of the massive Zoho ecosystem. Free for businesses under $50K revenue, then competitively priced. Strong automation features and excellent if you're already in the Zoho ecosystem. The UI is functional but not winning any design awards.
Our take: Free for businesses under $50K revenue. Full-featured accounting within that limit. Upgrades are affordable.
Zoho Books Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — |
| Standard | $15 | $10/mo |
| Professional | $40 | $26/mo |
| Premium | $60 | $40/mo |
| Elite | $120 | $80/mo |
3. Melio | Free B2B payments
Free B2B payment platform. pay vendors by bank transfer for free, or by card for 2.9%. Melio is laser-focused on making business payments painless. No monthly fee. Integrates with QBO and Xero. The catch: they make money on card transaction fees and expedited payments.
Our take: Free bank transfers to vendors. Not accounting software, but solves the 'I need to pay bills' problem at $0.
Melio Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — |
4. Ramp | Free expense management
Corporate card + expense management that's genuinely free for the base tier. Ramp's value prop is saving you money. automated receipt matching, spend controls, and vendor price benchmarking. The corporate card has no fees and 1.5% cashback. Ramp Plus ($15/user/mo) adds procurement and advanced controls.
Our take: Free corporate card, receipt matching, and expense management. Plus 1.5% cashback. The free tier is legitimately generous.
Ramp Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | Custom | — |
| Ramp | $0 | — |
| Ramp Plus | $15 | — |
5. Kashoo | Free invoicing
Simple cloud accounting that doesn't try to be everything. Kashoo's TrulySmall product handles invoicing and expenses for under $10/mo. The full Kashoo product at $27/mo is basic but gets the job done for small businesses that want simplicity over features.
Our take: TrulySmall Invoices is free. Basic but functional for simple invoicing needs.
Kashoo Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| TrulySmall Invoices | $0 | — |
| TrulySmall Accounting | $10 | — |
| Kashoo | $27 | — |
How We Ranked These Tools
Only included tools with truly free tiers (not trials). Ranked by the quality and depth of what you get at $0/mo.
Read our full scoring methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is free accounting software safe?
Wave and Zoho Books are established companies with millions of users. Wave is owned by H&R Block. Zoho has been in business since 1996. Free doesn't mean sketchy — it means different business models.