Eight accounting tools let a small business keep real books without paying — five hosted free-forever plans, two open-source desktop applications and one single-user freeware. This list scores each free tier on how long it lasts, how much it lets you do, whether it does the core accounting job, and whether you need a card. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free accounting plan that fits
- Solo business under $50K revenue: Zoho Books Free — bank feeds, reconciliation, receipt autoscan and 50+ reports; one user plus an accountant.
- US or Canadian freelancer who invoices: Wave Starter — unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records, no time limit; bank import is the paid step.
- A multi-user team that only needs accounting: Odoo One App Free — unlimited users on one hosted app; the second app is what you pay for.
- You want offline books you own forever: GnuCash (open source) or Manager Desktop (freeware) — no vendor limits, no cloud, no bank feeds.
Which accounting software tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool on this page offers a tier you can keep books on indefinitely without paying. Five are vendor-hosted free-forever plans (Wave, Zoho Books, Odoo, ZipBooks, QuickBooks Free), one is a free single-user desktop edition (Manager), and two are open-source applications (GnuCash on the desktop, Akaunting self-hosted). We excluded tools that only offer a time-limited trial — FreshBooks (30 days), Xero (promotional month) and Sage (30 days) — because a trial answers “can I evaluate it?”, not “can I run on it?”.
The eight were chosen for category fit and verifiable public pricing: each has a pricing page that states the free tier’s limits, or an open-source license that removes them. Accounting is the category where a free tier’s fine print matters most — revenue caps, invoice counts per month, and whether bank feeds are included decide whether the plan is usable for a real business or only for a hobby.
The table shows the one limit most likely to push you to a paid plan, whether a card is needed to start, and the Free Score. The rows below open into a full Scorecard: what is included, every hard limit, the time limit, the card requirement, what triggers the upgrade, the cheapest paid step, who the free tier fits, and where we checked it.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z |
Free forever | 1 user · $50K revenue/yr | No | 92 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Free forever | Manual bank entry · US/CA only | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| O |
Free forever | 1 app · unlimited users | No | 86 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Open source | Desktop · no cloud | No | 85 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | Single user · desktop | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Open source | Self-hosted · 1,000 invoices | No | 74 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 1 bank account · basic reports | No | 73 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Q |
Free forever | 2 invoices/mo · 1 bank · 1 user | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 21 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free accounting plan plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1Z
Zoho BooksIndia · full double-entry accounting with bank feeds and receipt autoscan, free under $50K revenueFree forever1 user · $50K revenue/yrNo card92⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: invoices, quotes, expenses, journals, bank reconciliation, recurring invoices, customer portal, payment reminders, receipt autoscan, 1099/W-9, P&L, balance sheet, 50+ reports
- Hard limits
- 1 user + 1 accountant · 1,000 invoices/yr · 1,000 bills/yr · 50 autoscans/mo · revenue under $50K/yr
- Time limit
- Unlimited while revenue stays under $50K/yr
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page; sign-up is a Zoho account.
- Upgrade trigger
- Annual revenue crossing $50K, a second user, or add-ons beyond document autoscan
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $15/org/month billed annually ($20 monthly)
- Best free for
- A solo business or consultant under $50K revenue that wants real books with bank feeds at no cost
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/us/books/pricing
2W
WaveCanada · unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping records for US and Canadian businesses; paid for bank importFree foreverManual bank entry · US/CA onlyNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, accounting dashboard, mobile invoicing, online payments at 2.9% + $0.60
- Hard limits
- Unlimited records · no user cap stated · no automatic bank import · no receipt capture
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated for Starter; the plan has no subscription to charge.
- Upgrade trigger
- Wanting bank transactions imported automatically (Pro) or receipt capture (add-on $11/mo)
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $19/month or $190/year; receipts add-on $11/month
- Best free for
- A US or Canadian freelancer who invoices clients and will key in bank transactions by hand
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · waveapps.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Wave gives away the most volume — no invoice, bill or record cap — which is why capacity scores high. The core-job score drops because the free tier has no bank feed: bookkeeping is manual, and the paid step exists precisely to remove that. Only US and Canadian businesses can sign up.
3O
Odoo AccountingBelgium · one hosted Odoo app free for unlimited users; the second app moves everyone to paidFree forever1 app · unlimited usersNo card86⌄
- What’s free
- One App Free: one app (Accounting or Invoicing) plus its dependencies on Odoo Online with hosting, maintenance, backups and email support; unlimited users and multiple companies
- Hard limits
- Exactly 1 app (plus dependencies) · unlimited users · no record caps stated
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page.
- Upgrade trigger
- Installing a second app, which switches the whole database to Standard per-user pricing
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $31.10/user/month for the first 12 months (list $38.90), all apps
- Best free for
- A multi-user team that needs only accounting and can resist adding CRM or Inventory
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · odoo.com/pricing-plan
Why it ranks here. Unlimited users on a hosted, maintained accounting app is unique on this list, which carries capacity. Two things hold it back: Odoo’s accounting app is deep but configuration-heavy for a small business, and the upgrade trigger is unusually sharp — one extra app and every user becomes a paid seat, with the card requirement unstated.
4G
GnuCashGNU project · free desktop double-entry accounting under the GPL; no limits, no vendor, no bank feedsOpen sourceDesktop · no cloudNo card85⌄
- What’s free
- GnuCash 5.17: double-entry ledger, customer and vendor tracking, jobs, invoicing, bill payment, investment accounts, reports and graphs
- Hard limits
- No vendor limits; single-file desktop application, no cloud sync, OFX/QIF import only
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source license)
- Card required
- No. Free download, no account.
- Upgrade trigger
- None — there is no paid tier; the limit is your own time and the lack of live bank feeds
- Cheapest paid step
- None (donations only)
- Best free for
- An owner comfortable with desktop software who wants permanent double-entry books with zero lock-in
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · gnucash.org · gnucash.org/features.phtml
Why it ranks here. There is nothing to outgrow and nothing to pay, so duration and capacity are full marks. The core-job score reflects what a modern small business expects and GnuCash lacks: live bank feeds, a mobile app, receipt capture. Friction scores low because the learning curve and manual statement imports are real costs in hours.
5M
ManagerAustralia · full-featured desktop accounting, free for a single user with no time or usage limitsFree foreverSingle user · desktopNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Desktop Edition: invoicing, bank reconciliation, inventory, payroll recording, attachments and reports for Windows, Mac and Linux
- Hard limits
- Single-user desktop only · no multi-user, remote access or automatic backups
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. Free download; the 14-day Cloud trial also needs no card.
- Upgrade trigger
- Needing a second user or browser access (Cloud or Server edition)
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Edition $59/month
- Best free for
- A solo owner or bookkeeper who wants unlimited offline double-entry accounting with inventory
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · manager.cloud · crm.org review (desktop terms)
Why it ranks here. Manager’s free desktop edition is broader than GnuCash — inventory and payroll recording are built in — and has no record limits. It is proprietary freeware rather than open source, single-user only, and the vendor’s own site did not describe the desktop terms to our fetch, so the free statement is cross-checked with a third-party review and marked for re-verification.
6A
AkauntingTürkiye/US · open-source invoicing and expense core you host yourself; most accounting modules are paid appsOpen sourceSelf-hosted · 1,000 invoicesNo card74⌄
- What’s free
- On-Premise Standard: invoices, expenses and payments on your own PHP server; app store modules (double-entry, inventory, bank feeds, payroll) sold separately
- Hard limits
- 1 company · 1 user + 1 accountant · 1,000 invoices (on-premise Standard) · no paid app included
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source core)
- Card required
- No. Self-hosted download.
- Upgrade trigger
- Needing double-entry, bank feeds or inventory — each is a paid app — or a second company or user
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Standard $8/month billed yearly ($12 monthly); On-Premise Premium $72/year
- Best free for
- A technical solo founder who can run a Laravel app and needs only invoices and expenses
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · akaunting.com/plans-on-premise · akaunting.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Akaunting’s open-source core is narrower than its marketing: the homepage says ‘no limits’ while the plans page lists 1,000 invoices and one user, and the modules that make it real accounting (double-entry, bank feeds) are paid apps. We scored the conservative reading and flagged the inconsistency; the Türkiye-founded project is still the easiest open-source option to install.
7Z
ZipBooksUS · simple free invoicing and bookkeeping with one bank connection and Square/PayPal paymentsFree forever1 bank account · basic reportsNo card73⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: unlimited invoices, unlimited customers and vendors, 1 bank account connection, digital payments via Square and PayPal, basic reports
- Hard limits
- 1 bank connection · basic reports only · team-member limit not stated for Starter
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page.
- Upgrade trigger
- A second bank account, team members, recurring invoices or advanced reports
- Cheapest paid step
- Smarter $15/month (currency and billing basis not labelled on the page)
- Best free for
- A US freelancer who wants invoicing plus one bank feed and nothing more
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zipbooks.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. ZipBooks is the lightest tool here: one bank feed and basic reports cover a freelancer, and unlimited invoices are generous. It scores low on core job because reporting is thin and the product updates slowly, and on friction because the pricing page omits both the card requirement and the currency of its paid plan.
8Q
QuickBooks FreeUS · Intuit’s new $0 tier with one auto-syncing bank feed and a monthly P&L, capped at two invoices a monthFree forever2 invoices/mo · 1 bank · 1 userNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- QuickBooks Free: income and expense tracking, 1 connected bank with auto sync, monthly P&L, 3 reports (P&L, balance sheet, account quick report), chat support
- Hard limits
- 1 user · 2 invoices/month · 1 bank connection · 3 reports · no accountant access, mobile app or integrations
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- The third invoice in a month, inviting an accountant, or wanting the mobile app
- Cheapest paid step
- Simple Start $19/month for 3 months, then $38/month
- Best free for
- A US side business that sends two invoices a month and wants to grow into QuickBooks later
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. A genuine $0 QuickBooks tier is new and worth knowing about, but two invoices a month and no accountant access make it an on-ramp rather than a working free plan. It ranks last on capacity for that reason; the no-card sign-up and a real bank feed keep it on the list.
Which free accounting plan has no credit-card requirement?
None of the eight asks for a card to start. QuickBooks Free and Manager state it explicitly; GnuCash and Akaunting are downloads; Wave, Zoho Books, Odoo and ZipBooks run their free tiers as plain sign-ups and do not mention a card on their pricing pages, which we record as “not stated” rather than assume. No free plan on this list converts to a paid one automatically — the risk that card-gated trials carry and this list avoids.
The ceilings differ more than the sign-ups do. Revenue: Zoho Books caps the free plan at $50K a year. Volume: QuickBooks Free allows two invoices a month, Akaunting 1,000 on-premise, Zoho 1,000 a year, Wave and ZipBooks none. Seats: Zoho, Manager, Akaunting, ZipBooks and QuickBooks are single-user; Odoo is unlimited. Bank feeds: Zoho, Odoo, ZipBooks (one account) and QuickBooks (one account) include them; Wave, Manager, GnuCash and Akaunting do not. Pick the ceiling you will hit last.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free accounting plan fits your situation?
Solo, under $50K revenue, want bank feeds
Zoho Books Free. Reconciliation, receipt autoscan and real reports; your accountant gets a seat.
US or Canada, mostly invoicing
Wave Starter. Unlimited invoices and records; bank import is the one thing you will eventually pay $19 for.
Three or more users, accounting only
Odoo One App Free. Unlimited users on a hosted app; never install a second app.
Offline books you control
GnuCash for open source, Manager Desktop for inventory and payroll recording. Import statements by file.
Technical, self-hosted, invoices and expenses
Akaunting. Budget for paid modules the day you need double-entry or bank feeds.
Already in the Intuit ecosystem, tiny volume
QuickBooks Free. Two invoices a month; upgrade to Simple Start when you send the third.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, a double-entry ledger with invoices, expenses and a profit-and-loss report. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 21 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections through the Update your free tier form.
How did we verify these free tiers?
For each product we opened the pricing page, recorded the free tier’s stated limits, the cheapest paid plan and its billing basis, and the card requirement if stated. Where a page was inconsistent (Akaunting’s homepage says “no limits” while its plans page lists 1,000 invoices and one user), we scored the conservative reading and said so in the row. Where a vendor page would not describe its free terms to our fetch (Manager’s desktop edition), we used a current third-party review alongside the vendor’s cloud pricing page and marked the row for re-verification at the next quarterly pass.
Prices are USD. Odoo’s price is its 12-month introductory rate with the list price beside it; QuickBooks’ is a three-month promotional rate with the regular price beside it. ZipBooks’ pricing page labels neither currency nor billing period, and we say so rather than guess. We did not test the products for this list; the score measures the published free tier, not the product’s quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is free accounting software good enough for a real business?
For a solo business or a very small company, yes: Zoho Books Free and Odoo One App Free are full double-entry systems with bank feeds. What you give up is seats, volume caps and, on some plans, bank import — not the ledger itself.
Which free accounting software has no revenue limit?
Wave, Odoo, GnuCash, Manager, ZipBooks and QuickBooks Free state no revenue cap. Zoho Books Free is limited to businesses under $50K in annual revenue.
Which free plans include bank feeds?
Zoho Books Free, Odoo One App Free, ZipBooks Starter (one account) and QuickBooks Free (one account). Wave, Manager, GnuCash and Akaunting’s free tiers import statements by file or need a paid step.
Can my accountant log in to a free plan?
Zoho Books Free includes one accountant seat alongside the one user; Akaunting on-premise allows one accountant; QuickBooks Free does not allow accountant access. The desktop tools share files rather than logins.
Why is GnuCash ranked fourth and not first if it has no limits?
Because the score weighs friction and the core job as a modern small business sees it: no bank feeds, no mobile app and a steeper learning curve. On duration and capacity it is already at full marks.
How is this different from the Best Accounting Software comparison?
This list answers ‘where can I keep books without paying’. The Best comparison answers ‘which one should I buy’ and ranks paid tiers. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule and link to each other.
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