Eight tools let you keep the books without paying — recording transactions, reconciling a bank account and producing a profit-and-loss statement. Bookkeeping differs from accounting in what you need day to day: receipt capture and a bank feed matter more than a balance sheet. This list scores each free tier on those terms. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free bookkeeping plan that fits
- You want receipt scanning free: Zoho Books Free — 50 receipt autoscans a month plus bank reconciliation; the only free tier here with built-in capture.
- You log transactions by hand and invoice a lot: Wave Starter — unlimited records and invoices; receipt capture is an $11 add-on.
- Several people share the books, no budget: Brightbook — unlimited users, invoices and bills, entirely free; no bank feed.
- Offline and permanent: Manager Desktop (with inventory and payroll recording) or GnuCash (open source); statements imported by file.
Which bookkeeping software tools have a free plan in 2026?
Bookkeeping is the daily half of accounting: getting every transaction recorded, matched to the bank and categorised, so that month-end reporting is a button rather than a weekend. That is why this list weighs bank feeds and receipt capture more heavily than the companion accounting list does, and why the same product can rank differently here.
All eight tools offer a tier you can keep using indefinitely without paying: five hosted free-forever plans (Zoho Books, Wave, Brightbook, ZipBooks, QuickBooks Free), one free desktop edition (Manager) and two open-source applications (GnuCash, Akaunting). We excluded Bench, which is a human bookkeeping service from $199 a month with no free plan, Kashoo, which offers only a 14-day trial, and Sunrise by Lendio, which was shut down in 2022 and still appears in older lists.
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 with every limit, the upgrade trigger, the cheapest paid step and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z |
Free forever | 50 receipt scans/mo · $50K revenue | No | 93 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Free forever | Manual entry · receipts paid | No | 85 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | Single user · desktop | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Open source | Desktop · file import only | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Free forever | Unlimited users · no bank feed | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 1 bank account · basic reports | No | 74 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Open source | Self-hosted · 1 user · 1,000 invoices | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Q |
Free forever | 1 bank · 2 invoices/mo · no app | No | 64 | 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 bookkeeping 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 · bank reconciliation, receipt autoscan and 50+ reports free for one user under $50K revenueFree forever50 receipt scans/mo · $50K revenueNo card93⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: bank reconciliation, expenses, receipt autoscan, invoices, bills, journals, customer portal, 50+ reports
- Hard limits
- 1 user + 1 accountant · 50 autoscans/mo · 1,000 invoices/yr · 1,000 bills/yr · revenue under $50K/yr
- Time limit
- Unlimited while revenue stays under $50K/yr
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page.
- Upgrade trigger
- More than 50 receipt scans a month (an autoscan add-on is allowed on Free) or revenue over $50K
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $15/org/month billed annually ($20 monthly)
- Best free for
- A micro-business that wants receipts photographed and matched to the bank without paying
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/us/books/pricing
2W
WaveCanada · unlimited bookkeeping records and invoices; bank import and receipt capture are paidFree foreverManual entry · receipts paidNo card85⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: unlimited bookkeeping records, invoices, bills and estimates, dashboard, manual transaction entry
- Hard limits
- No automatic bank import · no receipt capture on the free tier · otherwise unlimited
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated; Starter has no subscription to charge.
- Upgrade trigger
- Receipt scanning ($11/month add-on) or automatic bank import (Pro)
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $19/month or $190/year; receipts add-on $11/month or $96/year
- Best free for
- An owner who keeps the books by hand and wants free invoicing alongside
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · waveapps.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Unlimited records give Wave the capacity score, but the two features bookkeeping is made of — bank feed and receipt capture — are exactly what Wave charges for. For a hand-kept ledger it is excellent; for automated bookkeeping it is a paid product with a free invoicing front.
3M
ManagerAustralia · free single-user desktop bookkeeping with bank reconciliation, inventory and attachmentsFree foreverSingle user · desktopNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Desktop Edition: bank reconciliation, invoicing, inventory, payroll recording, document attachments, reports
- Hard limits
- Single user, local install only · bank import by statement file, no live feeds
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. Free download.
- Upgrade trigger
- Multi-user or browser access (Cloud edition)
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Edition $59/month
- Best free for
- A solo owner who wants unlimited offline bookkeeping with attachments against every entry
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · manager.cloud · crm.org review (desktop terms)
Why it ranks here. Manager records receipts as attachments and reconciles against imported statements, which covers most of the bookkeeping job offline. Friction scores low because feeds are file-based and the app is single-user; the desktop terms are cross-checked with a third-party review because the vendor page did not describe them to our fetch.
4G
GnuCashGNU project · open-source double-entry ledger with invoicing and bill payment; no limits, no feedsOpen sourceDesktop · file import onlyNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- GnuCash 5.17 under the GPL: double-entry ledger, invoicing, bill payment, customer and vendor tracking, reports
- Hard limits
- No vendor limits · OFX/QIF statement import · no receipt capture or mobile app
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source license)
- Card required
- No. Free download, no account.
- Upgrade trigger
- None — there is no paid tier
- Cheapest paid step
- None (donations only)
- Best free for
- An owner who wants free, permanent, offline books and will import statements monthly
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · gnucash.org/features.phtml
Why it ranks here. Nothing to pay and nothing to outgrow, but bookkeeping in GnuCash is a manual craft: statements by file, receipts in a folder, categorisation by hand. The core-job and friction scores say so; for a patient owner it is the most durable choice here.
5B
BrightbookUK · entirely free invoicing, bills and payment logging with unlimited users and data exportFree foreverUnlimited users · no bank feedNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- The whole product: unlimited invoices and reminders, unlimited bills and payments received, unlimited users, data export at any time
- Hard limits
- None stated · no bank feed or receipt capture mentioned
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The site states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- None — no paid plan is listed
- Cheapest paid step
- None listed
- Best free for
- A UK or EU freelancer or small team that wants shared, simple books with no fee and no upsell
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · mybrightbook.com
Why it ranks here. Brightbook is unusual: no paid plan at all, unlimited users, and an explicit no-card promise. It is also light — no bank feed, no receipt capture, and the product appears to be updated rarely, which costs friction points for the risk of a quiet shutdown. Export your data regularly.
6Z
ZipBooksUS · free invoicing and bookkeeping with one bank connection and Square/PayPal paymentsFree forever1 bank account · basic reportsNo card74⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: unlimited invoices, unlimited customers and vendors, 1 bank connection, Square/PayPal payments, basic reports
- Hard limits
- 1 bank account · basic reports only · no receipt capture listed
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page.
- Upgrade trigger
- A second bank account, team members or advanced reports
- Cheapest paid step
- Smarter $15/month (currency and billing basis unlabelled on the page)
- Best free for
- A US freelancer with one business bank account who wants it categorised automatically
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zipbooks.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. One live bank feed on a free plan is the bookkeeping feature that matters, and ZipBooks has it. Everything around it is basic, the paid plan’s currency is not even labelled, and there is no receipt capture — hence the middle of the list.
7A
AkauntingTürkiye/US · open-source invoices, expenses and payments you host; receipts and bank feeds are paid appsOpen sourceSelf-hosted · 1 user · 1,000 invoicesNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- On-Premise Standard: invoices, expenses and payments tracking on your own server
- Hard limits
- 1 company · 1 user + 1 accountant · 1,000 invoices · receipt capture, bank feeds and double-entry sold as apps
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source core)
- Card required
- No. Self-hosted download.
- Upgrade trigger
- Receipt or expense-claim, bank-feed or double-entry apps, each paid
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Standard $8/month billed yearly ($12 monthly)
- Best free for
- A self-hosting freelancer tracking invoices and expenses who does not need feeds
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · akaunting.com/plans-on-premise
Why it ranks here. The modules that make Akaunting a bookkeeping tool rather than an invoice ledger are paid, and the vendor’s own pages disagree on limits (‘no limits’ on the homepage, 1,000 invoices on the plans page). We scored the conservative reading.
8Q
QuickBooks FreeUS · Intuit’s $0 tier: one auto-syncing bank feed and a monthly P&L; receipt snap needs the paid mobile appFree forever1 bank · 2 invoices/mo · no appNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- QuickBooks Free: 1 auto-syncing bank connection, income and expense tracking, monthly P&L, 3 reports, chat support
- Hard limits
- 1 user · 2 invoices/month · 1 bank · 3 reports · no mobile app, integrations or accountant access
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- Receipt capture (mobile app, excluded from Free), a third invoice in a month, or accountant access
- Cheapest paid step
- Simple Start $19/month for 3 months, then $38/month
- Best free for
- A US micro-business that mainly wants one bank feed categorised and plans to upgrade
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. A real bank feed and no card make it worth listing, but receipt capture lives in the mobile app that the free tier excludes, and two invoices a month is a hobby limit. It is an on-ramp to QuickBooks, priced to convert.
Which free bookkeeping plan has no credit-card requirement?
None of the eight asks for a card. Brightbook, QuickBooks Free and Manager say so explicitly; GnuCash and Akaunting are downloads; Zoho Books, Wave and ZipBooks do not mention a card on their pricing pages, which we record as “not stated”. No free plan here converts to a paid one automatically.
For bookkeeping specifically, sort the eight by what they automate. Live bank feed on the free tier: Zoho Books, ZipBooks (one account), QuickBooks Free (one account). Receipt capture on the free tier: Zoho Books only (50 a month). Neither, but unlimited manual records: Wave, Brightbook. Offline with statement import: Manager, GnuCash. Self-hosted with paid modules: Akaunting.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free bookkeeping plan fits your situation?
Receipts and bank feed, solo, under $50K
Zoho Books Free. Fifty autoscans a month and reconciliation at no cost.
Hand-kept books, many invoices
Wave Starter. Unlimited records; pay $19 only when manual entry stops being worth your time.
A small team sharing one set of books for free
Brightbook. Unlimited users and no paid plan; export monthly as insurance.
One bank account, want it categorised automatically
ZipBooks Starter or QuickBooks Free; ZipBooks has no invoice cap.
Offline, permanent, with inventory
Manager Desktop. GnuCash if you want open source and no inventory.
Self-hosted and technical
Akaunting, with a budget for the receipt and bank-feed apps.
Which paid accounting software can you move to?
When the free tier stops being enough, these are the providers in the Kurums Solutions Directory. Every company there is listed free and A–Z by our editors, with a buyer’s guide for the category — no one pays for a position.
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, recording and categorising transactions, reconciling a bank account and producing a P&L. 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 to the Kurums editorial team.
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 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. Where a vendor’s pages disagree (Akaunting), we scored the conservative reading and said so.
Prices are USD except where the page labels none (ZipBooks). QuickBooks’ price is a three-month promotional rate with the regular price beside it. We did not test the products; the score measures the published free tier, not the product’s quality. Bench, Kashoo and Sunrise were checked and excluded for the reasons given above.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between free bookkeeping and free accounting software?
The products overlap, but bookkeeping is the daily work: recording, matching to the bank, categorising. This list weighs bank feeds and receipt capture more heavily; the companion accounting list weighs the ledger, reports and seats.
Which free bookkeeping software scans receipts?
Zoho Books Free, up to 50 a month. Wave charges $11 a month for receipts, QuickBooks Free excludes the mobile app that does it, and the desktop tools store attachments rather than scan them.
Which free plans connect to my bank?
Zoho Books Free, ZipBooks Starter (one account) and QuickBooks Free (one account). Wave Starter, Manager, GnuCash and Akaunting’s free core do not; they import statement files or need a paid step.
Can two people use a free bookkeeping plan?
Brightbook allows unlimited users free. Odoo (see the accounting list) allows unlimited users on one app. The others are single-user until you pay.
Is Sunrise by Lendio still free?
No. Lendio sunset the Sunrise brand in July 2022 and the app no longer resolves. Lists that still recommend it are out of date.
How is this different from the Best Accounting Software comparison?
This list answers ‘where can I keep the books without paying’. The Best comparison answers ‘which one should I buy’. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule.
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