Bench alternatives · Accounting
Free alternatives to Bench
Bench has no free plan. 25 of the 66 other accounting and invoicing tools in this directory are free or have a free plan.
Bench is a paid product, starting at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light). 3 of them have no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.
25 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from
The 12 closest to Bench
- Free plan · from $38/mo
QuickBooks Online
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced
What is free: 1 user, income and expense tracking, 2 invoices a month, 3 reports and 1 connected bank. No accountant access, mobile app or third-party apps.
- QuickBooks Online starts at $38 per month, billed monthly. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- QuickBooks Online has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only QuickBooks Online lists iOS and Android apps.
- QuickBooks Online also covers invoicing, expense tracking and payroll.
- Free plan · from $19/mo
Wave
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses
What is free: Starter plan: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, a dashboard and reports, and invoicing in the mobile app. Bank transactions are entered by hand.
- Wave starts at $19 per month, billed monthly. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Wave has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Wave lists iOS and Android apps.
- Wave also covers invoicing, expense tracking and payroll.
- Free plan · from $35/mo
Found
Business bank account with bookkeeping and tax tools built in
What is free: Found: business checking with a Mastercard debit card, team cards, 20 sub-accounts, expense categorizing, receipt scanning, P&L, tax estimates, unlimited invoices and 1099 e-filing.
- Found starts at $35 per month, billed monthly. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Found has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Found lists iOS and Android apps.
- Found also covers invoicing and expense tracking.
- Free plan · from $15/mo
Zoho Books
Online accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers
What is free: Free plan for businesses with under $50K revenue a year: 1 user plus 1 accountant, invoices, quotes, expenses, bank reconciliation, 1099s and 50+ reports, with email support.
- Zoho Books starts at $15 per organization / month, billed annually. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Zoho Books has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Zoho Books lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Zoho Books also covers invoicing and expense tracking.
- Free plan · from $72/yr
Akaunting
Open-source accounting you can host yourself or use in the cloud
What is free: Standard On-Premise: the free, open-source edition you host yourself, for 1 company, 1 user plus 1 accountant and 1,000 invoices, with forum support. Apps cost extra.
- Akaunting starts at $72 per year, self-hosted. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Akaunting has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Akaunting is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Akaunting also covers invoicing and expense tracking.
- Free plan · from $15/mo
ZipBooks
Browser-based invoicing and bookkeeping with a free starter plan
What is free: Starter plan: unlimited invoices, customers and vendors, card payments through Square or PayPal, basic reports and 1 connected bank account. Free with no time limit.
- ZipBooks starts at $15 per month, billed monthly. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- ZipBooks has a free plan. Bench does not.
- ZipBooks also covers time tracking, invoicing and expense tracking.
- Free plan · from $59/mo
Manager.io
Free offline accounting for Windows, Mac and Linux, with a paid cloud
What is free: Desktop edition for Windows, Mac and Linux: every feature, no time or usage limits and no ads, for a single user with no remote access.
- Manager.io starts at $59 per month, billed monthly. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Manager.io has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Manager.io lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Manager.io is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Free plan · from $31.10/mo
Odoo
Business app suite whose Accounting app is free when used on its own
What is free: One App Free: any one app, such as Accounting or Invoicing, plus the apps it depends on, for unlimited users on Odoo Online, free with no time limit.
- Odoo starts at $31.10 per user / month, billed annually, after $24.90 for the first 12 months. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Odoo has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Odoo lists iOS and Android apps.
- Odoo is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Free plan · from £5/mo
Clear Books
UK accounting with Making Tax Digital and free sole trader plans
What is free: Sole Trader Free: MTD Income Tax quarterly updates and year-end filing, income and expense records, no transaction limits.
- Clear Books starts at £5 per month, plus VAT, billed monthly (Sole Trader). Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Clear Books has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Clear Books lists iOS and Android apps.
- Clear Books also covers invoicing, expense tracking and payroll.
- Free plan · from £60/yr
QuickFile
UK online accounting, free for smaller ledgers
What is free: Free while the 12-month nominal ledger stays under 1,000 entries, with invoicing, MTD VAT returns, multi-currency and unlimited users.
- QuickFile starts at £60 per year, plus VAT, for accounts over 1,000 ledger entries. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- QuickFile has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only QuickFile lists iOS and Android apps.
- QuickFile also covers invoicing, expense tracking and quotes and estimates.
- Free
GnuCash
Free double-entry accounting for home and small business use
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- GnuCash is free. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- GnuCash has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only GnuCash lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Bench lists a web app.
- Free plan · from €12.90/mo
Sevdesk
German online accounting and e-invoicing with a free plan
What is free: Up to 3 invoices or e-invoices a month, with unlimited contacts and products.
- Sevdesk starts at €12.90 per month, billed monthly, excl. VAT. Bench starts at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
- Sevdesk has a free plan. Bench does not.
- Only Sevdesk lists iOS and Android apps.
- Sevdesk also covers invoicing, expense tracking and quotes and estimates.
13 more that are free or have a free plan
- Hnry
- Hurdlr
- Zoho Invoice
- Square Invoices
- Holded
- Billy
- Zervant
- Refrens
- Invoicely
- Syft Analytics
- Indy
- Invoice Ninja
- TaxAct
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to Bench?
Yes. QuickBooks Online, Wave, Found, Zoho Books, Akaunting, ZipBooks, Manager.io, Odoo and 17 more are free or have a free plan.
Does Bench have a free plan?
Bench has no free plan. Bench is a paid product, starting at $199 per month, billed monthly (Bookkeeping Light).
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 17, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Bench: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.