Xero alternatives · Accounting
Free alternatives to Xero
Xero has no free plan. 10 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools in this directory are free or have a free plan.
Xero is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $27 per month, billed monthly. 1 of them has no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.
10 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 17, 2026 · Where the facts come from
How each one differs from Xero
- 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- QuickBooks Online has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Zoho Books has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zoho Books lists a Windows app.
- Xero also covers 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Wave has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Manager.io has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Manager.io lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Xero lists iOS and Android apps.
- 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Odoo has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Odoo is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Xero also covers 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Found has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Xero also covers payroll.
- 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Akaunting has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Xero lists iOS and Android apps.
- Akaunting is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 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. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- ZipBooks has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Xero lists iOS and Android apps.
- ZipBooks also covers time tracking.
- Free
Zoho Invoice
Free invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- Zoho Invoice is free. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Zoho Invoice has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zoho Invoice lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Zoho Invoice also covers time tracking.
- Free plan · from $49/mo
Square Invoices
Free invoicing, estimates and contracts inside Square's payment plans
What is free: Square Free: unlimited invoices, recurring invoices, deposits, reminders, estimates, contracts and projects. Online card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢.
- Square Invoices starts at $49 per location / month, billed monthly. Xero starts at $27 per month, billed monthly.
- Square Invoices has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- Xero also covers bookkeeping, expense tracking and payroll.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to Xero?
Yes. QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books, Wave, Manager.io, Odoo, Found, Akaunting, ZipBooks and 2 more are free or have a free plan.
Does Xero have a free plan?
Xero has no free plan. Xero is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $27 per month, billed monthly.
When was this checked?
Every listing on this page was checked on Oct 17, 2026, against the pages it cites. 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 Xero: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.