Billy vs Zoho Books (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Billy if

• Fits if you're a Danish sole trader sending a few invoices a month
• Works for small Danish companies that want accountant access built in

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you send more than 3 invoices or file more than 10 receipts a month, which is where Free stops
• Pricey if you want annual accounts: they cost extra, from 2,495 kr., and the accountant package from 4,495 kr.
• Not for you if you're outside Denmark, as it's Danish kroner and Danish rules
• Watch out: Complete has a 12-month commitment, and the site says Billy is now part of Shine

Pick Zoho Books if

• Fits if your business turns over less than $50K a year and you want to pay $0
• Works for businesses already running other Zoho apps

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if your team grows, since plans cap users at 3, 5, 10 or 15 and more cost $3 each a month
• Pricey if you need warehouses or Amazon and eBay channels, which start on Elite at $120 a month
• Not for you if you're past $50K revenue and hoping to stay free
• Tight if you bill a lot: invoices are capped at 1,000 a year on Free, 5,000 on Standard and 25,000 on Premium
• Watch out: automatic bank feeds need Standard, and the free plan can't take paid add-ons other than autoscans

Billy

• The Free plan caps usage at 3 invoices and 10 expense receipts a month.
• Prices are in Danish kroner, excluding VAT, and the Complete plan carries a 12-month commitment.
• Annual accounts cost extra on most plans, from 2,495 kr., and the accountant package from 4,495 kr.
• The site says Billy is now part of Shine, so the product and its pricing may move to Shine's pages.

Zoho Books

• The free plan stays free only while revenue is under $50K a financial year, and paid add-ons other than autoscans cannot be added to it.
• Each plan caps users at 3, 5, 10, 10 or 15; more cost $3 per user a month, or $2.50 billed annually.
• Every plan caps invoices and bills a year: 1,000 on Free, 5,000 on Standard, 10,000 on Professional and 25,000 on Premium.
• These are US prices; Zoho lists separate editions for 18 countries plus a global one, including the UK, Canada, India and Australia.

Billy

Invoices and quotes

Send invoices and quotes in your own design, with card and MobilePay payment on invoices, and set up subscription invoices.

Receipts and bookkeeping

Scan, upload and store receipts, with a bookkeeping assistant that suggests how to post each expense.

VAT reporting

Report VAT figures to the Danish tax authority directly from the program and connect a bank to match transactions.

Payroll

Produce payslips from the same account and have the payroll posted to the books automatically. Billed per payslip.

Accountant access

Give an accountant access to the books from the Basic plan up, with add-on packages for annual accounts.

Mobile app

A mobile app for scanning receipts and sending quotes and invoices while out with customers.

Zoho Books

Invoicing and online payments

Quotes, invoices, recurring invoices, retention payments and automatic reminders, with a customer portal for paying online.

Banking and reconciliation

Reconcile accounts on every plan. Automatic bank feeds start on Standard, along with recurring expenses and period locking.

US tax and 1099s

Track sales and use tax, manage W-9s and 1099 contractors, and e-file 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms from Standard up.

Projects and inventory

Professional adds timesheets, project profitability and basic inventory. Elite adds warehouses, serial and batch tracking and shipping labels.

Automation and customization

Workflows, approvals and custom roles from Professional; custom modules, buttons and functions from Premium; Blueprints on Elite.

AI in accounting

Ask questions about the books in plain English, spot anomalies and automate collections, plus receipt autoscans on every plan.

Billy

• Free0 kr.

  per month, excl. VAT

  3 invoices and 10 expense receipts a month, VAT filing and receipt upload.

• Basic160 kr.

  per month, excl. VAT (page notes a saving vs monthly billing)

  No usage limits, ad-free invoices, accountant access and full bookkeeping support by email and chat.

• Plus295 kr.

  per month, excl. VAT (page notes a saving vs monthly billing)

  Adds AI accounting features, Copilot access, unlimited integrations, payroll and phone support.

• Complete595 kr.

  per month, excl. VAT, 12-month commitment

  Everything in Plus, with a quarterly accounts check, priority support and a do-it-yourself annual report included.

Zoho Books

• Free$0

  Revenue under $50K a year. 1 user and 1 accountant, up to 1,000 invoices a year, recurring invoices, payment reminders and 1099 filing.

• Standard$15

  per organization / month, billed annually

  $20 billed monthly. 3 users, bank feeds, sales and use tax, 1099 e-filing, custom reports, API access and 5,000 invoices a year.

• Professional$40

  per organization / month, billed annually

  $50 billed monthly. 5 users, sales and purchase orders, multiple currencies, timesheets, project profitability, retainers and inventory.

• Premium$60

  per organization / month, billed annually

  $70 billed monthly. 10 users, fixed assets, budgets, cash flow forecasting, a vendor portal and custom modules.

• Elite$120

  per organization / month, billed annually

  $150 billed monthly. 10 users, advanced inventory with warehouses and batch tracking, Etsy, eBay and Amazon channels, and up to 2 Shopify stores.

• Ultimate$240

  per organization / month, billed annually

  $275 billed monthly. 15 users and built-in business intelligence with 50+ prebuilt visualizations, KPI tracking and embeddable reports.

Billy

• Other savings

  50% off payroll for 12 months

  Billy's homepage says payroll is charged per payslip, with a 50% saving during the first 12 months.

Zoho Books

• Annual discount

  Save up to 25% with yearly billing

  Yearly billing cuts Standard from $20 to $15 a month, Professional from $50 to $40, Premium from $70 to $60, Elite from $150 to $120 and Ultimate from $275 to $240.