Hurdlr vs ZipBooks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hurdlr grades higher than ZipBooks: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hurdlr grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hurdlr
Mileage, expense and tax tracking app for freelancers
ZipBooks
Browser-based invoicing and bookkeeping with a free starter plan
Which one is for you
Pick Hurdlr if
- Fits if you are a US freelancer or gig worker who needs mileage and expenses logged
- Works for people who want a free tracker before they decide on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want automatic mileage and finance tracking for free, because both are Premium
- Not for you if you are outside the US, as annual tax filing is a US feature
- Watch out: the help-centre price articles are dated 2023 and 2024 and the main site has no pricing page, so check prices in the app
- Watch out: subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms
Pick ZipBooks if
- Fits if you're a freelancer who wants free invoicing with basic books behind it
- Works for people who bill for time and want the hours pulled onto invoices, on Smarter at $15 a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as ZipBooks dropped it and points you to the browser
- Pricey if you need to reconcile your accounts or lock finished books, which wait for Sophisticated at $35 a month
- Not for you if you bank outside the US, since some of those connections may not sync, and it's in English only
- Tight if you stay free: 1 bank account, no team members, and no recurring invoices or reminders
- Watch out: the Accountant plan for bookkeeping firms shows no price on its page
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHurdlrGood | 2.4GPAZipBooksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $100 a year, about $8.34 a month, under 60% of the $14 where the cheaper quarter of accounting tools starts. Pro is $200 a year. | CSmarter is $15 a month, right at the cheaper quarter of accounting tools, with recurring billing, several bank accounts and time tracking. But reconciling accounts and locking finished books need Sophisticated at $35, above the dearer quarter at $31.10. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free version has semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense entry, real-time tax estimates and report exports, with no trial needed. Automatic tracking is Premium. | BStarter is free for good: unlimited invoices, customers and vendors, card payments through Square or PayPal, basic reports and 1 connected bank account. One person could live on that. Recurring invoices, reminders and time tracking need Smarter. |
| Features | CMileage, expenses, tax estimates, invoicing, reports and US tax filing. The filing is a US feature, and it is a freelancer tool, not full accounting. | CInvoices and quotes in 100+ currencies, bank transactions sorted by learned rules, cash or accrual reports, 1099 tracking, time tracking and payroll through Gusto. The listing names the gaps: the phone app is gone, and some bank connections outside the US may not sync. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect bank accounts and set up rules before it runs on its own. | CNo store rating on record, as there's no app. Rules that learn how you sort transactions save some clicking, but there's still a bank to connect and bookkeeping to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with 5 integrations on record. No desktop program. | BWeb only, since ZipBooks discontinued its phone app and points you to the browser. What lifts it is the connections: Square, PayPal, Stripe, Gusto and Slack. |
| Best for | a freelancer tracking mileage and expenses in a phone app | free invoicing and simple books in a browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hurdlr and ZipBooks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hurdlr starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ZipBooks starts at $15 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Hurdlr starts $6.67 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Hurdlr for less, and 6 score higher than ZipBooks for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- ZipBooks also covers time tracking.
At a glance
| Hurdlr | ZipBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly) | $15 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Unlimited semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense tracking, real-time tax estimates and report exports. | 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. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of the paid features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hurdlr, Inc. | ZipBooks |
| Price read from | university.hurdlr.com | zipbooks.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hurdlr
- Pro is priced at $200 a year; the help page read shows no monthly Pro price.
- Annual tax filing is a US feature and is not included on enterprise accounts.
- Subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms; app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund rules.
- The help-center pricing articles read are dated 2023 and 2024, and the main site has no pricing page, so recheck prices in the app.
ZipBooks
- There is no mobile app: ZipBooks discontinued it and its help center points phone users to the browser.
- The free plan connects 1 bank account; team members need Smarter, which allows 5, and unlimited users need Sophisticated.
- The Accountant plan for bookkeeping firms is priced by number of clients on a separate page, with no figure in its page text.
- ZipBooks is in English only, and its help center says some bank connections outside the US may not sync.
Key features
Hurdlr
- Mileage tracking
- Free accounts get semi-automatic tracking; automatic trip detection comes with Premium.
- Income and expense tracking
- Links to bank and credit card accounts and to Square, Stripe, Shopify, PayPal and Uber, with rules for categorizing expenses.
- Tax estimates
- Real-time federal, state and self-employment tax estimates with payment reminders; Premium adds detailed calculations and payment tracking.
- Invoicing
- Branded invoices with credit card payment collection, on the Pro plan.
- Accounting and reports
- Pro adds double-entry accounting, a chart of accounts, journal entries and statements such as the income statement and balance sheet.
- Annual tax filing
- Pro includes annual tax filing for US users, covering federal plus one state, unless the account is provided through an employer or tax professional.
ZipBooks
- Invoices and quotes
- Custom invoices and quotes with taxes, discounts and over 100 currencies. Recurring invoices, auto-billing and payment reminders start on Smarter.
- Online payments
- Customers pay invoices by card through a connected Square, PayPal or Stripe account.
- Bookkeeping with auto-categorizing
- Bank transactions land in one list and are categorized by learned rules, with custom categories and 1099 tracking for vendors.
- Tags and reports
- Income statement and balance sheet on cash or accrual basis. Sophisticated adds tags by location or project and reports built on them.
- Time tracking and projects
- Track time live or by hand at fixed or hourly rates and pull the entries onto invoices, from the Smarter plan.
- Payroll through Gusto
- Payroll is handled by Gusto, which connects to ZipBooks as an integration.
Plans
Hurdlr
Free$0
Semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual finance tracking, tax estimates and exports.
Premium$8.34
per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly)
Adds automatic mileage and finance tracking, custom expense and mileage rules, detailed tax estimates, tax payment tracking and work hours.
Pro$200
per year
Premium plus invoicing, general ledger, journal entries, accountant invites and annual tax filing (federal plus one state) for US non-enterprise users.
ZipBooks
Starter$0
Unlimited invoices, customers and vendors, Square or PayPal payments, basic reports and 1 bank account.
Smarter$15
per month, billed monthly
Adds recurring invoices with auto-bill, automatic reminders, saved line items, several bank accounts, time tracking and 5 team members.
Sophisticated$35
per month, billed monthly
Adds tagging by location, project or custom field, reconciliation, locked books, document sharing, tag-based reports and unlimited users.
Ways to pay less
Hurdlr
- Annual discount
Annual Premium plan
Premium is $100 a year, against $9.99 a month on the month-to-month plan.
ZipBooks
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hurdlr or ZipBooks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hurdlr is cheaper to start with: $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against $15 a month for ZipBooks. Hurdlr starts at $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly), and ZipBooks starts at $15 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hurdlr or ZipBooks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Hurdlr and ZipBooks have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hurdlr and ZipBooks run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Hurdlr lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.