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

Pick Pennylane if

• Fits if you run a French company and want invoicing and your business account together
• Makes sense if your accountant will work inside the same app

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you're outside France, as the pages and plans are French and in euros
• Pricey if you want real accounting: the module is Premium at €79 a month, €149 for 2 users
• Watch out: Starter needs the Pennylane Pro account activated
• Watch out: each plan covers up to 1,200 invoices a year

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

Pennylane

• Pages and plans are in French, priced in euros before VAT, and aimed at French companies.
• Each plan covers up to 1,200 invoices a year; Custom has unlimited sales invoices.
• Starter requires activating the Pennylane Pro account; the paid plans are sold by company size and user count.
• Capital deposit costs €1 instead of €69 excluding VAT with a Pennylane subscription.

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.

Pennylane

Invoicing and e-invoicing

Create and receive invoices in line with French e-invoicing rules; the pages state that every plan is compliant.

Pro account and cards

A business account with virtual, physical and one-time cards, supplier payments and automatic reconciliation of transactions.

Accounting module

The Premium plan adds accounting reports, automated entry rules, VAT and tax-return filing by EDI, and month-end closing.

Expense reports

From Essentiel, the plans handle expense claims and mileage allowances, with automatic categorization and analytical reports.

Cash forecast

Essentiel and above include a cash forecast, based on the pricing page's feature list.

Accountant access

Plans give your accountant access, and a separate offer exists for accounting firms.

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.

Pennylane

• Starter€7

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  For independents: invoicing, Pro account with cards, supplier payments in one click, bank sync; needs the Pro account active.

• Basique€14

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  Adds deposits and partial invoices, delivery and purchase orders and built-in supplier payment; €29 for a 2-user company.

• Essentiel€24

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  Adds automated reminders, quote signing, recurring invoices, expense reports, cash forecast and API; €49 for 2 users.

• Premium€79

  per month, excluding VAT, 1 user

  Adds the accounting module: tax filing by EDI, month-end and annual closing, annual accounts; €149 for 2 users.

• CustomCustom

  For multi-entity or complex companies: unlimited users, multi-level approvals and EBICS T payments; quote only.

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.

Pennylane

• Other savings

  Capital deposit for €1

  A Pennylane subscription from €7 excluding VAT lowers the online capital deposit fee to €1 from €69.

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.