Zoho Books
Online accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers
Zoho Books report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for a real free plan with room to grow
Zoho Books gives you proper double-entry books for free while your business turns over less than $50K a year, bank reconciliation and 1099s included. Paid plans start at $15 a month for the whole business and climb all the way to inventory and warehouses. Just know every plan caps users and invoices, so growing means moving up.
Who Zoho Books is for
- Great if your business turns over less than $50K a year and you'd like to pay nothing
- Handy when you already run other Zoho apps
- Good for product businesses that will need inventory and warehouses later
Who Zoho Books is not for
- Tight if your team grows, since plans cap users at 3, 5, 10 or 15 and more cost $3 each
- 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
Why Zoho Books gets a 3.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyStandard is $15 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly) for the whole business with 3 users, right at the cheaper quarter of this category. It already has bank feeds, sales tax, 1099 e-filing and API access.
- BFree plan and trialFree for businesses under $50K revenue a year: 1 user plus an accountant, 1,000 invoices a year, bank reconciliation, 1099s and 50+ reports. One person could live on it, though automatic bank feeds need Standard.
- BFeaturesInvoices, bills, bank feeds, sales tax, 1099s, projects, multiple currencies, inventory up to warehouses and batch tracking, budgets, custom modules and AI that answers questions about the books. That covers the whole job.
- AEase of use4.81 from 5,247 App Store ratings, the top band for accounting apps. Receipt autoscans work on every plan, the free one included, which saves typing.
- APlatforms and integrationsWeb, Windows, iPhone and Android, with an API from Standard up and links to Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and the rest of Zoho. That's the full spread.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Zoho's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Zoho Books? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoho-books#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/zoho-books.svg" alt="Zoho Books: 3.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Zoho Books stands among accounting and invoicing tools
Zoho Books's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 16 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 14 of 17) and worst on free plan and trial (B, above 10).
Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 5 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 18 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Zoho Books’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 13 of 17, level with 1
- BFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 17, level with 3
- BFeaturesAbove 13 of 17, level with 4
- AEase of useAbove 13 of 17, level with 4
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 14 of 17, level with 3
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 18 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Zoho Books, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Zoho Books you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.4 is higher than 16 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade. It costs $180 a year.
What you could make
- Invoicing, expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- Apps for Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, Amazon and eBay among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Zoho Books’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Zoho Books?
Zoho Books is online accounting software from Zoho for small and growing businesses. It covers quotes, invoices, bills, expenses, bank feeds, sales tax and 1099s, and the higher plans add projects, inventory, budgets, custom modules and business intelligence. It is sold in separate country editions, each with its own prices and tax features.
Zoho Books has a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per organization / month, billed annually. See every plan
Good for
- Very small businesses that want a free plan with real double-entry books
- Companies already using other Zoho apps
- Growing product businesses that will need inventory and warehouses later
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Zoho Books pricing
- Starts at
- $15 per organization / month, billed annually
- Free plan
- 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.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of the paid plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $15per 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 | $40per organization / month, billed annually | $50 billed monthly. 5 users, sales and purchase orders, multiple currencies, timesheets, project profitability, retainers and inventory. |
| Premium | $60per organization / month, billed annually | $70 billed monthly. 10 users, fixed assets, budgets, cash flow forecasting, a vendor portal and custom modules. |
| Elite | $120per 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 | $240per organization / month, billed annually | $275 billed monthly. 15 users and built-in business intelligence with 50+ prebuilt visualizations, KPI tracking and embeddable reports. |
Read from zoho.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zoho Books before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on zoho.com
How people rate the Zoho Books app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars87%
- 4 stars10%
- 3 stars1%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star1%
5,247 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
- Shopify
- Amazon
- eBay
- Etsy
- Zoho Analytics
- Zoho Payments
Zoho Books alternatives
- Zoho Books vs QuickBooks Online
Free plan · from $38/mo
- Zoho Books vs Xero
Free trial · from $27/mo
- Zoho Books vs FreshBooks
Free trial · from $23/mo
- Zoho Books vs Wave
Free plan · from $19/mo
- Zoho Books vs Odoo
Free plan · from $31.10/mo
Common questions
Is Zoho Books free?
Zoho Books has a free plan. 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. Paid plans start at $15 per organization / month, billed annually.
How much does Zoho Books cost?
Zoho Books lists 6 plans. Free: $0. Standard: $15 per organization / month, billed annually. Professional: $40 per organization / month, billed annually. Premium: $60 per organization / month, billed annually. Elite: $120 per organization / month, billed annually. Ultimate: $240 per organization / month, billed annually. Prices were read from zoho.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Zoho Books work on?
Zoho Books is available on Web, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Zoho Books offer any discounts?
Zoho Books publicly lists the following: Save up to 25% with yearly billing.
How is Zoho Books rated?
Zoho Books's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5,247 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Zoho Books have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Zoho Books is listed for Web, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Zoho Books have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Zoho Books is listed for Web, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Zoho Books open source?
Zoho Books is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Zoho Books have an API?
Yes. Zoho Books offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Zoho Books integrate with?
Zoho Books's listing names Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Zoho Analytics and Zoho Payments. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Zoho Books have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of the paid plans.
Who makes Zoho Books?
Zoho Books is made by Zoho.
What are the alternatives to Zoho Books?
The closest alternatives to Zoho Books in our directory are QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Wave and Odoo. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Zoho Books.
How does Zoho Books compare with other accounting and invoicing tools?
Zoho Books's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 16 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade. It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 14 of 17) and worst on free plan and trial (B, above 10).
Is Zoho Books good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Zoho Books B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 5 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Zoho Books?
To replace Zoho Books you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.4 is higher than 16 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade. It costs $180 a year. What you could not make: Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. Apps for Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. It plugs into other products, Shopify, Amazon and eBay among them, and has an API. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.