Compare accounting software (2026): prices, fees, Spanish support

	9.4/10QuickBooks OnlineFree plan Visit	8.8/10Zoho BooksFree plan Visit	7.9/10FreshBooksFrom $23/mo Visit	7.4/10WaveFree plan Visit	6.6/10XeroFrom $27/mo Visit
Best for	Businesses whose accountant already works in QuickBooks	New low-budget businesses wanting full accounting free	Solo service providers who bill clients by invoice	Solo owners who want free invoicing and bookkeeping	Small teams that want unlimited users at one price
Skip if	You need a cheap paid plan; Essentials costs $85/mo after the August 2026 increase.	You need payroll built in; Zoho Payroll is a separate $39/month app.	You bill more than 5 clients yet need a plan under $43/month.	You need inventory, time tracking, mileage tracking or a Spanish interface.	You want a free plan, Spanish, or over 20 invoices for $27.
Free plan or trial	Free plan	Free plan	30 days	Free plan	1 month
Spanish	Spanish support	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	English only	English only
Support	Phone callback, chat; M-F 6am-6pm, Sat 6am-3pm PT	Email (Free); phone, chat on paid plans; M-F 9am-9pm ET	Phone, email in office hours; 24/7 AI chatbot	Chat, email M-F 9am-4:45pm ET (Pro or any add-on)	24/7 online support; callback on request
Mobile app	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Public rating	4.7/5 (App Store, 269,626)	4.7/5 (Google Play, 30,717)	4.7/5 (App Store, 10,979)	3.3/5 (Google Play, 23,630)	4.4/5 (Google Play, 21,049)
Price	$0 (Free); paid from $38/mo	$0 (Free); paid from $15/mo billed yearly	$23/mo (Lite); $1/mo first-year promo	$0 (Starter); Pro $19/mo	$27/mo (Early); $5.40/mo first 3 months
Free plan	2 invoices/mo, 1 bank, 1 user, 2 receipts/mo, 5 trips/mo	Revenue under $50K/yr; 1,000 invoices/yr; 1 user + 1 accountant	No free plan	No bank auto-import; receipts $8/mo add-on; no extra users	No free plan
Users	1 user + 2 accountants (Simple Start)	Free: 1 + accountant; Standard: 3	Owner only; +$11/mo per team member	Starter: owner only; Pro: multiple users	Unlimited (no per-user fees)
Invoicing	Unlimited on paid plans; 2/mo on Free	Yes; 1,000/yr on Free, 5,000/yr on Standard	Unlimited invoices; client limits by plan	Unlimited on all plans	Early: 20 invoices; unlimited on Growing and up
Bank connection	Yes; Free plan limited to 1 bank	Standard and up; manual reconciliation on Free	Yes, all plans; reconciliation on Plus and up	Pro only (via Plaid)	Yes, all plans; auto-reconcile on Growing and up
Receipt capture	Yes; 2/mo on Free	50 autoscans/mo Free; 200/mo Standard	Plus and up	Pro; $8/mo add-on on Starter	Yes, Smart Document Capture, all plans
Mileage tracking	Yes, GPS in mobile app; 5 trips/mo on Free	Yes, all plans	Yes, mobile app, all plans	No (Driversnote integration on Pro)	Established only
Payroll add-on	Bundle from $88/mo + $6.50/employee (with Simple Start)	Zoho Payroll: $39/mo + $6/employee (separate app)	$40/mo + $6/mo per person	$40/mo + $6 per employee or contractor paid	$36/mo + $6 per employee/contractor (Gusto)
Sales tax	Automatic on paid plans; manual on Free	Standard and up	Taxes on invoices + sales tax summary report	Manual rates on invoices + sales tax report	Auto sales tax, all plans
Time tracking	Essentials and up	Professional and up	Yes, all plans	No	Established only (projects)
Inventory	Plus and up	Professional and up	Basic stock counts on items	No	Up to 4,000 items; Inventory Plus add-on
Accountant access	2 accountants on paid plans; none on Free	Yes, all plans (1 accountant on Free)	Plus and up	Pro (admin, editor or viewer roles)	Yes, invite your advisor at no extra cost
1099 contractors	Track and file 1099s; free e-file on Advanced	Track 1099s on Free; e-file on Standard and up	Expense reports only; 1099-NEC via payroll add-on	1099-NEC forms via Wave Payroll	W-9 collection and 1099 reports, all plans
Online payment fees	Cards 2.99%; ACH 1% ($1 min); keyed 3.5%	Cards 2.9% + 30¢; ACH 0.8% (max $5)	Cards 2.9% + 30¢; ACH 1%	Cards 2.9% + 60¢ (Amex 3.4% + 60¢); ACH 1% ($1 min)	Stripe: cards 2.9% + 30¢; ACH debit 1% (max $9)
Top pros	Free plan includes 1 bank connection and 2 invoices per month. Paid plans include automatic sales tax, mileage tracking and receipt capture.	Free plan allows 1,000 invoices per year plus mileage tracking. Free plan includes 50 receipt autoscans per month.	Lite promo: $1/month for the first year (regular $23). Unlimited time tracking and mobile mileage tracking on every plan.	Starter is free with unlimited invoices, estimates and bills. Pro adds automatic bank imports and unlimited receipt scans for $19/month.	No per-user fees: your whole team can log in on any plan. Sales tax, 1099 reports and receipt capture included even on Early.
Watch out for	Essentials and Plus rose to $85 and $140 per month in August 2026. US version has no Spanish interface; Spanish help uses an interpreter.	Free plan lacks automatic bank feeds; they start at Standard ($15-$20/month). Free plan only applies while yearly revenue stays under $50,000.	Lite caps billable clients at 5; Plus caps them at 50. No team members included; each added user costs $11/month.	Wave is English-only; you can only type Spanish text on invoices. No built-in mileage, time tracking or inventory quantity tracking.	Early plan allows only 20 invoices and 5 bills. No published phone line; support is online with callbacks on request.

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