SFDIFY
The strongest alternatives to QuickBooks for most small businesses are Xero for growing teams that want to avoid per-user fees, FreshBooks for service businesses that mostly send invoices, Zoho Books for a free or low-cost plan with multi-currency on paid tiers, Wave for a $0 starter plan, and Odoo for companies that want accounting inside a wider business suite. For context, QuickBooks Online lists Simple Start at $38 a month and Plus at $140 a month before promotions [1]. Xero says it has "No per-user license fees" [2], Zoho Books has a free plan for businesses under $50K in yearly revenue [3], and Wave's Starter plan is $0 [4].
More comparisons on our YouTube channel: @sfdify_ai
This guide is for founders and small-business operators leaving QuickBooks Online because of price increases, a need for simpler invoicing or multi-currency, or the search for a free option. It focuses on who each product fits.
How we chose
We compared five accounting tools that a US small business is likely to shortlist when leaving QuickBooks Online: Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books, Wave and Odoo Accounting. For each one we read the official homepage and pricing page on November 9, 2026, and every price and feature below comes from those pages. We did not run hands-on tests, and we do not score or rank products. We quote regular prices and call out promotions separately.
We also checked Sage, whose US cloud product has been retired (see below).
QuickBooks alternatives at a glance
| Product | Best for | Starting price (regular) | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Growing teams that want many users | Early: $27/month [2] | "No per-user license fees" [2]; multi-currency on Established ($97/month) [2] |
| FreshBooks | Service businesses that live in invoices | Lite: $23/month [5] | Lite invoices up to 5 clients; Team Members $11/month per user [5] |
| Zoho Books | Free plan, then low-cost paid tiers | Free; Standard $20/month [3] | Multi-currency from Professional ($50/month) [3] |
| Wave | Solo founders who want $0 software | Starter: $0 [4] | Bank auto-import needs Pro at $19/month [4] |
| Odoo Accounting | Teams that want ERP-style apps | One App Free; Standard per user [6] | "One app, unlimited users" on the free plan [6] |
| QuickBooks Online (baseline) | Current users comparing costs | Simple Start: $38/month [1] | Plus is $140/month with 5 users [1] |
Xero — the closest like-for-like QuickBooks alternative
Xero covers the same core jobs as QuickBooks Online: invoices, bills, bank reconciliation and real-time reports [2].
Verified features: All three US plans include invoicing and the ability to "Reconcile bank transactions" [2]. Multi-currency ("Use multiple currencies") appears only on the Established plan [2].
Pricing: Early is $27 per month, Growing is $59 per month and Established is $97 per month at regular price [2]. New US customers can get "80% off for the first 3 months, then Xero's regular price will apply" [2].
Strengths: Xero advertises "No per-user license fees" [2], which matters if you have several people touching the books.
Limitations: The Early plan is tight: it allows "Send quotes and 20 invoices" and "5 bills" [2], so most businesses with steady billing will need Growing. If multi-currency is your reason for leaving QuickBooks, Xero only includes it on its top plan [2], so the cost saving may be smaller than you expect.
Best fit: Small businesses with a bookkeeper or several team members who want full double-entry accounting without paying per seat.
FreshBooks — for service businesses that mostly send invoices
FreshBooks is built around invoicing, with accounting alongside it.
Verified features: FreshBooks lists double-entry accounting, time tracking, mileage tracking, project profitability, bank reconciliation and client retainers [7]. Clients can pay by "credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later" on every plan [5].
Pricing: Lite is $23 per month, Plus is $43 per month and Premium is $70 per month at regular price, with a promotion of "80% Off for 4 Months" at the time we checked [5]. Extra Team Members cost $11 per month per user [5].
Strengths: The billing tools are deep, from automated recurring invoices to "Automated Late Payment Reminders" [5].
Limitations: Plans are capped by billable clients: Lite covers 5 clients and Plus covers 50, with unlimited clients only on Premium and Select [5]. Extra users cost $11 per month each [5], so a growing team gets expensive faster than on Xero. The pricing page we checked does not list multi-currency as a plan feature, so confirm it with FreshBooks if you bill abroad.
Best fit: Freelancers and small service firms with a manageable client list who want simple invoicing and get-paid tools.
Zoho Books — free to start, multi-currency on paid plans
Zoho Books is a full accounting product with a genuinely free tier, and it is one of the cheaper ways to get multi-currency. Zoho also pitches directly at QuickBooks users, with a "Migrate to Zoho Books for free" offer on its homepage [8].
Verified features: The Free plan lets you "Create invoices, quotes, expenses & journals" [3]. Standard adds the ability to "Connect bank feeds," and Professional adds "Record multi-currency transactions" [3].
Pricing: Free, then Standard at $20 and Professional at $50 per organization per month on monthly billing, with lower prices when billed annually [3]. The Free plan stays free "As long as your revenue for the financial year does not exceed the threshold of $50K" [3].
Strengths: Multi-currency at $50 per month on Professional [3] is lower than Xero's Established plan at $97 [2].
Limitations: The Free plan is "1 User + 1 Accountant" with email support only [3], and bank feeds start on Standard [3].
Best fit: Small businesses that want real accounting at a low price, especially those that invoice in more than one currency or already use other Zoho apps.
Wave — the $0 option for solo founders
Wave is built around a free plan for very small businesses.
Verified features: Starter lets you "Create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records" [4]. Pro adds "Auto-import bank transactions" [4].
Pricing: Starter is $0 [4]. Pro is $19 per month, with a promo of $9.50 per month for the first 3 months [4]. On Starter, card payments cost "2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction" [4].
Strengths: Unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records at $0 [4] is hard to beat for a one-person business.
Limitations: Automatic bank imports require Pro [4]. Admin, editor and viewer roles for other people are a Pro feature [4].
Best fit: Freelancers and side businesses that want free invoicing and basic books, and are fine adding Pro once bank feeds become worth $19 a month.
Odoo Accounting — accounting inside a larger business suite
Odoo Accounting is one app in a much larger suite that also covers CRM, sales, inventory, projects and payroll [9].
Verified features: Odoo says it integrates "with 28,000 banks from all around the world" [9]. Its homepage also says you can "Send and receive unlimited invoices and bills, for free, forever" [9].
Pricing: The "One App Free" plan gives "One app, unlimited users" [6]. The Standard plan includes all apps and is priced "/ user / month," with a regular yearly-billing price of US$ 31.10 per user per month and US$ 38.90 on monthly billing, plus a discount that "is valid for 12 months, for initial users ordered" [6].
Strengths: If you only need accounting, the free one-app plan with unlimited users [6] is unusual. On paid plans, "The Standard and Custom plans include all apps for a single fee" [6].
Limitations: Pricing is per user, so costs grow with headcount, unlike Xero. Odoo lists "Implementation service and access to Odoo expert services" as not included in its plans [6].
Best fit: Product or operations-heavy small businesses that want accounting, inventory and CRM on one system and are willing to invest in setup.
What about Sage?
Sage is often listed among QuickBooks competitors, but Sage says "As of December 31, 2024, Sage Business Cloud Accounting (SBCA) (US) has been retired" [10]. For US buyers it now points to Sage 50, a desktop product, rather than a cloud tool like QuickBooks Online [10].
How to choose the right QuickBooks alternative for a small business
Start with the reason you are leaving.
- Price increases: Compare regular prices, not promotions. QuickBooks Online Plus is $140 per month for 5 users [1]; Xero Growing is $59 [2] and Zoho Books Professional is $50 [3].
- Simpler invoicing: FreshBooks or Wave. FreshBooks if you want polished client billing and project tracking; Wave if cost matters most.
- Multi-currency: Zoho Books Professional is the lower-cost route here [3]; Xero includes it on Established [2].
- A free option: Wave Starter [4], the Zoho Books Free plan under $50K revenue [3], or Odoo's One App Free [6]. Each limits something different: bank feeds on Wave, users and revenue on Zoho, and apps on Odoo.
- More users: Xero's no-per-user pricing [2] is the simplest model. FreshBooks and Odoo charge per user [5] [6].
Whatever you pick, switch at a clean cut-off date such as a month end, involve your accountant early, and confirm every integration you rely on before signing up. If your accounting has to talk to a custom app or client portal, that is the kind of work our fintech app development team handles, and a custom CRM can push invoices and payments into whichever ledger you choose. If you run the business from home, our guide to home business accounting software covers lighter options too.
FAQ
What is the best free QuickBooks alternative?
For most solo founders it is Wave, whose Starter plan is $0 and lets you "Create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records" [4]. Zoho Books also has a free plan for businesses whose yearly revenue stays under $50K [3], and Odoo offers "One App Free" with unlimited users [6].
What is a cheaper alternative to QuickBooks?
At regular prices, Xero's Early plan is $27 per month [2], FreshBooks Lite is $23 per month [5] and Zoho Books Standard is $20 per month [3], compared with $38 per month for QuickBooks Online Simple Start [1]. The cheapest tiers cap invoices, clients or users.
Which QuickBooks competitors handle multiple currencies?
Zoho Books includes "Record multi-currency transactions" from its Professional plan at $50 per month [3]. Xero includes "Use multiple currencies" on its Established plan at $97 per month [2].
Is Sage still an alternative to QuickBooks Online in the US?
Not the cloud product. Sage says its US Sage Business Cloud Accounting was retired as of December 31, 2024, and it points US buyers to Sage 50 instead [10].
Our recommendation
If you want the closest replacement for QuickBooks Online with room for a team, start with Xero, but budget for Growing rather than Early and for Established if you need multi-currency. If cost is the main driver, Zoho Books gives you more accounting per dollar, including multi-currency on Professional. Service businesses that mostly invoice fit FreshBooks, solo founders can start free on Wave, and businesses needing inventory and CRM should look at Odoo.
Sources
- QuickBooks Online Pricing & Free Trial — checked 2026-11-09
- Pricing Plans | Xero US — checked 2026-11-09
- Pricing | Zoho Books — checked 2026-11-09
- Wave Pricing - Wave Financial — checked 2026-11-09
- FreshBooks Pricing, Lite, Plus and Premium Packages — checked 2026-11-09
- Odoo Pricing | Discover Odoo Plans — checked 2026-11-09
- Invoice and Accounting Software for Small Businesses - FreshBooks — checked 2026-11-09
- Powerful Accounting Software for Your Business | Zoho Books — checked 2026-11-09
- Best accounting software | Odoo — checked 2026-11-09
- Sage Business Cloud Accounting has been retired | Sage US — checked 2026-11-09
