Compared · checked 2026-10-24

The best free accounting software for small businesses

You can keep proper books without paying, either with desktop software that stores them on your computer or with an online service that has a free plan. Here is what each option does, from its own pages.

We make Ledger, one of the tools on this page. Every fact about the other tools comes from their own pages, linked under each one, as they read on 2026-10-24. Prices and features change: check each site before you choose.

How we compared them

• Free with no time limit, and what the free plan leaves out
• Real bookkeeping: double-entry, bank reconciliation, profit and loss, balance sheet
• Bank feeds or statement import, invoicing and multiple currencies
• Where the books are kept: your computer or the company's servers

At a glance

1. Ledger (ours)

Best for: Simple double-entry books in the browser, linked to free invoices and expenses, with nothing uploaded

Double-entry books in the browser: chart of accounts, journal with reversals, general ledger, trial balance, profit and loss, balance sheet and bank matching from CSV, fed by Invoices and Expenses.

Good

• Invoices, payments and expenses from the sibling apps post to the books as you record them
• Bank reconciliation from the bank's CSV, matched by amount within 5 days
• Foreign currency at stored rates; profit and loss and balance sheet, with sales tax by quarter in Reports
• No account; installs on phone, tablet and desktop from the browser, and works offline

Not so good

• Still being built, and younger than GnuCash or Manager
• No bank feed, no payroll, no tax filing
• One person in one browser: no accountant access online, no sync between devices
• Clearing the browser's site data deletes the books unless you keep a backup

Open Ledger

2. Manager (Desktop edition)

Best for: A full free accounting package on your own computer, with invoicing, inventory and payroll

Good

• Fully featured and free, "with no trial period, no ads, and no registration"
• Invoicing and quotes, expenses, purchase orders, bank reconciliation, inventory and payroll
• Many businesses, many currencies and dozens of languages; a Server edition lets a team use the same books from a browser on your network

Not so good

• The free Desktop edition is for one user on one computer
• Access from anywhere means the paid Cloud edition (or running your own server)
• Bank feeds are not mentioned on its pages

Manager (Desktop edition) website · Sources: Manager README (official repository), Manager Cloud pricing

3. GnuCash

Best for: Open-source double-entry books on the desktop, for personal and small-business accounts

Good

• Free software under the GNU GPL, with the source code public
• Double-entry, reconciliation, scheduled transactions, reports and graphs
• QIF and OFX import with duplicate matching; invoicing, bill payment and multiple currencies

Not so good

• A desktop program: no mobile app on its pages
• Its own pages call the SQL database storage experimental
• Payroll is something you set up yourself with receivable and payable accounts

GnuCash website · Sources: GnuCash home, GnuCash features

4. Wave

Best for: Free online bookkeeping and invoicing with a mobile app, if paid bank import is acceptable

Good

• Unlimited invoices, bills and bookkeeping records free
• Dashboard and reports such as profit and loss
• Card and bank payments on invoices; payroll as an add-on

Not so good

• Automatic bank import and categorising are on Pro
• Receipt capture is a paid add-on on Starter
• Not every bank can connect through Plaid, as its page says

Wave website · Sources: Wave pricing, Wave invoicing

5. Zoho Books (Free plan)

Best for: Very small businesses under $50K revenue who want full online accounting with an accountant login

Good

• Invoices, quotes, expenses, receipt autoscans, mileage and a customer portal free
• Bank reconciliation, recurring invoices and payment reminders free
• P&L, balance sheet and 50+ reports; mobile and desktop apps

Not so good

• Free only while revenue stays under $50K for the financial year
• Bank feeds need Standard; multi-currency and inventory need Professional
• One user plus one accountant

Zoho Books (Free plan) website · Sources: Zoho Books pricing

Which one to choose

Ledger is our pick for simple double-entry books with nothing uploaded: no account, installable from the browser on a computer or phone, and fed as you work by the free PartPriced invoicing and expense apps, with bank matching from the bank's CSV. It is newer and simpler than the desktop packages.

Choose Manager's Desktop edition if you need payroll and inventory in one mature package on your computer, or GnuCash for open-source books with OFX import. Choose Wave for online books with no revenue cap (bank import is paid), or Zoho Books for fuller online accounting with an accountant login, free under $50K revenue.

Questions

What is the best free accounting software for a small business?

For simple books with no account and nothing uploaded, Ledger, linked to the free PartPriced invoicing and expense apps. Manager (Desktop edition) and GnuCash are free desktop packages with more depth; online, Wave Starter is free and Zoho Books is free under $50K revenue. It depends on whether you need bank feeds, payroll or a team.

Is there free accounting software with bank feeds?

Of these, Wave and Zoho Books offer bank connections on paid plans (Wave Pro, Zoho Books Standard). GnuCash supports OFX and, for German banks, HBCI. Ledger imports the bank's CSV file instead.

Can I do accounting without the cloud?

Yes. Manager Desktop and GnuCash store the books on your computer, and Ledger keeps them in your browser. Keep backups, because nobody else holds a copy.

Do I need double-entry bookkeeping?

It is how accountants keep books: every amount is recorded twice, so errors show up. GnuCash and Ledger say plainly that they are double-entry; check any tool with your accountant.

Names of other products are trademarks of their owners. PartPriced Tools is not affiliated with them.