Best Accounting Software for Self-Employed and Freelancers in 2026: 7 Compared

If you work for yourself, the right accounting tool is the one that matches how you get paid and what you have to prove at tax time. This guide compares seven options for freelancers, consultants and solo store owners, using each company’s own published pages as of November 2026. The short version: a free tier exists at Zoho Books (a revenue threshold applies), QuickBooks Solopreneur, Wave and Found, and the paid app plans on the pages I loaded start from about $4.60 a month on promotion, with several promotional prices that change.

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This is general information, not financial or tax advice. Prices, limits and promotions change often, so check the provider before you buy. I work from the vendors’ published pages and I have not tested any of these products myself. If you also run a store, my guide to accounting software for small business covers the next step up. More guides like this live on the Ecommerce Paradise homepage.

Quick picks, as opinion based on published terms: QuickBooks Solopreneur for mileage and receipts at a low price, FreshBooks for client invoicing, Wave for a free start, Zoho Books for the largest free allowance, Xero for a growing business with a bookkeeper, Found if you want business banking and tax set-asides in one app, and Finaloop if you sell physical products and want someone to keep the books.

Quick comparison table (as of November 2026)

Pick	Entry price shown	Free plan or trial	Key limit or note
QuickBooks Solopreneur	Lite $10/mo shown (struck-through $20), “50% off for 3 months”; promo end date not shown	Free plan at $0/mo; separate 30-day trial text appears on the main pricing page	Free plan: 5 trips, 2 receipts and 2 invoices a month
FreshBooks	Lite $4.60/mo shown (was $23), “80% Off for 4 Months”; end date not shown	30-day trial, no credit card	Lite: 5 billable clients; Plus: 50; Premium: unlimited
Wave	Pro $19/mo billed monthly, or $190/yr	Starter plan at $0	Starter card fee 2.9% + $0.60; bank auto-import is a Pro feature
Zoho Books	Standard $20/mo monthly or $15/mo billed yearly	Free plan while revenue stays within a $50K yearly threshold; 14-day trial text on the page	Free plan: 1,000 invoices a year, 50 receipt autoscans a month
Xero	Early $5.40/mo for the first 3 months, then $27/mo	Trial terms not shown on the pages I loaded	Early: 20 invoices and quotes, 5 bills
Found	Free tier $0; Plus $35/mo; Pro $80/mo	Free tier; 30-day trial on Plus and Pro	Quarterly federal payments in-app for Schedule C filers on Plus and Pro
Finaloop	Starter $245/mo billed monthly	14-day free trial	Starter: up to $1M gross revenue and 4 years in business or less

“Not shown” in this article means I could not see the figure on the vendor page I loaded, and I tell you where to check. Where a price carries a struck-through “was” figure, I report both as displayed and do not assume what you will pay after the promotion ends.

How I chose these seven

I built the list from the published pages of each provider, not from reviews or user ratings. Everything labeled “best for” is editorial opinion based on those terms, and you should weigh it against your own situation. The criteria were the ones self-employed people usually hit first:

• Price and billing basis: monthly versus annual, and what happens when a promotional price ends.
• Client and invoice limits: some plans cap billable clients or monthly invoices.
• Receipt capture and mileage tracking: the two tasks that usually decide whether you actually keep records.
• Bank feeds: whether transactions import automatically and on which plan.
• Payment fees: what you pay when a client pays you by card or bank transfer.
• Tax-time features: what the tool does to help you set money aside or prepare reports. I describe features only, not what you owe.
• Free plan or trial: so you can try before committing.

I left out tools with no US pricing on their own pages and tax-preparation products, which I cover separately in my guide to tax software for self-employed filers.

1. QuickBooks Solopreneur: best for low-cost mileage and receipt tracking

Who it fits: one-person businesses that want a simple income, expense, mileage and invoice tool from a well-known brand. You can start on the QuickBooks site and compare the Solopreneur and small-business lines.

Key numbers. On the Solopreneur page, three plans are shown: Free at $0 a month, Lite at $10 a month (struck-through $20) and Simple Start at $19 a month (struck-through $38). Both paid plans carry a “50% off for 3 months” tag, and the footnote terms and end date were not shown. The pricing is displayed on a monthly basis. The page says there is no annual contract and you can cancel anytime, mentions an annual-saving option, and does not show annual prices.

The Free plan allows 5 mileage trips, 2 receipts and 2 invoices a month, with invoices unlimited if you qualify for and turn on QuickBooks Payments. Lite lists unlimited receipts, mileage and invoices, and Simple Start is described as including everything in Lite, though the page does not restate its limits separately. Contractor management is 1 on Free, 3 on Lite and unlimited on Simple Start. Client limits and payment fee amounts were not shown, and a quarterly estimated tax feature was not shown on this page either.

On the broader QuickBooks pricing page, Simple Start appears at $19 a month, and Essentials at $42.50 a month (struck-through $85) includes a Business Tax AI feature that the page says estimates quarterly payments. That page shows a “Free trial for 30 days” header without tying it to a specific plan, and it lists Simple Start as everything in Free plus more. The Solopreneur page says the Free plan allows one connected bank account, and I did not see a separate bank-connection count for Simple Start.

Strengths:

• A real free tier for very low volume, so you can see the app before paying.
• Lite lists unlimited mileage, receipts and invoices.
• Lite lists Expert Assisted Tax powered by TurboTax, payable only when you file.
• A clear upgrade path into the small-business plans if you add staff or inventory.

Watch-outs:

• The Free plan caps are tight if you invoice more than twice a month without QuickBooks Payments.
• Promotional prices are time-limited, and the post-promo price is not spelled out beside the plan.
• QuickBooks Self-Employed still appears as a menu link on the pages I loaded, with no description. I could not confirm its current status, so check Intuit’s site before relying on it.

Verdict: the best low-price starting point if mileage and receipts are your main records. For trial and promo details, my notes on the QuickBooks free trial and 50% off offer explain how to verify them.

2. FreshBooks: best for client invoicing and billing

Who it fits: consultants, designers and agencies of one who spend more time billing clients than managing inventory. You can look at the plans through FreshBooks.

Key numbers. The FreshBooks pricing page shows Lite at $4.60 a month (was $23), Plus at $8.60 a month (was $43) and Premium at $14 a month (was $70), each tagged “80% Off for 4 Months” under a “limited time offer” banner. The expiry date was not shown. The prices are monthly, and a yearly toggle advertises an extra 10% off without showing yearly prices. Select is a custom plan with no price shown.

Billable clients are 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus and unlimited on Premium and Select. The comparison table lists unlimited customized invoices on all plans, so the client cap is the limit to watch. A 30-day free trial with no credit card is shown.

Mileage tracking, unlimited expense tracking, automated bank import and tax-time reports are listed on all plans. Receipt scanning is listed for expenses starting on Plus; I could not see a receipt line for Lite. Estimated tax payments were not shown. The FAQ lists card payments at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction and ACH at 1%, with the asterisk footnote not visible, so confirm rates for your plan. Team members are $11 a month each, Advanced Payments are $20 a month on Lite, Plus and Premium, and Payroll is $40 a month plus $6 a month per user.

Strengths:

• Billing-first design with unlimited customized invoices on every plan.
• Mileage and bank import included from the cheapest plan.
• A 30-day no-card trial makes it easy to test.

Watch-outs:

• The 5-client cap on Lite can bite quickly, and Plus is the plan with receipt scanning.
• The promotional price runs for four months, and the page does not show an end date for the offer.
• Add-ons like Advanced Payments and team seats raise the real monthly cost.

Verdict: a strong pick when invoices and client billing are the core of your week. My FreshBooks pricing breakdown walks through the add-ons in more detail.

3. Wave: best for a free start

Who it fits: freelancers with simple books who would rather pay per transaction than per month. My own write-up, the Wave accounting review, goes deeper on where the free plan ends.

Key numbers. The Wave pricing page shows Starter at $0 a month with unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records. Pro is $19 a month billed monthly or $190 a year billed annually. Card processing on Starter is 2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction and 3.4% + $0.60 for Amex. On Pro, the page shows 2.9% + $0 for the first 10 transactions a month and then 2.9% + $0.60, with Amex at 3.4% on the same pattern. Bank and ACH fees were not shown.

Auto-import of bank transactions via Plaid is described as a Pro feature, and not all banks are supported. Receipt capture appears both as a Pro feature and as a paid add-on, and the page’s price mapping for that add-on was unclear, so verify what your plan includes. Mileage tracking was not shown, and a free trial was not shown. A new-subscriber Pro promotion of $9.50 a month for the first three months is listed with a window of December 2, 2025 to January 6, 2026, which has passed as of this writing, so do not count on it. Payroll is a separate add-on with prices shown as from $25 or $40 a month.

Strengths:

• A $0 plan with unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records.
• No monthly fee until you need bank auto-import.
• Annual billing on Pro: $190 a year versus $228 at twelve months of $19 (a $38 difference).

Watch-outs:

• Card fees include a fixed $0.60 on Starter, which hurts on small invoices.
• Mileage tracking was not shown on the pages I loaded.
• Bank auto-import is a Pro feature, so Starter users may need to enter or import transactions another way.

Verdict: a sensible free start for light bookkeeping, as long as you accept no bank auto-import or move to Pro.

4. Zoho Books: best free allowance for growing invoice volume

Who it fits: freelancers who expect more invoices and want features like mileage and 1099 contractor tracking without paying yet. See the plans through Zoho Books.

Key numbers. The Zoho Books pricing page shows a Free plan that the page says stays free while revenue for the financial year stays within a $50K threshold, with one user plus one accountant, 1,000 invoices and 1,000 bills or expenses a year, and 50 receipt autoscans a month. Standard is $20 a month on monthly billing or $15 a month billed yearly, with 3 users, 5,000 invoices a year and 200 autoscans a month. Professional is $50 or $40, and Premium is $70 or $60. Prices are per organization per month and exclude local taxes.

Mileage tracking, online payment acceptance and bank reconciliation are listed on the Free plan. Bank feeds start on Standard, along with sales and use tax tracking and 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC e-filing. Inventory tracking appears on Professional. Annual billing on Standard works out to $180 a year versus $240 at twelve months of $20, a $60 difference. The page mentions a 14-day free trial, with further trial terms not shown. The only promotion listed is 1% back in Zoho Credits on card transactions for new users, with no expiry shown.

Strengths:

• Generous free caps on invoices and receipt scans.
• Mileage and 1099 contractor tracking on the free tier.
• Sales and use tax tracking available from Standard, helpful if you sell goods.

Watch-outs:

• The free plan stops at the $50K revenue line, so you need a plan for when you pass it.
• Bank feeds require Standard or above.
• The interface covers more than a freelancer needs, so setup takes longer than with a simple invoicing app.

Verdict: the best free allowance of the seven by the numbers shown, with a clean path upward. My QuickBooks versus Zoho Books comparison shows how the limits stack up.

5. Xero: best when a bookkeeper or accountant is involved

Who it fits: self-employed people whose accountant already uses Xero, or whose business is about to add staff, bills and a bookkeeper. Start from Xero.

Key numbers. The Xero US pricing page shows Early at $5.40 a month for the first three months and then $27 a month, Growing at $11.80 and then $59, and Established at $19.40 and then $97. The offer is 80% off the base subscription for three months, billed monthly and auto-renewing until cancelled. The page does not show an end date and notes Xero can change or cancel the offer at any time.

Early includes quotes and 20 invoices and 5 bills. Growing and Established list invoices and bill entry as included, and I saw no numeric cap for them. Smart Document Capture is listed for receipt capture. Mileage and expense claims are excluded on Early and Growing and included on Established. Auto-reconcile is an optional $5 a month on Early. The bank feed line did not show an amount, so confirm bank feed availability and any charge before you commit. Payroll is an optional add-on at $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor. Trial terms were not shown on the pages I loaded. A “Get one month free” banner appears near the buy buttons without an explanation, so confirm what it means at checkout.

Strengths:

• The page says “no per-user license fees,” which is useful when your accountant needs access.
• Cash flow forecasting scales from 30 days on Early to 180 on Established.
• Optional inventory and payroll add-ons for growth.

Watch-outs:

• The Early invoice cap of 20 may be tight for a busy freelancer.
• The price jump after the promotional period is large, from $5.40 to $27 on Early.
• Mileage requires the top plan.

Verdict: a fit when accountant compatibility matters more than mileage. My Xero pricing guide costs out year one versus year two.

6. Found: best for banking and tax set-asides in one app

Who it fits: sole proprietors who want a business account, invoicing and a tax set-aside pocket together. See the plans on the Found pricing page.

Key numbers. Found is $0 a month, Found Plus is $35 a month ($315 a year, or $26.25 a month) and Found Pro is $80 a month ($720 a year, or $60 a month). The annual option is described as a 25% discount: $35 times twelve is $420, so $315 saves $105. Plus and Pro show a 30-day free trial, one per user, after which the fee is deducted from your Found balance automatically.

All tiers list business checking, unlimited invoices, bookkeeping, auto-categorization rules for transactions, receipt scanning and matching, mileage and home office deduction tracking, and a Taxes Pocket for automatic set-asides. In-app quarterly federal tax payments are listed on Plus and Pro for Schedule C filers only. Fees shown include 1.75% for sending an instant payment ($0.50 minimum, $50 maximum), $2 for a cash deposit, and outgoing wires of $15 on Found, $12 on Plus and $8 on Pro. Found says it is a financial technology company and not a bank, with banking services provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC, and funds in your account FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor for each account ownership category. Found also notes that FDIC insurance only covers the failure of an FDIC-insured bank, so read its disclosures.

Strengths:

• Banking, invoices, receipts and mileage in one place, even on the free tier.
• Automatic tax set-aside pocket on every tier.
• A clear 25% annual discount on paid tiers.

Watch-outs:

• It is a banking app first. I could not confirm full accountant-grade reporting from the pages loaded, so ask your accountant whether it is enough.
• Quarterly payments are Schedule C only and paid-tier only.
• You would move your business banking, which is a bigger decision than choosing software.

Verdict: attractive for solo operators who want fewer apps. For a banking-side comparison, see my Mercury versus Found breakdown.

7. Finaloop: best if you sell products and want the books done for you

Who it fits: solo store owners, including dropshippers with real revenue, who care about COGS, sales tax and clean monthly financials but do not want to do bookkeeping themselves. You can look at Finaloop directly.

Key numbers. On the Finaloop pricing page, Starter is $245 a month billed monthly and is limited to businesses with up to $1M in annual gross revenue and four years in business or less. Full-Service and Platform are custom quotes. A 14-day free trial is shown, covering your onboarding month and the two months before it. You can cancel anytime with no cancellation fee, and subscription fees are non-refundable. Add-ons such as inventory management, tax services and forecasting are priced separately with amounts not shown.

The comparison table has a “Sales tax liability tracking” row, but it compares Finaloop against other setups and does not say which Finaloop plan includes it, so ask what your plan covers. The pricing content did not name specific storefronts, so confirm that your platforms are supported. Full-Service and Platform show no prices, and the page says pricing beyond Starter comes as a custom quote after a call. Historical catch-up fees are scoped on a call and the amount is not shown.

Strengths:

• Aimed at product sellers, with inventory management offered as an add-on.
• Done-for-you model saves you the monthly reconciliation.
• A trial that covers the onboarding window.

Watch-outs:

• At $245 a month, it is a different budget from the app-only picks.
• Inventory management is a separate add-on on the plans described.
• Not aimed at service freelancers with no inventory.

Verdict: a fit once revenue and product complexity justify it. My Finaloop review has more detail.

Also considered: Hurdlr and Bench

Hurdlr. The Hurdlr site describes an app for freelancers that tracks mileage, expenses and income and offers live tax estimates and reminders. It lists Premium for personal tracking and Pro for invoicing and accounting. Prices, billing basis and trial length were not shown on the page I loaded, which is why it is not in the main seven. Check Hurdlr’s sign-up flow for current pricing.

Bench. The Bench pricing page shows done-for-you bookkeeping at $199 a month for Bookkeeping Light (for $250K or less in annual revenue), $399 for Bookkeeping and $649 for Bookkeeping plus Tax, with a 20% discount for annual billing. The pages I loaded showed no closure notice and listed prices, but a page snapshot cannot prove a company’s operating status, so confirm directly with Bench before you pay anything. No free trial was shown. My QuickBooks versus Bench comparison explains software versus service.

Tax-time features: what the tools describe and what the IRS says

Several of these tools describe tax-time features, such as mileage logs, expense categories, set-aside pockets and estimate reminders. I describe only what the vendors list, not what you should pay. For the rules themselves, the IRS self-employed individuals tax center explains that self-employed people usually pay estimated tax quarterly because no employer withholds it, and it points to Form 1040-ES for the calculation. A tax professional can tell you what applies to your situation.

Monthly versus annual billing at a glance

Tool and plan	Monthly billing	Annual billing	Difference over a year
Wave Pro	$19/mo = $228	$190/yr	$38
Zoho Books Standard	$20/mo = $240	$15/mo = $180	$60
Found Plus	$35/mo = $420	$315/yr	$105
Found Pro	$80/mo = $960	$720/yr	$240

These are arithmetic examples from the prices on each vendor page, before taxes and before any promotion. QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Xero mention annual options without showing annual prices on the pages I loaded, so I left them out.

How to choose

Start with what you must record. If mileage and receipts are the pain, compare QuickBooks Solopreneur, Zoho Books and Found. If invoices are the pain, FreshBooks and Zoho Books are built around them. If an accountant will touch your books, ask which system they prefer before you pick, because switching later is possible but takes effort. My guide on how to choose accounting software lists the gates that matter before price.

Next, check the caps. FreshBooks limits billable clients by plan, QuickBooks Solopreneur limits receipts, trips and invoices on the free plan, Zoho Books limits revenue on its free plan, and Xero Early limits invoices. A tool that is cheap at 5 clients can be the wrong tool at 12. Finally, check the billing basis. Several of the prices above are promotional or monthly, and the post-promotion price may be different.

Which to pick if…

If you are brand new and want to spend nothing, start with the Wave Starter plan or the Zoho Books free plan and move up only when a limit bites. If you log many trips and receipts, QuickBooks Solopreneur Lite lists them as unlimited, which is the clearest line among these tools. If you bill a handful of clients with detailed invoices, FreshBooks is the one built for that. If you want your money, invoices and tax set-asides in one app, Found fits, provided you are comfortable moving your business account.

If your accountant lives in Xero, take Xero. If you sell products and your real pain is COGS and sales tax, look at Finaloop or step up to an inventory-capable plan. For that, see my post on accounting software for dropshipping. The ecommerce version is the accounting software for ecommerce ranking.

If you run a store: sales tax and COGS tracking

Many solopreneurs are really store owners with one employee: themselves. In a store, your accounting tool has to do more than log invoices. Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the cost of the products you sell, and tracking it correctly is what makes your profit number real, especially in thin-margin dropshipping. Sales tax is the other store-specific job. Zoho Books lists sales and use tax tracking from Standard and inventory tracking on Professional. QuickBooks lists Sales Tax AI and inventory tracking on Plus, and Xero lists Inventory Plus as an optional add-on. Finaloop lists a sales tax liability tracking row (plan coverage not shown) and inventory management as an add-on.

If you are building a store on a high-ticket model, plan your books early. My overview of what high-ticket dropshipping is shows why per-order margins matter. The high-ticket niches list helps you decide what you will sell.

Choosing suppliers is a COGS decision, which I cover in the guide to finding suppliers. Separating business and personal money starts with business formation, which makes any of these tools easier to use.

Mistakes to avoid

Buying on the promotional price. FreshBooks, QuickBooks and Xero all show discounted introductory prices for a limited number of months. Plan around the regular price, and read the checkout page. Ignoring the caps. A client, invoice or revenue limit can force an upgrade at a bad moment. Skipping receipts. A tool that makes capture easy only helps if you use it every week. Mixing money. Keep business income and expenses in separate accounts so your records stay clean. Assuming the software files your taxes. Accounting software organizes records; it does not replace a tax preparer or the IRS rules, and I have not made any claim here about what you owe.

If you want a second pair of eyes on your setup, my coaching program is where I help store owners work through decisions like this.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best accounting software for self-employed people in 2026?
It depends on what you need to record. Based on each company’s published terms as of November 2026, QuickBooks Solopreneur suits mileage and receipts, FreshBooks suits client billing, Zoho Books has the largest free allowance, and Found combines banking with tax set-asides. This is opinion and not financial or tax advice.

Is there free accounting software for freelancers?
Wave lists a Starter plan at $0, Zoho Books lists a Free plan while revenue stays within a $50K yearly threshold, QuickBooks Solopreneur lists a Free plan with monthly caps, and Found lists a $0 tier. Each has limits, and terms change, so check the provider before you rely on it.

Do these tools handle quarterly estimated taxes?
Features differ. Found lists in-app quarterly federal payments on Plus and Pro for Schedule C filers, and QuickBooks lists a Business Tax AI feature on Essentials that estimates quarterly payments. Hurdlr mentions live tax estimates. None of this tells you what you owe, so talk to a tax professional.

Is Bench still operating?
The Bench pages I loaded showed prices and no closure notice, but a page snapshot cannot prove a company’s status. Confirm directly with Bench before paying, and treat it as a done-for-you service, not software.

Should a dropshipping store owner use these tools or a service like Finaloop?
If you have little inventory and low volume, an app with sales tax and expense tracking may be enough. If your COGS, inventory and sales tax are complex and your revenue supports the cost, a done-for-you option may fit. Prices and limits change, so compare current terms.

Related Articles

These Ecommerce Paradise guides go deeper on the decisions around your books and your store.

• Best Accounting Software for Small Business in 2026
• Best Accounting Software for Dropshipping
• Best Tax Software for Self-Employed Filers in 2026
• Best Expense Tracking Apps
• How to Choose Accounting Software