Quick answer
- Lowest first-year cost: Zoho Books Standard at $180 on annual billing, against $259.20 for Xero Early and $399 for QuickBooks Simple Start (both with new-customer offers).
- Free: Zoho Books Free (1 user plus an accountant, 1,000 invoices a year, revenue at or below $50K) and QuickBooks Free (1 user, 2 invoices a month).
- Several users: Xero has no per-user fees on any plan; QuickBooks allows 1, 3, 5 or 25 users depending on plan.
- Watch Xero Early’s limits: 20 invoices and 5 bills a month.
Plans and prices
| Plan | Regular / month | Offer | Users | Limits listed |
|---|
| QuickBooks Free | $0 | – | 1 | 2 invoices a month, 1 bank connection, no accountant access |
|---|
| QuickBooks Simple Start | $38 | 50% off for 3 months | 1 (+2 accountants) | – |
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| QuickBooks Essentials | $85 | 50% off for 3 months | 3 | – |
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| QuickBooks Plus | $140 | 50% off for 3 months | 5 | – |
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| QuickBooks Advanced | $340 | 50% off for 3 months | 25 | – |
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| Xero Early | $27 | 80% off for 3 months | No per-user fee | Send 20 invoices, enter 5 bills |
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| Xero Growing | $59 | 80% off for 3 months | No per-user fee | No cap listed |
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| Xero Established | $97 | 80% off for 3 months | No per-user fee | No cap listed; multi-currency |
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| Zoho Books Free | $0 | – | 1 + accountant | 1,000 invoices a year; revenue ≤ $50K |
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| Zoho Books Standard | $20 ($15 annual) | – | 3 | 5,000 invoices a year |
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| Zoho Books Professional | $50 ($40 annual) | – | 5 | 10,000 invoices a year |
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| Zoho Books Premium | $70 ($60 annual) | – | 10 | 25,000 invoices a year |
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US prices before tax, read on each vendor’s pricing page on October 14, 2026.
About the offers: QuickBooks’ 50% off for 3 months applies to new subscriptions and cannot be combined with its 30-day free trial. Xero’s 80% off for 3 months is for US customers buying their first organisation on xero.com, and excludes add-ons, usage and payment fees. Both can change or end at any time.
First-year cost
Three months at the offer price plus nine months at the regular price. Zoho Books has no offer, so we show its annual and monthly billing totals.
| Tier | QuickBooks | Xero | Zoho Books |
|---|
| Entry | Simple Start: $399 | Early: $259.20 | Standard: $180 annual / $240 monthly |
|---|
| Mid | Essentials: $892.50 | Growing: $566.40 | Professional: $480 annual / $600 monthly |
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Year two is the number to plan around: QuickBooks Simple Start renews at $38 a month ($456 a year), Xero Early at $27 ($324), and Zoho Books Standard at $15 on annual billing ($180). Intuit says monthly prices for Essentials, Plus and Advanced change for renewals on or after 1 August 2026.
The three options
How to choose
- Freelancer or very small business: start with Zoho Books Free and move up if you pass the invoice or revenue limit.
- Several people need access: compare Xero (no per-user fee) with Zoho Books Standard (3 users) and Professional (5).
- Your accountant already uses one: ask them before switching; migration effort can outweigh a price difference.
Also see all accounting and invoicing tools, including FreshBooks and Wave.
