Alternatives to QuickBooks

Small business accounting and bookkeeping software by Intuit

Pricing: $30/mo Simple Start, $60/mo Essentials, $90/mo Plus From $30/mo

Common pain points:

  • ✗ Frequent price increases frustrate long-term customers
  • ✗ Promotional pricing doubles after the first few months
  • ✗ Bank feed syncing breaks frequently and requires manual fixing
  • ✗ Payroll is an expensive add-on ($45+/mo) on top of base pricing

5 Alternatives to QuickBooks

GnuCash

Free double-entry accounting software for personal and small business finance

Open Source

Completely free and open-source. Desktop application with no subscription or cloud fees.

  • ✓ Full double-entry bookkeeping with professional reports
  • ✓ Supports invoicing, A/P, A/R, and stock tracking
  • ✓ Cross-platform desktop app with no subscription cost

Akaunting

Modern open-source online accounting software for small businesses and freelancers

Open Source

Self-hosted version is free. Cloud premium plan is $39/mo or $399/year for advanced features.

  • ✓ Modern web UI with dashboard and financial reports
  • ✓ App marketplace for extending functionality
  • ✓ Multi-company and multi-currency support

Wave

Free accounting and invoicing software designed for freelancers and small businesses

Free Tier

Free Starter plan for accounting and invoicing. Pro plan at $16/mo adds bank imports and receipt scanning.

  • ✓ Free unlimited invoicing and expense tracking
  • ✓ Clean modern interface with financial dashboards
  • ✓ No per-user pricing for core accounting features

Zoho Books

Cloud accounting software with automation, invoicing, and bank reconciliation

Freemium

Free plan for revenue under $50K/yr. Standard $15/mo, Professional $40/mo, Premium $60/mo.

  • ✓ Free plan for businesses earning under $50K/year
  • ✓ Automated bank feeds, reconciliation, and recurring invoices
  • ✓ Native integration with 40+ Zoho apps (CRM, Inventory, etc.)

ERPNext

Complete open-source ERP with integrated HR, payroll, accounting, and inventory management

Open Source

Free and open-source with no license fees. Optional paid cloud hosting and support available.

  • ✓ All-in-one ERP covering HR, payroll, accounting, and CRM
  • ✓ Statutory compliance configurable by country and region
  • ✓ Active community with 20,000+ developers and 180 partners

Detailed Comparisons