- 250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
- 95+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
- 75+ categories of best business software selections.
- Objective and comprehensive business accounting software ratings rubric. (Learn more about our star ratings.)
Best Accounting Software for Freelancers and Self-Employed
Product | Promotion | Learn more | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Xero Learn more on Xero's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Client management for freelancers | $15/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $47, $80. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on Xero's secure website |
FreshBooks Learn more on FreshBooks' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Overall freelance accounting software | $19/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on FreshBooks' secure website |
Zoho Books Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Mobile accounting app | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275. | 14-day free trial of the Premium plan. | Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website |
QuickBooks Online Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Scalability | $35/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $65, $99, $235. | 50% off for first three months or free 30-day trial. | Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website |
Wave Accounting | 3.5/5 Best for Free self-employed accounting software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16 | N/A | |
Brightbook | Best for Unlimited invoicing | $0 | N/A | |
TrulySmall Accounting | 3.0/5 Best for Sole proprietorship accounting software | $20/month | 14-day free trial |
Our pick for
Client management for freelancers
Xero is a rising star in the accounting software space. With the exception of a couple of inventory-related features, it carries all the same primary accounting functions as QuickBooks Online but at a lower cost. If you’re a freelancer with multiple clients, Xero’s contact management tool can help you keep on top of communications; monitor the status of all your estimates, invoices and payments; and attach relevant documents to your contact listings.
Xero
on Xero's secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $47, $80.
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Pros
- Unlimited users in all pricing plans.
- Integrates with more than 1,000 third-party apps.
- Feature set includes an excellent mobile app and suite of reports, capable invoicing features, plus automated bill and receipt capture through Hubdoc.
- Simple layout and easy to use.
Cons
- No phone number for customer support listed.
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
Our pick for
Overall freelance accounting software
FreshBooks has reasonable pricing and its invoicing and client management tools are especially sharp. It also has one of the longer trial periods among others on this list, so take advantage of that if you’re interested in exploring all that FreshBooks has to offer freelancers and self-employed professionals.
FreshBooks
on FreshBooks' secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom.
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Pros
- Stay in touch with clients through the FreshBooks mobile app and get notified when invoices have been viewed or become overdue.
- Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
- Track time and add billable hours to invoices in all plans.
- Weekday phone support in all plans.
Cons
- Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails for accountants to review.
- Highest-tier Select plan only comes with two users (additional users add $11 per month) and lower-tier plans put limits on billable clients.
- Least expensive plan lacks double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access.
Our pick for
Mobile accounting app
Zoho Books packs its mobile app with useful features and even includes some unique ones like business card scanning to easily update your contacts, mileage tracking through your phone’s GPS and accounting-related Siri voice commands. It’s available for iOS, Android and Windows devices.
Zoho Books
on Zoho Books' secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
of the Premium plan.
Pros
- Less expensive than some competitors; free plan available for businesses with less than $50k in annual revenue.
- Email support in free plan; phone and chat support in paid plans.
- Rich feature set includes excellent invoicing, inventory management, workflow rules and a capable mobile app.
- Add accounting widgets to your phone’s home screen; track time using your Apple Watch.
Cons
- Fewer third-party integrations and reports than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
Our pick for
Scalability
Although QuickBooks is one of the highest priced accounting software solutions on our list, it’s also one of the most tried and true products. The company often offers a promotional discount for new users. And the upside to choosing QuickBooks Online as a freelancer or self-employed professional is that the software can grow with your business.
QuickBooks Online
on QuickBooks Online's secure website
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $65, $99, $235.
for first three months or free 30-day trial.
Pros
- Easy to share information with your accountant and to find QuickBooks experts and online resources if needed.
- More than 750 app integrations.
- Robust feature set includes record-keeping, reporting, invoicing and inventory management, plus a capable mobile app.
- Chat and phone support available Monday through Saturday in all plans.
Cons
- Expensive compared with the competition.
- Frequent price increases and a tendency toward upselling.
- Limited account users with each plan.
Our pick for
Free self-employed accounting software
For freelance and self-employed professionals in search of simple and free accounting software with strong invoicing features, Wave delivers. Both Wave Accounting and Wave Invoicing are offered at no cost, and if you want the option to easily accept online payment through your invoices, you can use Wave’s payment processing service (which involves a processing fee per transaction).
Wave Accounting
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16
Pros
- Free plan available.
- Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
Cons
- Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails.
- Must subscribe to Wave’s Pro plan or other paid services (payroll, payments, advisor, etc.) to receive customer support from a human.
- No third-party integrations, mileage tracking feature or ability to accept in-person card payments.
Our pick for
Unlimited invoicing
Brightbook is another free accounting software product that’s particularly designed for businesses with one to five employees. The software interface appears more dated than many of the popular cloud accounting products on the market, but it includes all the invoicing, expense, payment and accounting features a very small business needs.
Brightbook
Pros
- Send unlimited invoices.
- Add unlimited users.
- Run basic reports, like a profit and loss statement and tax report.
Cons
- Does not use double-entry accounting.
- Must manually import bank statements.
Our pick for
Sole proprietorship accounting software
Single-owner freelance businesses that haven’t registered as an LLC, corporation or other formal entity are considered sole proprietorships. While many of the other accounting software products listed here are scalable, TrulySmall Accounting is made for sole proprietorships that plan to stay small and complete no more than 500 transactions per year.
TrulySmall Accounting
Pros
- Features include basic reporting, mobile app, invoicing and reconciliation tools.
- No cap on the number of users or invoices.
- Phone, chat and email support.
Cons
- Not a good fit for growing businesses, due to lack of audit trails and third-party integrations.
- Can’t tag transactions to enable more granular reporting.
- No inventory management or mileage tracking features.
Our picks for the best self-employed accounting software
FreshBooks
- $19 per month for the Lite plan.
- $33 per month for the Plus plan.
- $60 per month for the Premium plan.
- Custom pricing for the Select plan.
Wave Accounting
- $0 for the Starter plan.
- $16 per month for the Pro plan.
Zoho Books
- $0 per month for the Free plan.
- $20 per month for the Standard plan.
- $50 per month for the Professional plan.
- $70 per month for the Premium plan.
- $150 per month for the Elite plan.
- $275 per month for the Ultimate plan.
QuickBooks Online
- $35 per month for the Simple Start plan.
- $65 per month for the Essentials plan.
- $99 per month for the Plus plan.
- $235 per month for the Advanced plan.
Xero
- $15 per month for the Early plan.
- $42 per month for the Growing plan.
- $78 per month for the Established plan.
Brightbook
TrulySmall Accounting
- $20 per month for the Accounting plan.
- TrulySmall also offers standalone Invoices and Expenses plans for businesses that opt out of the Accounting plan. They cost $8.99 per month each.