What is Zoho Books?
Zoho Books is a cloud accounting platform that offers a free plan for businesses with annual revenue under $50,000. It provides double-entry bookkeeping, automated bank feeds, GST/VAT management, invoicing, expense tracking and financial reports. It's part of the wider Zoho suite of business tools.
For small businesses and accountants managing early-stage clients, Zoho Books' free tier is one of the most complete free accounting tools available — more feature-rich than Wave and significantly cheaper than QuickBooks or Xero. The AI auto-categorisation and payment reminders save hours of manual work.
👍 Pros
- ✅ Free for businesses under $50k annual revenue
- ✅ More features than Wave on free plan
- ✅ AI auto-categorises transactions
- ✅ Built-in tax management (GST, VAT)
- ✅ Integrates with full Zoho business suite
👎 Cons
- ❌ Free plan limited by revenue threshold
- ❌ UI is more complex than FreshBooks or Wave
- ❌ Slower customer support than QuickBooks
- ❌ Zoho ecosystem lock-in can be a concern
Zoho Books Pricing 2026
Free
$0
under $50k/yr
1 user · Invoicing · Bookkeeping · Bank feeds
Standard
$15
per month
3 users · Budgeting · Recurring transactions
Professional
$40
per month
5 users · Purchase orders · Inventory · Multi-currency
* Pricing subject to change. Always check Zoho Books's website for current rates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zoho Books free?
Zoho Books is free for businesses with annual revenue under $50,000. Once you exceed this threshold, you need a paid plan starting at $15/mo. There's no credit card required to start.
Is Zoho Books better than Wave?
Zoho Books has more features than Wave — including tax management and more reporting options. Wave has no revenue limit on its free plan. For businesses under $50k revenue, Zoho Books is often the better choice. For businesses over $50k who need free software, Wave is the answer.
Does Zoho Books work for accountants?
Yes — Zoho Books is accountant-friendly with an accountant portal, client management and support for multiple companies under one login. It's a good choice for accountants managing multiple small business clients.