Free Xero Alternative


ZipBooks gives you many of the same features as Xero, but is free for anyone to use. Small businesses and contractors shouldn’t have to worry about paying to get paid, and ZipBooks makes that possible.

Get started
4.8 rating from 344 reviews
ZipBooks on Chrome Web Store
  • After trying multiple platforms, ZipBooks proves to surpass all expectations. They make bookkeeping a breeze. Would recommend a thousand times over because it has been crucial to my business growth.

    Laine Napoli Branding Addicts
  • I never studied accounting, but I found this software to be very user friendly for basic bookkeeping. I was able to figure it out in a short period of time. ZipBooks, I love you!

    Bonnie Cohen Bonnie Cohen-Gallet, Esq
  • This is by far the best app that has helped me with my small business. It has made accounting, invoicing, and tracking payments a breeze! I really love it!

    Jill Muñiz Quirky Print & Design Studio
  • Why not have bookkeeping software that is delightful and intuitive? Do you like using your old, boring software? Nah, didn't think so. ZipBooks rocks!

    Alex Harvey Illuminate Design
  • After trying multiple accounting apps for 10 years, ZipBooks was finally the solution. My clients can pay online & accept quotes through a simple, interactive process. Clients love it as much as I do.

    Chris Kelley Digital Craft Co.

See how we compare

ZipBooks is a modern, feature-rich alternative to Xero that gives you all the classic accounting features you need plus automated customer engagement features to help you grow your business. Compare ZipBooks vs. Xero Accounting below.

ZipBooks Starter
Xero Early
Price
FREE
$9/month
No setup fees or contracts
Number of invoices you can send
Unlimited
5
Number of transactions you can reconcile
Unlimited
20
Unlimited, free 24/7 support
Machine learning auto-categorization
Track income
Reporting
Sync bank accounts and apps
Import expenses
Free mobile app
Secure document storage
Payroll integration through Gusto
Additional users, Recurring invoicing, Time tracking and more
$15/month
$60/month

Frequently Asked Questions


How is ZipBooks different than Xero?

ZipBooks was formed with small business owners in mind—from newbies to veterans. Because of that vision, we offer a more streamlined interface and more visually appealing workflows. In short, ZipBooks is simple to use—and though it's capable of doing accounting for high-revenue businesses, the heavy lifting stays behind the scenes.

Do I download or install anything?

Nope.  ZipBooks is 100% "in the cloud." That means you can log on any time, from any device, and all of your data stays in sync no matter what.

What about the other Xero alternatives out there?

We invite you to try ZipBooks for free and see for yourself why it's better! We're confident you'll find it's more intuitive, easier to use, easier on the eyes, and more feature-packed than the alternatives.

Is ZipBooks totally free?

Totally. Our free Starter plan includes everything you need—invoicing, accounting, reporting, and more. For businesses looking to take the next step, we offer paid accounting and growth plans starting at $15/month.

What kind of support does ZipBooks offer?

In addition to our fully stocked Help Center, we have in-app chat support from our super helpful and friendly customer success team. But, odds are, you won’t use either of those resources often.

Is ZipBooks hard to learn?

Not at all. While Xero users frequently complain of a steep learning curve, you’ll never hear that complaint from ZipBookers. We’ve created an easy-to-use software that costs nothing. With its efficient web design and full features, it shouldn't be hard to switch from Xero to hero.

Are you an accountant?


Tons of bookkeepers and accountants work in ZipBooks every day—they love the intuitive interface, built on an architecture of sound, time-tested accounting principles.

Plus, ZipBooks brings client communication out of the dark age. Unlike Xero or any alternative, ZipBooks Accountant lets you text your clients straight from your online dashboard. When you’ve got a question about a transaction, they text you back right from their phones for faster reconciliation.

Try ZipBooks Accountant today and access wholesale pricing for you and your clients.

Get started
  • ZipBooks machine learning helps you categorize transactions even faster. The more transactions are categorized, the smarter our software gets—leaving you or your accountant with less and less to do.

  • We've made bank reconciliation dead-simple. Rather than stuffing your dashboard with unnecessary details like Xero, ZipBooks highlights current balances and check marks to instantly show you what needs to be done to reconcile.

  • Press play and get to work. Our built-in time-tracking component lets you start time on one device and end it on another. Move across clients seamlessly and when you're ready, pull time into invoices to be billed.

  • Our native app makes accounting on the go easy. In addition to our iOS app, we have built a flawless mobile interface. When you log-in to ZipBooks on your phone, you'll enjoy full functionality and features.

  • In Xero, tracking is limited to only two categories. ZipBooks lets you create as many custom tags as you want! Smart tagging helps you sort transactions (by vendor, customer, location, etc.) and then, run instantaneous reports based on any tag combination.

A quick note about us

We know that the accounting software space is crowded—and it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between the winners and the zeroes. ZipBooks was founded because we strongly believe that small businesses deserve better.

We’re here to the give the big guys a run for their money.

Like Xero, we help you get paid faster and streamline invoicing. But unlike Xero, we don’t charge for it.

Free doesn’t mean flimsy though. Our Starter plan has all the features you need to get your business off the ground. And when it’s time to take the training wheels off, we make it easy to upgrade—you keep all your data and a great price.

As a small business owner, every penny counts. So let us save you a few pennies.

Privacy Preference Center

      Necessary

      Advertising

      Analytics

      Other