The best accounting software for most self-employed people and freelancers is Wave, which is genuinely free for invoicing and bookkeeping. FreshBooks is the best for client invoicing, QuickBooks is the strongest for self-employment tax and if you plan to form an LLC, and Zoho Books is the best value as you grow. Live pricing and a calculator are below.
Independent guide by SMBCompare. Prices last checked . How we compare
Wave is genuinely free for invoicing and bookkeeping, which makes it the natural pick for a freelancer or sole proprietor: track income and expenses, send professional invoices, and add low-cost payments or payroll only if you need them.
Watch out: Lighter reporting and no real inventory if your work grows into products.
FreshBooks leads on invoicing, time tracking, and project profitability, so it suits freelancers who bill clients by the hour or by project and want getting paid to be quick and professional.
Watch out: Priced by client tier, so it costs more as your active client list grows.
QuickBooks Online is the strongest for tracking self-employment income and expenses for your Schedule C, and it gives the cleanest path if you later form an LLC or S-corp, with the widest accountant network behind it.
Watch out: Costs more than the free options.
Zoho Books has a free entry tier under a revenue threshold and low-cost paid plans, so it is good value for a freelancer who is growing steadily, particularly if you already use other Zoho apps.
Watch out: Less mainstream with US accountants on its own.
Enter your business details to see what each option would cost you. Prices are live from our database and shown in US dollars.
| 4 Providers | Wave | FreshBooks | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. Cost /mo (USD) | $0/moCheapest | $21/mo | $38/mo | $0/moCheapest |
| Ratings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4Capterra (1,724) | 4.5Capterra (4,518) | 4.3Capterra (8,460) | 4.4Capterra (673) | |
| Plans & Pricing | ||||
| Free (Pro $16/mo) | $21/mo (Lite) | $38/mo (Simple Start) | Free / $15 Standard | |
| ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓under revenue cap | |
| ✓add-on | ✕Gusto | ✓add-on | ✕add-on | |
| Unlimited (with limited roles) | 1 | 1 (Simple Start) | 3 (Standard) | |
| Add-on (+$6/emp) | N/A (Gusto) | $50/mo + $6/emp | N/A | |
| ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Tax & Compliance | ||||
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Limited | Limited | ✓ | ✓Professional | |
| ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | Partial | |
| ✓Pro | ✓ | ✓ | ✓Standard | |
| Unlimited (Pro) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (Standard+) | |
| ✓unlimited | ✓client caps apply | ✓unlimited | ✓annual caps | |
| AI | ||||
| Limited (receipt OCR on Pro only) | Native (AI categorization, receipt OCR) | Native (Intuit Assist) | Native (Zia) | |
| Via 3rd-party (community) | Via 3rd-party (Zapier) | Via 3rd-party (Zapier) | Native MCP (Zoho, official) | |
| Features & Integrations | ||||
| Limited | Limited | ✓Essentials | ✓Professional | |
| ✓Pro | ✓Plus | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓Pro | ✓Plus | ✓free | ✓free | |
| Live chat (Pro) | Phone + email | Phone + chat | Email / voice / chat |
Being self-employed means your business and personal money blur together easily, and tax time is where that hurts. Accounting software fixes it: it separates income and expenses for your Schedule C, sends professional invoices, tracks what clients owe you, and makes the numbers ready for tax. The right tool depends on how you bill and whether cost or invoicing polish matters most. Below are our ranked picks, then a live calculator to cost each at your numbers.
We ranked on what a freelancer or sole proprietor actually needs: a free or low-cost entry point, professional invoicing and getting paid, clean separation of income and expenses for self-employment tax, and a path that scales if you incorporate later. Pricing is live from our database in US dollars.
For more than a few clients, yes. A spreadsheet loses track of unpaid invoices and mixes deductible expenses with personal ones, which costs you at tax time. Accounting software keeps the two separate, chases payment, and produces the figures your Schedule C needs. Because Wave is free, there is little reason to stay on a spreadsheet once invoicing or expenses get busy.
If you mainly send invoices and want it free, Wave is the pick. If invoicing polish, time tracking, and project profitability matter because you bill clients by the hour, FreshBooks is worth its fee. If you expect to incorporate or want the strongest self-employment tax tracking, QuickBooks is the safer long-term choice. Zoho Books sits in between on value as you grow.
For most self-employed people, Wave is the best overall because it is free and built for one-person businesses, FreshBooks is the choice for client invoicing, QuickBooks is the strongest for tax and incorporating, and Zoho Books is the best value as you scale. Use the calculator above to cost each at your numbers.
For most freelancers and sole proprietors, Wave is the best overall because it is genuinely free for invoicing and bookkeeping. FreshBooks is the best for client invoicing, and QuickBooks is the strongest for self-employment tax and if you plan to incorporate. Compare them on current pricing in the calculator above.
Yes. Wave is genuinely free for invoicing and bookkeeping and is built for one-person businesses, with optional low-cost payments and payroll. Zoho Books also has a free entry tier under a revenue threshold, which suits a freelancer who is growing.
A spreadsheet can work at the very start, but accounting software pays off quickly: it separates business income and expenses for your Schedule C, produces professional invoices, tracks who owes you, and makes tax time far easier. A free tool like Wave removes the cost objection entirely.
Yes. These tools categorize income and expenses for your Schedule C and self-employment tax, and they generate and file 1099-NECs if you pay contractors. QuickBooks has the strongest self-employment tax features; Wave and Zoho Books cover the essentials for a solo business.
QuickBooks Solopreneur (formerly QuickBooks Self-Employed) is the stripped-down product for solo freelancers who only need to separate income and expenses and estimate quarterly taxes. QuickBooks Online is the fuller accounting product. If you expect to grow, add contractors, or form an LLC, choose QuickBooks Online, since Solopreneur does not scale into it cleanly.
We are independent and not owned by any provider. Our picks weigh price, features and US fit for self-employed, using live pricing from our database, last checked June 19, 2026. The comparison table lets you estimate each option at your own numbers. See How we compare for our full method.