The sticker price on any accounting platform only tells you what one client pays. As a firm, the real question is how the vendor prices your practice itself. Some tools give you one price list and no special treatment. Others hand the firm a free dashboard but leave per-client pricing untouched. A third group gives the firm itself wholesale or discounted pricing on client subscriptions.
This page covers ledgers and core bookkeeping platforms only. If you want client workflow tools, tax research, or document capture, the flagship AI tools roundup is the better starting point.
Before you compare features, look at how each platform prices the firm. A three-group sort tells you more about your real cost than any single price tag. For the fuller buying process, see our evaluation framework, but the short version is this: figure out which pricing group a tool sits in before you build a shortlist.
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is the default choice for US firms because most clients already know it and many already run it. Pricing is per entity: Simple Start at $38 per month, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140, and Advanced at $340. For firms enrolled in the ProAdvisor program, Intuit gives wholesale pricing on client subscriptions, a dedicated multi-client dashboard, and priority support. This is group 3: the firm itself gets discounted pricing on client subscriptions.
Change is coming, not just in features. According to the page Intuit maintains for accountants, Intuit is retiring QuickBooks Online Accountant. The replacement is Intuit Accountant Suite, and accounts switch over automatically starting September 2026. Firms can toggle back to QuickBooks Online Accountant until December 2026, and the product is discontinued December 31, 2026. The Intuit Accountant Suite Core plan has no monthly fee, same as QuickBooks Online Accountant. Firms standardized on QuickBooks should plan for this transition now.
Best fit: firms whose clients are already on QuickBooks and where switching costs outweigh any pricing advantages elsewhere. Caveat: the coming transition forces a platform decision whether you wanted one or not.
Xero
Xero is the strongest general ledger in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and its US presence keeps growing. Per-entity pricing starts at $25 for Early, moves to $55 for Growing, and $90 for Established, which adds multi-currency support for 160+ currencies. The firm side is Xero HQ, a free login that offers client management, workflow views, and practice reporting. This is group 2: the firm dashboard costs nothing, but every client still pays the standard per-entity price.
Xero is the default answer when you take on clients from Commonwealth markets or serve US clients with international subsidiaries. Caveat: strong in many regions but not the default for pure US-only firms, where mindshare still sits with QuickBooks.
Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct is a step up in capability and a complete shift in pricing. There are no public tiers and no free trial. Every implementation is a custom quote. You will not find a per-client price list. It carries the AICPA preferred-provider status in the US, which signals to mid-market and advisory-focused firms that the AICPA has endorsed its fit for that audience.
What you get for the price: multi-entity consolidation and dimensional reporting are core to the product, not add-ons. That is the reason firms use it. Best fit: clients with 50 to 500 employees, especially nonprofits, professional services, healthcare, and SaaS. This is group 1: one custom price for everyone, with no firm-specific pricing structure.
Caveat: the custom quote model means you cannot compare cost on a website. You have to talk to sales, and the price will scale with client complexity.
NetSuite
NetSuite is Oracle's enterprise resource planning system, and its pricing works the same way as enterprise software. You get a custom annual quote that bundles a base fee, a per-user fee, and module fees. It runs general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, revenue recognition, and multi-entity and multi-currency consolidation. Firms use it when a client has outgrown QuickBooks or Xero entirely.
This is group 1: one price list, no separate firm structure. The economics are built for enterprise clients, not for practices managing many small ones. Best fit: clients with multiple entities, multiple currencies, and complex revenue models. Caveat: the quote model and implementation cost mean it is only sensible at the top of the client size range.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is invoicing-first accounting. It is built for service businesses that need to send invoices and get paid. Pricing is per entity: Lite at $23 per month for 5 clients, Plus at $43 for 50 clients and accountant access, and Premium at $70 for unlimited clients and accounts payable features.
There is no separate firm pricing tier. The accountant access feature lets a firm log into a client's account, but it does not change the client's price. This is group 1. Best fit: firms with a large base of simple service-business clients, especially freelancers, consultants, and contractors. Caveat: not a multi-entity consolidation tool. Do not use it for clients that need intercompany accounting.
Wave Accounting
Wave Accounting is the permanent free starter. The Starter plan costs $0, and Wave advertises that price as permanent, not a trial. According to Wave's own pricing page, Pro costs $19 per month and adds bank auto-import, transaction categorization, and receipt capture.
This is group 1: one price list for everyone. There is no multi-client dashboard, so a firm has to log into each client's account separately if the client grants access. Best fit: micro and pre-revenue clients who need a real ledger but cannot justify any monthly fee. Caveat: the lack of a firm dashboard makes it cumbersome at scale.
Zoho Books
Zoho Books has the clearest volume-friendly free tier of the group-1 tools. The free plan applies to organizations with under $50,000 in annual revenue, as stated on Zoho's pricing page. It includes 1 user and 1 accountant seat. Paid tiers are Standard at $20 billed monthly or $15 billed annually, Professional at $50 monthly or $40 annually, and Premium at $70 monthly.
The accountant seat lets a firm access a client's books from within the client's own subscription. No separate firm dashboard changes the per-client price. This is group 1. Best fit: small clients that fit the free tier and want a clean, modern ledger. Caveat: the free tier's revenue cap means growing clients leave the free price quickly.
FreeAgent
FreeAgent is the first tool here where the firm itself gets a discount on client licenses. The US edition costs $27 per month. In the UK, Sole Trader plans start around GBP 19, and Limited Company plans around GBP 33.
For the practice itself, FreeAgent offers a free Practice Dashboard. Client licenses are discounted at a flat firm-level rate, regardless of client count. Even better, if a client banks with NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, or Mettle, that client's FreeAgent subscription is covered by the bank. The accountant section of FreeAgent's site spells out the free dashboard and the bank-client offer. This is group 3: the firm gets discounted pricing on client subscriptions, and some clients cost nothing at all.
The platform handles UK Self Assessment, MTD VAT, and CIS. Best fit: UK firms with many sole-traders and contractors, especially those using the four named banks. Caveat: the US edition does not have the same bank partnerships.
