Best for: GST-registered small businesses that want accounting and invoicing together
✓ GST-compliant invoices and returns support
✓ Integrates with Zoho CRM, Inventory and Payroll
freee is best for japanese sole proprietors and small companies. If that is not you — or price, features or availability in your country do not fit — these 46 alternatives are worth a look.
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| Software | Best for | Free plan | Origin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GST-registered small businesses that want accounting and invoicing together | Yes | IN | Visit | |
| Established Indian SMEs and accountants who already work in Tally | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Pharma, FMCG and distribution businesses in India | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Small businesses in the US, UK, Canada and Australia | No (trial may exist) | US | Visit | |
| Small businesses and accountants in the UK, Australia and New Zealand | No (trial may exist) | NZ | Visit | |
| Freelancers and service businesses billing clients for time | No (trial may exist) | CA | Visit | |
| Very small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget | Yes | CA | Visit | |
| Growing businesses that want one modular ERP | Yes | BE | Visit | |
| Freelancers and agencies sending GST and export invoices | Yes | IN | Visit | |
| Traders, distributors and manufacturers needing GST accounting with inventory | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Growing businesses that want an open-source ERP they can customise | Yes | IN | Visit | |
| SMEs wanting ERP with accounting, inventory and MRP | No (trial may exist) | SG | Visit | |
| Businesses and CAs filing GST and income tax | Verify | IN | Visit | |
| US small businesses automating bills, invoices and approvals | No (trial may exist) | US | Visit | |
| Teams that need to capture receipts and reimburse expenses | Yes | US | Visit | |
| UK small businesses and sole traders filing VAT under Making Tax Digital | No (trial may exist) | GB | Visit | |
| UK freelancers, contractors and small limited companies | No (trial may exist) | GB | Visit | |
| Bookkeepers and accountants processing receipts and bills | No (trial may exist) | GB | Visit | |
| Australian and New Zealand small businesses needing accounting and payroll | No (trial may exist) | AU | Visit | |
| German businesses working with a tax adviser | No (trial may exist) | DE | Visit | |
| German freelancers and small businesses doing their own bookkeeping | No (trial may exist) | DE | Visit | |
| Freelancers and small companies in Germany and Austria | No (trial may exist) | DE | Visit | |
| French small businesses and their accountants | No (trial may exist) | FR | Visit | |
| Dutch and Belgian SMEs and accountants | No (trial may exist) | NL | Visit | |
| Saudi SMEs needing ZATCA e-invoicing and VAT returns | No (trial may exist) | SA | Visit | |
| Businesses in Saudi Arabia and the UAE needing VAT-compliant accounting | Yes | SA | Visit | |
| Indonesian SMEs needing online accounting | No (trial may exist) | ID | Visit | |
| Japanese SMEs automating accounting and expenses | No (trial may exist) | JP | Visit | |
| Brazilian small businesses | No (trial may exist) | BR | Visit | |
| Indian businesses running monthly payroll | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Growing Indian companies wanting HR and payroll together | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Indian SMEs focused on payroll and attendance | Verify | IN | Visit | |
| US small businesses running payroll | No (trial may exist) | US | Visit | |
| Small teams managing attendance and leave | Verify | IN | Visit | |
| Mid-to-large enterprises standardising HR | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Startups wanting automated payroll with compliance | No (trial may exist) | IN | Visit | |
| Employers paying provident fund contributions | Yes | IN | Visit | |
| Employers covered under the ESI scheme | Yes | IN | Visit | |
| US businesses that want payroll and tax filing handled for them | No (trial may exist) | US | Visit | |
| Growing companies managing payroll, devices and apps for employees in one system | No (trial may exist) | US | Visit | |
| UK small businesses managing holidays, rotas and HR documents | No (trial may exist) | GB | Visit | |
| Shift-based businesses like retail, hospitality and healthcare | No (trial may exist) | AU | Visit | |
| Australian, New Zealand, UK and Singapore SMEs | No (trial may exist) | AU | Visit | |
| Canadian small businesses running payroll | No (trial may exist) | CA | Visit | |
| European companies with 10 to 2,000 employees | No (trial may exist) | DE | Visit | |
| Singapore and Malaysia SMEs running payroll | No (trial may exist) | SG | Visit |
Best for: GST-registered small businesses that want accounting and invoicing together
✓ GST-compliant invoices and returns support
✓ Integrates with Zoho CRM, Inventory and Payroll
Best for: Established Indian SMEs and accountants who already work in Tally
✓ Very familiar to Indian CAs and accountants
✓ Strong GST and statutory reporting
Best for: Pharma, FMCG and distribution businesses in India
✓ Strong inventory and batch tracking
✓ Industry-specific versions
Best for: Small businesses in the US, UK, Canada and Australia
✓ Large accountant and app ecosystem
✓ Strong reporting
Best for: Small businesses and accountants in the UK, Australia and New Zealand
✓ Clean, fast reconciliation
✓ Unlimited users on plans
Best for: Freelancers and service businesses billing clients for time
✓ Very easy invoicing
✓ Time tracking built in
Best for: Very small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget
✓ Free core invoicing and accounting
✓ Simple to learn
Best for: Growing businesses that want one modular ERP
✓ Modular — add apps as you grow
✓ Open-source community edition
Best for: Freelancers and agencies sending GST and export invoices
✓ Good for service businesses
✓ Multi-currency invoices for export clients
Best for: Traders, distributors and manufacturers needing GST accounting with inventory
✓ Strong GST and inventory
✓ Many industry reports
Best for: Growing businesses that want an open-source ERP they can customise
✓ Free open-source edition
✓ Indian GST support
Best for: SMEs wanting ERP with accounting, inventory and MRP
✓ All-in-one
✓ India GST support
Best for: Businesses and CAs filing GST and income tax
✓ GST and ITR filing
✓ E-invoice tools
Best for: US small businesses automating bills, invoices and approvals
✓ Automates bill approvals and payments
✓ Syncs with QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite
Best for: Teams that need to capture receipts and reimburse expenses
✓ Fast receipt scanning
✓ Approval workflows
Best for: UK small businesses and sole traders filing VAT under Making Tax Digital
✓ HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital
✓ Familiar to UK accountants
Best for: UK freelancers, contractors and small limited companies
✓ Built around UK tax rules
✓ Free with some UK business bank accounts
Best for: Bookkeepers and accountants processing receipts and bills
✓ Accurate data extraction
✓ Built for accounting practices
Best for: Australian and New Zealand small businesses needing accounting and payroll
✓ Built for Australian GST and payroll rules
✓ STP payroll reporting
Best for: German businesses working with a tax adviser
✓ The standard for German tax advisers
✓ Deep compliance with German law
Best for: German freelancers and small businesses doing their own bookkeeping
✓ Easy invoicing and bookkeeping
✓ ELSTER VAT submissions
Best for: Freelancers and small companies in Germany and Austria
✓ Receipt scanning with AI
✓ Tax-adviser access
Best for: French small businesses and their accountants
✓ Shared workspace with accountants
✓ Invoicing and payments built in
Best for: Dutch and Belgian SMEs and accountants
✓ Strong in Benelux tax rules
✓ Modules for wholesale and manufacturing
Best for: Saudi SMEs needing ZATCA e-invoicing and VAT returns
✓ ZATCA Phase 2 e-invoicing
✓ Arabic and English
Best for: Businesses in Saudi Arabia and the UAE needing VAT-compliant accounting
✓ Free plan to start
✓ E-invoicing for Saudi Arabia
Best for: Indonesian SMEs needing online accounting
✓ Built for Indonesian tax
✓ Bahasa interface
Best for: Japanese SMEs automating accounting and expenses
✓ Many bank and card connections
✓ Invoice compliance for Japan
Best for: Brazilian small businesses
✓ Brazilian invoice (NF-e) support
✓ Accountant collaboration
Best for: Indian businesses running monthly payroll
✓ Indian statutory compliance
✓ Employee portal
Best for: Growing Indian companies wanting HR and payroll together
✓ Modern UI
✓ Strong Indian payroll
Best for: Indian SMEs focused on payroll and attendance
✓ Indian compliance
✓ Employee self-service
Best for: US small businesses running payroll
✓ Easy US payroll
✓ Automatic tax filings
Best for: Small teams managing attendance and leave
✓ Affordable
✓ Works with Zoho Payroll
Best for: Mid-to-large enterprises standardising HR
✓ Comprehensive HR suite
✓ Mobile-first
Best for: Startups wanting automated payroll with compliance
✓ Automates PF, ESI, PT and TDS
✓ Salary payouts
Best for: Employers paying provident fund contributions
✓ Official
✓ Online ECR filing
Best for: Employers covered under the ESI scheme
✓ Official
✓ Online contributions
Best for: US businesses that want payroll and tax filing handled for them
✓ Handles payroll tax filing
✓ Scales from small business to enterprise
Best for: Growing companies managing payroll, devices and apps for employees in one system
✓ HR, IT and finance in one system
✓ Global payroll and contractors
Best for: UK small businesses managing holidays, rotas and HR documents
✓ Easy holiday and absence management
✓ Employment-law advice line
Best for: Shift-based businesses like retail, hospitality and healthcare
✓ Easy shift scheduling
✓ Time clock with photo check-in
Best for: Australian, New Zealand, UK and Singapore SMEs
✓ HR and payroll together
✓ Employer of record in many countries
Best for: Canadian small businesses running payroll
✓ Designed for Canadian payroll rules
✓ Automatic remittances
Best for: European companies with 10 to 2,000 employees
✓ Covers the full employee lifecycle
✓ Strong in European labour rules
Best for: Singapore and Malaysia SMEs running payroll
✓ Handles CPF and local statutory rules
✓ Leave and claims apps
Best for: GST-registered small businesses that want accounting and invoicing together
Cloud accounting from Zoho with GST invoicing, e-way bills, bank feeds and integration with the wider Zoho suite.
Best for: Established Indian SMEs and accountants who already work in Tally
Desktop-first business management software widely used by Indian accountants for accounting, GST, inventory and payroll.
Inventory-heavy ERP and billing software popular with distributors, pharmacies and retailers.
Widely used cloud accounting software with invoicing, expenses, bank feeds and an accountant ecosystem.
Cloud accounting platform known for bank reconciliation, invoicing and a large app marketplace.
Invoicing-first accounting software with time tracking, expenses and client portals.
Free-to-start invoicing and accounting for small businesses, with paid payments and payroll add-ons.
Open-source modular ERP covering inventory, accounting, CRM, POS, website and more.
Invoicing and accounting platform for freelancers and small businesses, with quotations, expenses and client management.
Best for: Traders, distributors and manufacturers needing GST accounting with inventory
Desktop accounting and inventory software widely used by Indian SMEs for GST, MIS reports and multi-location stock.
Best for: Growing businesses that want an open-source ERP they can customise
Open-source ERP from Frappe covering accounting, inventory, manufacturing, HR and CRM, with Indian GST localisation.
Cloud ERP with accounting, inventory, MRP, CRM and HR.
Tax filing platform for GST, e-invoicing, TDS and income tax.
Accounts payable and receivable platform for paying bills, sending invoices and approving spend, connected to US accounting software.
Expense management app that scans receipts, builds expense reports and routes approvals, with a corporate card in some countries.
Best for: UK small businesses and sole traders filing VAT under Making Tax Digital
Cloud accounting from Sage with invoicing, bank feeds, VAT returns and Making Tax Digital submissions to HMRC.
Accounting software for UK freelancers and small companies, covering invoices, expenses, VAT, Self Assessment and payroll.
Pre-accounting software that extracts data from receipts, bills and invoices and publishes it to Xero, QuickBooks and Sage.
Best for: Australian and New Zealand small businesses needing accounting and payroll
Accounting and payroll software for Australia and New Zealand with GST, BAS lodgement and Single Touch Payroll.
German cooperative whose accounting, payroll and tax software is used by most tax advisers in Germany.
Best for: German freelancers and small businesses doing their own bookkeeping
Online accounting and invoicing for Germany (formerly lexoffice) with bank sync, VAT returns and DATEV export.
Cloud accounting with invoices, receipt scanning, bank sync and VAT returns for Germany and Austria.
French accounting and finance platform that lets businesses and accountants work in the same books in real time.
Cloud business software for accounting, invoicing, inventory and payroll, widely used in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Saudi cloud accounting software with ZATCA-compliant e-invoicing, VAT, inventory and point of sale.
Cloud accounting for the Gulf with e-invoicing, VAT returns, payroll and multi-currency support.
Indonesian cloud accounting software with invoicing, inventory, tax and reporting in Bahasa Indonesia.
Japanese cloud business suite with accounting, invoices, expenses and payroll.
Brazilian online management software for finances, invoices (NF-e), sales and inventory.
Payroll software for India with PF, ESI, PT and TDS compliance.
HR platform with payroll, attendance, performance and hiring.
HR and payroll software widely used by Indian SMEs.
Payroll, benefits and HR platform for US businesses.
HR software for attendance, leave, timesheets and employee records.
Enterprise HR platform covering core HR, payroll, performance and recruitment.
Best for: Startups wanting automated payroll with compliance
Payroll that automates salary transfers and statutory compliance in India.
Best for: Employers paying provident fund contributions
Official EPF portal for employer registration, monthly ECR returns and payments.
Official portal for ESI registration, monthly contributions and employee records.
One of the largest payroll and HR providers, handling payroll runs, tax filings, benefits and compliance for businesses of every size.
Best for: Growing companies managing payroll, devices and apps for employees in one system
Workforce platform that combines payroll, HR, benefits, devices and app access, with global payroll for employees in many countries.
HR software with holiday booking, rotas, absence tracking and employment-law advice for UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada.
Workforce management app for rostering, time clocks, leave and labour-law compliance across many countries.
All-in-one HR, payroll and employee engagement platform with hiring tools and global employment options.
Simple online payroll for Canadian small businesses with tax remittances, year-end forms and direct deposits.
HR platform for hiring, onboarding, absence, performance and payroll preparation, widely used in Europe.
Payroll and HR software for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong with statutory contributions, leave and claims.