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Last checked November 9, 2026

Free alternatives to Xero

Xero keeps invoices, bills, and a ledger online, billed per organization. ERPNext is the web ledger on this list. Dolibarr covers invoices with a lighter ledger. GnuCash is a desktop file that imports OFX and QIF and is not a hosted invoice portal. Akaunting is not open source. Invoice Ninja sends invoices and does not keep a full set of books. None of these is Xero's live bank feed.

Small teamsIndividualsPrice checked

What you pay for Xero

UK Ignite is £18 a month from 1 September 2026, up from £16, before VAT. On 9 November 2026 the US page lists Early at $27, Growing at $59, and Established at $97 a month after the first 3 months.

Xero's UK update page, checked 9 November 2026, says new and existing UK subscribers move on 1 September 2026. Ignite goes from £16 to £18, Grow from £37 to £39, Comprehensive from £50 to £55, and Ultimate from £65 to £70 a month, before VAT. Simple stays £7. Add-ons are not in those figures. The same page says a current discount still applies until it expires, and the multi-organisation discount is no longer applied from 1 September 2026 (https://www.xero.com/uk/pricing-plans/updates/). On 9 November 2026 the US pricing page lists Early at $27, Growing at $59, and Established at $97 a month before sales tax, after an introductory 3 months at $5.40, $11.80, and $19.40. Early includes 20 invoices and 5 bills. The page says the introductory offer can change (https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/). That live page does not print the previous US prices. StuckBoard says it read Xero's US notice, and reports a move on 1 October 2026 from $25, $55, and $90 (https://stuckboard.com/price-changes/xero/). The US notice URL opened the current pricing page on this check. StuckBoard also says USD-billed plans outside the US changed on 1 November 2026: Starter from $29 to $32, Standard from $50 to $54, Premium from $75 to $82, and Lite stays $7. This check could not reopen that global notice, because https://www.xero.com/pricing-plans/update/ opened the US pricing page. Payroll on the US page is an add-on, $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor, not part of the plan price.

Xero website·Price page

For small teams and individuals. Its price on file: UK Ignite is £18 a month from 1 September 2026, up from £16, before VAT. On 9 November 2026 the US page lists Early at $27, Growing at $59, and Established at $97 a month after the first 3 months. It is in the Money group.

How to switch

The closest free app on the checklist is ERPNext. Cost and details. Migrate from Xero to ERPNext.

A shared online ledger, or a desktop file

These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.

ERPNext is #1 (94). Dolibarr is #2 (81). GnuCash is #4 (71).

ERPNext

#1 · Closest

6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: tax on a line or an account.

Dolibarr

#2

6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: a double-entry ledger and import or reconcile a bank file.

GnuCash

#4

6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: books more than one person can open in a browser. You only get part of: invoices and quotes and tax on a line or an account.

Where they differ

  • Invoices and quotes

    Worth 10 points. ERPNext and Dolibarr do all of it. GnuCash does part of it.

  • A double-entry ledger

    Worth 10 points. ERPNext does all of it. Dolibarr does part of it. GnuCash does all of it.

  • Tax on a line or an account

    Worth 6 points. ERPNext does part of it. Dolibarr does all of it. GnuCash does part of it.

  • Import or reconcile a bank file

    Worth 8 points. ERPNext does all of it. Dolibarr does part of it. GnuCash does all of it.

  • Books more than one person can open in a browser

    Worth 6 points. ERPNext does all of it. Web app. The install is Frappe plus a few services, not a one-evening job. Dolibarr does all of it. GnuCash does none of it. Desktop file. The listing says it is not a hosted invoice portal.

ERPNext, Dolibarr, and GnuCash do all of these: expenses and bills.

Also ranked: Akaunting is #3 (73). Invoice Ninja is #5 (67).

How close is it?

How this works

A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.

  1. #1 · ClosestOpen sourceNotes on the review

    ERPNext

    Accounting, inventory, and CRM on Frappe.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: tax on a line or an account.

    Last checked November 9, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0

    WebRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsHow to switchWebsite
  2. #2Open sourceNotes on the review

    Dolibarr

    ERP and invoicing for a small company.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: a double-entry ledger and import or reconcile a bank file.

    Last checked November 9, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0

    WebRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  3. #3Code is publicNotes on the review

    Akaunting

    Accounting under the Business Source License.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: import or reconcile a bank file. You only get part of: a double-entry ledger.

    Last checked November 9, 2026 · License: BUSL-1.1

    WebRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  4. #4Open sourceNotes on the review

    GnuCash

    Desktop double-entry bookkeeping.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: books more than one person can open in a browser. You only get part of: invoices and quotes and tax on a line or an account.

    Last checked November 9, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0-or-later

    MacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  5. #5Code is publicNotes on the review

    Invoice Ninja

    Invoicing under the Elastic License.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: a double-entry ledger and tax on a line or an account.

    Last checked November 9, 2026 · License: Elastic License 2.0

    WebRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsitePaid link · We may earn a fee. That fee does not change the score.

Feature by feature

Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.

Scroll sideways to see every app.

Feature comparison. Full, partial, missing, or not checked.
FeatureERPNext#1 · 946 of 6 checked featuresDolibarr#2 · 816 of 6 checked featuresAkaunting#3 · 736 of 6 checked featuresGnuCash#4 · 716 of 6 checked featuresInvoice Ninja#5 · 676 of 6 checked features
Invoices and quotesCounts for 10FullFullFullPartialFull
Expenses and billsCounts for 8FullFullFullFullFull
A double-entry ledgerCounts for 10FullPartialPartialFullMissingInvoices and payments. Not a full set of books.
Tax on a line or an accountCounts for 6PartialFullFullPartialMissing
Import or reconcile a bank fileCounts for 8FullPartialMissingFullFull
Books more than one person can open in a browserCounts for 6FullWeb app. The install is Frappe plus a few services, not a one-evening job.FullFullWeb app you can run yourself. The Business Source License grant limits production use.MissingDesktop file. The listing says it is not a hosted invoice portal.Full

What it costs

ERPNext

Free plan
You can run the free version on your own server. You don't pay for each person. We don't list a price for the hosted version. Not checked.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Hard. Frappe plus a few services. Not a one-evening install.

Dolibarr

Free plan
You can run the free version on your own server. You don't pay for each person. We don't list a price for the hosted version. Not checked.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. Plan on Docker or a small virtual machine. A paid hosted plan, if there is one, is separate from the free copy you run yourself.

Akaunting

Free plan
Standard on-premise is free: 1 company, 1 user and 1 accountant, and 1,000 invoices. Checked 9 November 2026. No app is included, so the Projects timesheets are not in that copy.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. On the on-premise plans page checked 9 November 2026, Premium is $72 a year or $756 lifetime, Elite is $168 a year or $1,764 lifetime, and Ultimate is $684 a year or $7,224 lifetime. Apps are purchased separately. The Projects app page says from $5.

GnuCash

Free plan
Free desktop app.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop application. The file is the database.

Invoice Ninja

Free plan
Hosted free is $0 and stops at 5 clients, with invoicing, expenses, and billable time. You can run the same app on your own server. A forum reply says that copy includes the hosted Pro and Enterprise features.
Hosted free: 5 clients
Hosted Free and Pro: 1 user. Extra hosted users start on Enterprise.
They host it
Pro is $14 a month or $140 a year. Enterprise is $18 a month billed monthly. Checked 9 November 2026. The pricing FAQ says $18 a month is the 1–2 user price. The January 2026 pricing update lists $18 a month for 2 users ($180 a year) and further steps up to $300 a month for 100 users. Self-hosted white-label is $40 a year on that update.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. Docker or a small virtual machine. Hosted plans are separate. White-label on a server you run is $40 a year on the January 2026 pricing update.

Did you switch?

If you left Xero, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.

How did it go?

Closest pair

Migrate from Xero to ERPNext

Export the chart of accounts and a transaction report from Xero while the subscription still opens, then enter opening balances in ERPNext.

Read how to switch

Related alternatives

Money alternatives

Switch guides

Free apps in this group

Questions

What did Xero change in 2026?
The UK page says Ignite, Grow, Comprehensive, and Ultimate rose on 1 September 2026, and Simple stayed £7. On 9 November 2026 the US page lists Early at $27, Growing at $59, and Established at $97 a month after the first 3 months. It does not print the old US prices. StuckBoard reports those old US prices and a separate USD increase on 1 November 2026 for subscribers outside the US. Prices exclude tax, and add-ons such as payroll are extra.
What does not move off Xero?
A live bank feed, payroll filings, and the logins of invited users do not come across in a spreadsheet export. Export the chart of accounts and a transaction report while the subscription still opens, and keep the files on a disk you control.
Does a paid placement change the Xero ranking?
No. A sponsored row is labeled and cannot be rank 1. The checklist on this page is the same either way.