Xero Alternative | Zoho Books

The best alternative to Xero

Core accounting and staying compliant with government regulations doesn’t have to come at a high cost. Zoho Books helps you stay MTD-compliant, streamlines your accounting experience, and seamlessly adapts to your business dynamics—all at our value-based pricing. With Xero's continuous price hikes, it's time to switch.

WHY CHOOSE ZOHO BOOKS?

Fair Pricing

At Zoho Books, our premium accounting software starts at £0 with a free plan covering essential tools like invoicing, expense tracking, and tax returns in the UK. No hidden fees, no price hikes—just ethical, consistent pricing. We truly start at Zero!

Customer-First Approach

Your success is our top priority. Zoho Books puts you, the customer, at the center of every decision, whether it's about enhancing features or providing support. Our dedicated team ensures that every improvement we make is geared towards adding value to your business.

Customisation

Limited customization can constrain your business within the confines of your accounting software. Configure 70+ reports, create personalized invoices, build custom workflows and more with Zoho Books. From start-up to scale-up, we have got all your unique business needs covered.

Intuitive User Experience

With Zoho Books, accounting doesn't have to be difficult. Our simple, consumer-friendly interface ensures that you can focus on optimizing your business finances without getting bogged down by a complicated interface. Efficiency is built into every feature, designed to save you time and effort.

Seamless Ecosystem Integration

By using Zoho Books, you gain access to a broad ecosystem of apps that cover every aspect of your business operations—from inventory and expense management to billing, customer relationships, and analytics. Plus, we offer easy integrations with popular third-party apps and payment gateways.

Compliance

Zoho Books simplifies tax compliance in the UK with support for Making Tax Digital (MTD) filing, even on the free plan. Our platform ensures you stay compliant with ease, making tax management straightforward for businesses of any size.

Features
Number of price hikes since 2023	0	3
Sole traders	Yes (Forever free plan)	Yes (Starts from £7)
Business	Yes (Starting from £0)	Yes (Starting from £16)
Preparation for self-assessment (SA103F, SA103S)	Yes (Free plan)	Yes (Paid plan)
MTD for Income Tax	Yes (Free plan)	Yes (Paid plan)
Send invoices and quotes	Yes	Yes
Enter bills	Yes	Yes
Reconcile bank transactions	Yes	Yes
Capture bills and receipts	Yes	Yes
Send and receive payments in multiple currencies	Yes	Yes
Pay Bills	Yes	Yes
Track cash flow	Yes	Yes
Track projects / timesheets	Yes	Yes (Free for 3 months*)
Submit VAT returns to HMRC	Yes	Yes
Submit CIS returns (CIS Contractor)	Yes	Yes
Automate CIS calculations & reports	Yes	Yes
Claim expenses and mileage	Yes	Yes (Up to 5 people £2.50/mth per additional user)
Sales Order	Yes	No
Purchase Order	Yes	No
Track inventory	Yes	Yes
Documents	Yes	Yes
Work flow & webhooks	Yes	No
Advanced customization	Yes	No
Accountant (Bulk update - accounts)	Yes	No
Banking (Transaction rules, Categorization)	Yes	Yes
Reporting	Yes	Yes
Run Payroll	Yes (Third-party Integration)	Yes (Up to 5 People)
Collaboration (integration to Zoho Ecosystem	Yes	Yes
Support	Yes	Yes
View more

Features

Number of price hikes since 2023

Sole traders

Yes (Forever free plan)

Yes (Starts from £7)

Business

Yes (Starting from £0)

Yes (Starting from £16)

Preparation for self-assessment (SA103F, SA103S)

Yes (Free plan)

Yes (Paid plan)

MTD for Income Tax

Yes (Free plan)

Yes (Paid plan)

Send invoices and quotes

Yes

Enter bills

Yes

Reconcile bank transactions

Yes

Capture bills and receipts

Yes

Send and receive payments in multiple currencies

Yes

Pay Bills

Yes

Track cash flow

Yes

Track projects / timesheets

Yes

Yes (Free for 3 months*)

Submit VAT returns to HMRC

Yes

Submit CIS returns (CIS Contractor)

Yes

Automate CIS calculations & reports

Yes

Claim expenses and mileage

Yes

Yes (Up to 5 people £2.50/mth per additional user)

Sales Order

Yes

Purchase Order

Yes

Track inventory

Yes

Documents

Yes

Work flow & webhooks

Yes

Advanced customization

Yes

Accountant (Bulk update - accounts)

Yes

Banking (Transaction rules, Categorization)

Yes

Reporting

Yes

Run Payroll

Yes (Third-party Integration)

Yes (Up to 5 People)

Collaboration (integration to Zoho Ecosystem

Yes

Support

Yes

Engineered to
unlock business growth

Customer & Vendor portal

With our intuitive customer and vendor portal, you can provide your clients & vendors with secure, 24/7 access to their transactions, payment information, and project updates—all in one centralized location.

Transaction workflows

Our transaction approval capability lets you set up multi-level approval workflows tailored to your business needs. Ensure that every transaction is reviewed and approved by the right people before it is finalized.

Autoscan receipts

Capturing and attaching receipts to your expenses has never been easier with our Autoscan feature. Simply snap a photo of your receipt using your smartphone or tablet, and let Zoho Books do the rest.

Accounting across devices

Have a unified experience across various platforms, ensuring you have access to your accounting data anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re at your desk or on the go with your mobile device, Zoho Books keeps you connected and in control.

Powerful analytics

Access advanced analytics designed to provide you with a clear and comprehensive view of your financial health. Make informed decisions with our intuitive dashboard that offers real-time data on your cash flow, expenses, and profitability.

PRICING

The Perfect Balance
of Features and Affordability

United Kingdom
Australia
Bahrain
Canada
India
Kenya
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Africa
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Global

Monthly

Yearly (Save up to 25%)

Free Plan

Free accounting software for small/medium-businesses and sole traders.

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