ZipBooks vs Zoho Books Comparison
Compare ZipBooks vs Zoho Books features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
ZipBooks
5.6/10
Cloud accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, with invoicing, payments, bank feeds, reconciliation and reporting, and a free starter plan.
Zoho Books
7/10
Cloud accounting software from Zoho for small and growing businesses, covering invoicing, bank reconciliation, bills, inventory and financial reporting.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.6/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Compliance | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $15/mo Smarter | $20/mo Standard |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Starter | $70/mo Premium |
| Features | ||
| Inventory Accounting | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Financial Reporting | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Online Payments | ||
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Audit Trail | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Expense Management | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
ZipBooks vs Zoho Books cost by team size
Zoho Books costs less at 1 user; ZipBooks costs less from 5 to 10 users; ZipBooks and Zoho Books cost the same from 25 users.
| Team size | ZipBooks | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $15/moSmarter | FreeFree |
| 5 users | $15/moSmarter | $50/moProfessional |
| 10 users | FreeStarter | $70/moPremium |
| 25 users | FreeStarter | FreeFree |
| 50 users | FreeStarter | FreeFree |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose ZipBooks
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $70/mo
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 8/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Zoho Books
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Compliance score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Includes Inventory Accounting, which ZipBooks lacks
Pros & Cons
ZipBooks
Pros
- The free Starter plan includes unlimited invoices, customers and vendors.
- Recurring invoices with auto-billing and automated reminders are available from the 15 per month tier.
- Reviewers say new staff can pick up the interface quickly.
- Bank and card transactions sync daily and are auto-categorized for reconciliation.
- Paid tiers cost less than QuickBooks, which reviewers cite as a reason for switching.
Cons
- Reviewers report limited reporting and customization options.
- No inventory or mileage tracking.
- Reconciliation and book locking are reserved for the 35 per month Sophisticated tier.
- Some users report slow support responses.
- A very small company, estimated at about four employees.
Zoho Books
Pros
- The free plan includes online payments, bank reconciliation, recurring invoices and 1099 tracking for one user plus an accountant.
- Pricing is per organization, not per user, so small teams avoid per-seat costs.
- It connects natively with Zoho CRM, Zoho Payroll, Zoho Inventory and Zoho Analytics.
- Professional and higher plans include custom workflows, custom roles and approvals, and Premium adds custom modules and functions.
- On the Elite plan, inventory features cover warehouses, serial and batch tracking, and marketplace sync.
Cons
- Budgets, multi-currency and advanced inventory are only available on higher-priced tiers.
- Reviewers on Capterra and in NerdWallet's write-up describe slow or unhelpful customer support.
- It has fewer third-party integrations than its main competitors, according to NerdWallet.
- A PeerSpot reviewer found it awkward to invoice the same customer in different currencies.
- Even the top plan has a hard cap of 15 users, plus annual transaction limits.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Zoho Books scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 7/10 against 5.6/10 for ZipBooks. The largest gap is in Customization: 4/10 for ZipBooks and 8/10 for Zoho Books.
ZipBooks costs less for 10 users: free on its Starter plan, against about $70/mo on its Premium plan for Zoho Books, billed monthly.
Yes, both ZipBooks and Zoho Books have a free plan.
Zoho Books has Inventory Accounting, which ZipBooks lacks.
