Toolradar Benchmark
What accounting software really costs for a team of 5, 20 and 50 users (2026)
Toolradar data: For a team of 20 users, accounting software costs from $19 a month (Wave Pro, billed monthly) to $59 (Xero Growing), with a median of $56.75 across 4 tools, on prices confirmed on each vendor's pricing page on November 4, 2026.
Accounting software keeps a company's books: invoices, bills, bank reconciliation and reports. Most plans are one monthly price with a set number of users, plus a fee per extra user.
Data as of November 4, 2026. Prices confirmed on vendor pages on November 4, 2026; re-confirmed every few days.
Key findings
- For a team of 5 users, the cheapest confirmed accounting software is Wave Pro at $19 a month (billed monthly); the median of 4 tools is $22 and the highest is Xero Growing at $59.
- For a team of 20 users, the cheapest confirmed accounting software is Wave Pro at $19 a month (billed monthly); the median of 4 tools is $56.75 and the highest is Xero Growing at $59.
- For a team of 50 users, the cheapest confirmed accounting software is Wave Pro at $19 a month (billed monthly); the median of 4 tools is $95.75 and the highest is Akaunting Ultimate Cloud at $145.
Source: Toolradar benchmark, prices confirmed on each vendor's US pricing page on November 4, 2026.
4
tools compared under the same method
7 left out, reasons below
$22
median monthly cost for 5 users
$4.40 per user, n = 4
$56.75
median monthly cost for 20 users
$2.84 per user, n = 4
$95.75
median monthly cost for 50 users
$1.92 per user, n = 4
How every row is computed
- For each team size, the cheapest paid plan with a published US price in USD that allows that many users. Plans sold only on quote are not counted.
- Monthly billing and annual billing are computed apart; annual is the yearly total divided by 12. A price with no billing term next to it is not counted, except a price per month on a page that offers no yearly billing at all (no monthly or annual switch, no mention of yearly billing), which is counted as month to month.
- Seat minimums, seat packs and user caps are applied, required add-ons and mandatory vendor fees are added, one-time setup fees are shown apart. A free plan is never the cost; whether it covers the team is shown apart.
- Each price is confirmed on the vendor's live page by two AI checkers from different model families, each quoting the page word for word. A price that is not confirmed is left out; a higher plan left out this way is skipped only when, at its last read price, it costs more than the cheapest confirmed plan.
- Not counted: taxes, usage (AI credits, contacts, tickets, overages), plans capped by usage volume (tickets or conversations a month), discounts shown only in the cart, behind a code or for a limited time, and optional add-ons.
- Rows are ordered by computed cost. No score, no rank of our own; sponsored or paid status never changes inclusion or order.
- A confirmation counts for 14 days: a tool not re-confirmed in that time leaves the tables until it is.
What a team of 5 users pays
| Tool | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Per user | How it was counted | Pricing page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | $19/mo Pro | not confirmed | $3.80 | flat price, users not limited; no annual price confirmed | waveapps.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Zoho Books | $26/mo Standard | $20/mo Standard, $240/yr | $4 | flat price for 3 users, plus 2 extra users | zoho.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Akaunting | $36/mo Premium Cloud | $24/mo Premium Cloud, $288/yr | $4.80 | flat price, up to 10 users included | akaunting.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Xero | $59/mo Growing | not confirmed | $11.80 | flat price, users not limited; no annual price confirmed | xero.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
What a team of 20 users pays
| Tool | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Per user | How it was counted | Pricing page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | $19/mo Pro | not confirmed | $0.95 | flat price, users not limited; no annual price confirmed | waveapps.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Akaunting | $84/mo Elite Cloud | $56/mo Elite Cloud, $672/yr | $2.80 | flat price, up to 30 users included | akaunting.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Zoho Books | $71/mo Standard | $57.50/mo Standard, $690/yr | $2.88 | flat price for 3 users, plus 17 extra users | zoho.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Xero | $59/mo Growing | not confirmed | $2.95 | flat price, users not limited; no annual price confirmed | xero.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
What a team of 50 users pays
| Tool | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Per user | How it was counted | Pricing page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | $19/mo Pro | not confirmed | $0.38 | flat price, users not limited; no annual price confirmed | waveapps.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Xero | $59/mo Growing | not confirmed | $1.18 | flat price, users not limited; no annual price confirmed | xero.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Zoho Books | $161/mo Standard | $132.50/mo Standard, $1,590/yr | $2.65 | flat price for 3 users, plus 47 extra users | zoho.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
| Akaunting | $218/mo Ultimate Cloud | $145/mo Ultimate Cloud, $1,740/yr | $2.90 | flat price, users not limited | akaunting.comconfirmed Nov 4, 2026 |
Excluded, and why
- BILL: It sells accounts payable and receivable automation rather than bookkeeping, and its per-user prices (Essentials $49, Team $65, Corporate $89 a user a month) carry no statement of whether they are billed monthly or annually (read November 4, 2026).
- FreshBooks: The page never states how many users a plan includes (Team Members are an $11/mo per user add-on), nor whether its regular prices (Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 USD/mo, next to an 80% off for 4 months offer, read on November 4, 2026) are billed monthly or yearly.
- Kashoo: Its page showed only a sale or limited-time price for a plan that counts on November 4, 2026; the regular price could not be confirmed.
- Patriot Software: Both accounting plans are shown at a 50% off for 3 months sale price next to a struck-through regular price (Accounting Basic $10 instead of $20, Accounting Premium $15 instead of $30 a month, read on November 4, 2026); the regular price is not stated plainly.
- QuickBooks: Every plan is shown at a 50% off for 3 months sale price next to a struck-through regular price (Simple Start $19 instead of $38, Essentials $42.50 instead of $85, Plus $70 instead of $140, Advanced $170 instead of $340 a month, read on November 4, 2026); the regular price is never stated plainly, so no figure is stated.
- Sage: Its US pricing URL redirects to a general accounting software page that shows no price (a direct read returned HTTP 403).
- ZipBooks: Plan prices are printed with no currency, period or billing term (Smarter 15, Sophisticated 35), so no USD price can be stated.
What each price leaves out
Plans, add-ons and usage charges not in the figures, tool by tool
- Akaunting: On-premise (self-hosted) plans: sold on a separate page; Apps beyond those a plan includes: optional, bought separately
- Wave: Starter: free, other people only as payroll manager or tax pro (admin, editor and viewer roles need Pro); Pro offer for new monthly subscribers: $9.50 a month for the first 3 months, not counted; Receipts add-on: optional, $8 to $11 a month; Payroll add-on: optional, from $25 or $40 a month; Wave Advisors bookkeeping: optional service from $149 a month; Online payments: per transaction fees (usage); not confirmed on this read, left out: Pro (annual billing)
- Xero: New customers: 80% off the first 3 months (Early $5.40, Growing $11.80, Established $19.40 a month), not counted, regular prices used; Early: $27 a month, limited to 20 invoices and 5 bills, too few for a team; Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto: optional, $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor; Auto-reconcile on Early ($5 a month) and Inventory Plus: optional; Online invoice and bill payment fees: usage
- Zoho Books: Free plan: only while yearly revenue stays under $50K; Add-ons, optional, a month billed annually or monthly: Document autoscans $8 or $10 per 50 scans, Locations $10 or $12, Expense claim $7 or $9 per active user, BillPay $59 or $69; Annual invoice and bill limits per plan (5,000 on Standard up to 100,000 on Elite and Ultimate): above a small team's needs
Questions
How much does accounting software cost for a team of 5?
Across 4 tools whose prices Toolradar confirmed on the vendor's pricing page (November 4, 2026), the cheapest paid plan for 5 users costs from $19 a month (Wave Pro, billed monthly) to $59 (Xero Growing), median $22 a month, or $4.40 per user. Taxes, usage and optional add-ons are not included.
How much does accounting software cost for a team of 20?
Across 4 tools whose prices Toolradar confirmed on the vendor's pricing page (November 4, 2026), the cheapest paid plan for 20 users costs from $19 a month (Wave Pro, billed monthly) to $59 (Xero Growing), median $56.75 a month, or $2.84 per user. Taxes, usage and optional add-ons are not included.
How much does accounting software cost for a team of 50?
Across 4 tools whose prices Toolradar confirmed on the vendor's pricing page (November 4, 2026), the cheapest paid plan for 50 users costs from $19 a month (Wave Pro, billed monthly) to $145 (Akaunting Ultimate Cloud), median $95.75 a month, or $1.92 per user. Taxes, usage and optional add-ons are not included.
Which accounting software tools were left out of this benchmark?
7 tools were left out: BILL (It sells accounts payable and receivable automation rather than bookkeeping, and its per-user prices (Essentials $49, Team $65, Corporate $89 a user a month) carry no statement of whether they are billed monthly or annually (read November 4, 2026)); FreshBooks (The page never states how many users a plan includes (Team Members are an $11/mo per user add-on), nor whether its regular prices (Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 USD/mo, next to an 80% off for 4 months offer, read on November 4, 2026) are billed monthly or yearly); Kashoo (Its page showed only a sale or limited-time price for a plan that counts on November 4, 2026; the regular price could not be confirmed); Patriot Software (Both accounting plans are shown at a 50% off for 3 months sale price next to a struck-through regular price (Accounting Basic $10 instead of $20, Accounting Premium $15 instead of $30 a month, read on November 4, 2026); the regular price is not stated plainly); QuickBooks (Every plan is shown at a 50% off for 3 months sale price next to a struck-through regular price (Simple Start $19 instead of $38, Essentials $42.50 instead of $85, Plus $70 instead of $140, Advanced $170 instead of $340 a month, read on November 4, 2026); the regular price is never stated plainly, so no figure is stated); Sage (Its US pricing URL redirects to a general accounting software page that shows no price (a direct read returned HTTP 403)); ZipBooks (Plan prices are printed with no currency, period or billing term (Smarter 15, Sophisticated 35), so no USD price can be stated).
About this benchmark
Why it exists. A vendor's page tells you its own price per user. This page applies one method to every tool, under the same conditions, so the totals can be compared: seat minimums, seat packs, user caps and required fees are applied the same way for all.
Independence. Toolradar sells advertising, including sponsored placements on some pages. Sponsored or paid status never changes which tools are included here or their order: inclusion is the list of tools considered (all shown, in the tables or under Excluded) and order is the computed cost. There is no score or rank of our own on this page. See how we rate.
Related. Best accounting software tools · Accounting software statistics · All benchmarks
Reuse. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page. Cite this: Toolradar, “What accounting software really costs for a team of 5, 20 and 50 users”, prices confirmed November 4, 2026, toolradar.com/benchmarks/accounting-software-cost. Machine-readable: JSON, CSV.