{"name":"What accounting software really costs for a team of 5, 20 and 50 users","url":"https://toolradar.com/benchmarks/accounting-software-cost","csv":"https://toolradar.com/benchmarks/accounting-software-cost/data.csv","publisher":"Toolradar","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","cite":"Toolradar, \"What accounting software really costs for a team of 5, 20 and 50 users\", prices confirmed 2026-11-04 to 2026-11-04, https://toolradar.com/benchmarks/accounting-software-cost","currency":"USD","countedPer":"user","teamSizes":[5,20,50],"confirmedFrom":"2026-11-04","confirmedTo":"2026-11-04","method":["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."],"rows":[{"tool":"Akaunting","slug":"akaunting","toolradarUrl":"https://toolradar.com/tools/akaunting","pricingPage":"https://akaunting.com/pricing","confirmedOn":"2026-11-04","costs":[{"teamSize":5,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Premium Cloud","seatsPaid":5,"teamPerMonth":36,"perUserPerMonth":7.2,"notes":["flat price, up to 10 users included"]},"billedAnnually":{"plan":"Premium Cloud","seatsPaid":5,"teamPerMonth":24,"perUserPerMonth":4.8,"notes":["flat price, up to 10 users included"]},"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":20,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Elite Cloud","seatsPaid":20,"teamPerMonth":84,"perUserPerMonth":4.2,"notes":["flat price, up to 30 users included"]},"billedAnnually":{"plan":"Elite Cloud","seatsPaid":20,"teamPerMonth":56,"perUserPerMonth":2.8,"notes":["flat price, up to 30 users included"]},"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":50,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Ultimate Cloud","seatsPaid":50,"teamPerMonth":218,"perUserPerMonth":4.36,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":{"plan":"Ultimate Cloud","seatsPaid":50,"teamPerMonth":145,"perUserPerMonth":2.9,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null}],"freePlan":null,"plansNotConfirmed":[],"notCounted":["On-premise (self-hosted) plans: sold on a separate page","Apps beyond those a plan includes: optional, bought separately"]},{"tool":"Wave","slug":"wave","toolradarUrl":"https://toolradar.com/tools/wave","pricingPage":"https://www.waveapps.com/pricing","confirmedOn":"2026-11-04","costs":[{"teamSize":5,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Pro","seatsPaid":5,"teamPerMonth":19,"perUserPerMonth":3.8,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":null,"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":20,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Pro","seatsPaid":20,"teamPerMonth":19,"perUserPerMonth":0.95,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":null,"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":50,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Pro","seatsPaid":50,"teamPerMonth":19,"perUserPerMonth":0.38,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":null,"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null}],"freePlan":null,"plansNotConfirmed":["Pro (annual billing)"],"notCounted":["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)"]},{"tool":"Xero","slug":"xero","toolradarUrl":"https://toolradar.com/tools/xero","pricingPage":"https://www.xero.com/us/pricing-plans/","confirmedOn":"2026-11-04","costs":[{"teamSize":5,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Growing","seatsPaid":5,"teamPerMonth":59,"perUserPerMonth":11.8,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":null,"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":20,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Growing","seatsPaid":20,"teamPerMonth":59,"perUserPerMonth":2.95,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":null,"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":50,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Growing","seatsPaid":50,"teamPerMonth":59,"perUserPerMonth":1.18,"notes":["flat price, users not limited"]},"billedAnnually":null,"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null}],"freePlan":null,"plansNotConfirmed":[],"notCounted":["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"]},{"tool":"Zoho Books","slug":"zoho-books","toolradarUrl":"https://toolradar.com/tools/zoho-books","pricingPage":"https://www.zoho.com/us/books/pricing/","confirmedOn":"2026-11-04","costs":[{"teamSize":5,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Standard","seatsPaid":5,"teamPerMonth":26,"perUserPerMonth":5.2,"notes":["flat price for 3 users, plus 2 extra users"]},"billedAnnually":{"plan":"Standard","seatsPaid":5,"teamPerMonth":20,"perUserPerMonth":4,"notes":["flat price for 3 users, plus 2 extra users"]},"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":20,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Standard","seatsPaid":20,"teamPerMonth":71,"perUserPerMonth":3.55,"notes":["flat price for 3 users, plus 17 extra users"]},"billedAnnually":{"plan":"Standard","seatsPaid":20,"teamPerMonth":57.5,"perUserPerMonth":2.88,"notes":["flat price for 3 users, plus 17 extra users"]},"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null},{"teamSize":50,"billedMonthly":{"plan":"Standard","seatsPaid":50,"teamPerMonth":161,"perUserPerMonth":3.22,"notes":["flat price for 3 users, plus 47 extra users"]},"billedAnnually":{"plan":"Standard","seatsPaid":50,"teamPerMonth":132.5,"perUserPerMonth":2.65,"notes":["flat price for 3 users, plus 47 extra users"]},"freePlanCoversTeam":false,"oneTimeSetupFee":null}],"freePlan":{"maxUsers":1},"plansNotConfirmed":[],"notCounted":["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"]}],"excluded":[{"tool":"BILL","slug":"bill-com","reason":"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)."},{"tool":"FreshBooks","slug":"freshbooks","reason":"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."},{"tool":"Kashoo","slug":"kashoo","reason":"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."},{"tool":"Patriot Software","slug":"patriot-software","reason":"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."},{"tool":"QuickBooks","slug":"quickbooks","reason":"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."},{"tool":"Sage","slug":"sage","reason":"Its US pricing URL redirects to a general accounting software page that shows no price (a direct read returned HTTP 403)."},{"tool":"ZipBooks","slug":"zipbooks","reason":"Plan prices are printed with no currency, period or billing term (Smarter 15, Sophisticated 35), so no USD price can be stated."}]}