Fe/male Switch: Your Startup Facilitator & Incubator for Women

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Xero in 2025

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Xero in 2025

Here are 10 free alternatives to Xero, offering various features suitable for different business needs.
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1. Zoho Books

  • Description: A comprehensive accounting solution with a free plan for businesses with revenue under $50,000 per year. It's known for its scalability and integration with other Zoho products.
  • Data Points:
  • Free Plan Limit: Businesses with annual revenue below $50,000
  • Key Features: Invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, contact management, reporting
  • Scalability: Offers multiple paid tiers for growing businesses
  • User Access: Allows accountant access on the free plan
  • Invoices: Up to 1,000 invoices included in the free plan
  • Learn more about Zoho Books

2. Wave

  • Description: A free, cloud-based accounting software, ideal for freelancers, sole proprietors, and very small businesses. It offers a user-friendly interface and essential accounting features.
  • Data Points:
  • Ideal For: Freelancers and small businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
  • Key Features: Invoicing, expense tracking, bank connections, financial reporting, customizable invoices.
  • Payment Processing: Offers paid payment processing options with transaction fees.
  • Mobile App: Available for on-the-go management.
  • Bank Connections: Allows connection to unlimited bank accounts.
  • Explore Wave
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3. ZipBooks

  • Description: ZipBooks offers a free plan with basic bookkeeping tools, suitable for businesses that need to categorize expenses and earnings from different projects. It's particularly good for users new to accounting software.
  • Data Points:
  • Free Plan Focus: Basic bookkeeping, invoicing, expense categorization.
  • Bank Sync: Auto-syncs with bank accounts to import transactions.
  • Customer Management: Manages unlimited customers and vendors.
  • Payment Gateways: Offers payment acceptance through PayPal and Square.
  • Reporting: Provides basic financial reporting features.
  • Discover ZipBooks

4. Akaunting

  • Description: A free, open-source accounting software designed for businesses that need user roles and the ability to work offline. It also offers payroll features.
  • Data Points:
  • Key Feature: Payroll management
  • Deployment: Available both as an online or self-hosted solution
  • User Roles: Allows assignment of different user roles
  • Open Source: Customizable due to its open-source nature.
  • Scalability: Can be scaled with paid add-ons, if necessary.
  • Explore Akaunting

5. GnuCash

  • Description: A free, open-source accounting program for small businesses that need customizable reports and advanced features. It is more suitable for users with some understanding of accounting and software.
  • Data Points:
  • Ideal For: Small teams and users comfortable with double-entry bookkeeping
  • Key Features: Double-entry accounting, customized reports, budgeting tools.
  • Customization: Highly customizable due to its open-source nature.
  • Cash and Accrual: Supports both cash and accrual accounting.
  • Personal and Business: Can be used to manage both personal and business finances.
  • Learn more about GnuCash
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6. Free Accounting Software (Australia)

  • Description: A truly free software tailored for micro and small businesses, with a focus on Australian compliance, including BAS and Single Touch Payroll.
  • Data Points:
  • Targeted Region: Specifically for Australian Businesses.
  • Key Features: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Payroll.
  • Compliance: Electronic lodgement of BASs and Single Touch Payroll
  • User Access: Multi-user online access
  • Customization: Customizable PDF documents
  • Explore Free Accounting Software

7. Manager

  • Description: Free accounting software available for both desktop and cloud, with a range of features for managing business finances and generating reports.
  • Data Points:
  • Deployment: Offers both desktop and cloud versions
  • Accounting Methods: Supports both cash and accrual accounting
  • Key Features: Purchase orders, accounts receivable and payable, invoicing, inventory management
  • Reporting: Generates reports on inventory, fixed assets, suppliers and more
  • Advanced Features: Includes tax codes, inventory tracking, and production stages
  • Discover Manager

8. YavaBook

  • Description: A cloud-based platform designed for small businesses with intuitive tools for invoicing, expense tracking, and real-time reporting.
  • Data Points:
  • Focus: Tailored for small businesses, particularly startups and SMEs.
  • Key Features: Invoicing, expense tracking, real-time financial reporting
  • Ease of Use: Combines user-friendly interface with robust features.
  • Cloud Based: Accessed through the cloud.
  • Reporting: Provides real-time financial reports to aid decision-making.
  • Learn more about YavaBook

9. NCH Express Accounts

  • Description: Free desktop accounting software for businesses with five or fewer employees that offers essential bookkeeping features and reporting.
  • Data Points:
  • Deployment: Desktop Software
  • Employee Limit: For businesses with five or fewer employees.
  • Key Features: Quotes, invoices, and expense tracking.
  • Reporting: Generates over 20 financial reports.
  • Ease of Use: Designed for businesses with limited accounting needs.

10. SlickPie

  • Description: A free bookkeeping solution known for automating tasks such as invoice reminders and providing a clean user interface.
  • Data Points:
  • Focus: Automation of bookkeeping tasks.
  • Key Feature: Auto-reminders for unpaid invoices.
  • Interface: Clean and modern.
  • Free Plan: Offers a solid set of tools for free.
  • Additional Services: It may have paid add-ons or services for expanded functionality.
Important Considerations:
  • Free vs. Paid: Free software often has limitations compared to paid versions, such as fewer features, limited users, or transaction limits.
  • Scalability: Consider whether the software can grow with your business needs.
  • Integration: Check if the software integrates with other tools you use, like payroll or payment processors.
  • Support: Look into the availability of customer support for the free version.
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FAQ

1. What is Zoho Books?
Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting solution with a free plan for businesses with an annual revenue below $50,000. It offers invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and more. Learn more about Zoho Books
2. Which businesses are best suited for Wave?
Wave is ideal for freelancers, sole proprietors, and very small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, offering essential accounting features and a user-friendly interface. Explore Wave
3. What features does ZipBooks offer?
ZipBooks provides basic bookkeeping tools in its free plan, which includes invoicing, expense categorization, bank sync, customer management, and basic financial reporting. Discover ZipBooks
4. Can Akaunting be used offline?
Yes, Akaunting is a free, open-source accounting software that can be deployed as both an online or self-hosted (offline) solution, with features like payroll management and user roles. Explore Akaunting
5. Is GnuCash suitable for beginners?
GnuCash, though powerful and highly customizable, is more suitable for users who are comfortable with double-entry bookkeeping and have some understanding of accounting. Learn more about GnuCash
6. What makes Free Accounting Software (Australia) unique?
Tailored specifically for Australian micro and small businesses, it focuses on local compliance, such as BAS and Single Touch Payroll, and offers features like accounts receivable, payable, and payroll. Check out Free Accounting Software (Australia)
7. Does Manager offer a cloud version?
Yes, Manager provides both desktop and cloud versions, supporting features like purchase orders, accounts receivable and payable, invoicing, and inventory management. Discover Manager
8. What type of businesses is YavaBook designed for?
YavaBook is designed for small businesses, particularly startups and SMEs, offering tools for invoicing, expense tracking, and real-time financial reporting through a user-friendly cloud-based platform. Learn more about YavaBook
9. Who should use NCH Express Accounts?
NCH Express Accounts is a free desktop accounting software ideal for businesses with five or fewer employees, offering essential features like quotes, invoices, expense tracking, and generating over 20 financial reports.
10. What automations does SlickPie offer?
SlickPie automates tasks such as sending invoice reminders and provides a clean, modern interface, making it a handy bookkeeping solution for small businesses.

References

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
  • Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
  • Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
  • AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
  • SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
  • Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
  • Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
  • 3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
  • 100+ startup tools built
  • 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
2025-08-04 17:18 Top Alternatives