Pricing · Accounting

ZipBooks pricing

What ZipBooks costs, why the free Starter plan is the real draw, and where the paid tiers start to earn their keep.

ZipBooks keeps its menu short and leads with a genuinely free plan, which is most of its appeal for freelancers and very small firms. As of June 2026 the lineup is a free Starter tier, Smarter at $15 a month, Sophisticated at $35 a month, and an Accountant plan priced by custom quote for firms managing client books. The gap that matters is between free and Smarter: automation, recurring invoices and a few extra users sit behind the first paid step. Check the vendor for current pricing.

Read the full ZipBooks review
Reviewed by ·Updated JUNE 2026·How we vet

Plans and prices

Per month, billed monthly

Pricing as of June 2026. ZipBooks sells one free plan and two flat monthly paid tiers, with an Accountant plan quoted separately. Payment processing fees on cards and bank transfers are charged on top when you collect through ZipBooks. Confirm the current rate and any introductory offer on the vendor site before subscribing.

Starter
Free
1 bank account; unlimited invoices
+Unlimited invoices and customers
+Manage unlimited vendors
+Accept digital payments
+Basic reports, one bank connection
★ Our pick
Smarter
$15
Adds automation; up to 5 users
+Everything in Starter
+Recurring invoices with auto bill
+Automated reminders and time tracking
+Connect multiple bank accounts
Sophisticated
$35
Unlimited users; deeper books
+Everything in Smarter
+Unlimited users
+Smart tagging and custom categories
+Secure document sharing
Accountant
Custom
For firms billing client work
+Everything in Sophisticated
+Track time across client projects
+Message clients in app
+Quote from the ZipBooks sales team
What moves the real bill

The free plan is real, but three things pull you up a tier

ZipBooks is one of the few accounting tools where the free plan covers core invoicing and books. Most upgrades come down to automation, team size and the features the free tier deliberately holds back.

Free versus Smarter. The Starter plan handles unlimited invoices and one bank connection, but recurring invoices, auto bill, automated reminders, time tracking and multiple bank accounts all sit on Smarter at $15 a month. If you send the same invoices each month or want reminders chasing late payers, that is the step you will pay for.
Team size. Smarter caps you at five team members, while Sophisticated at $35 a month opens unlimited users along with smart tagging and a customizable chart of accounts. A growing firm that needs more than a handful of logins jumps to the higher tier mainly for seats, so count your users before you assume $15 covers you.
Payment processing fees. Like most invoicing tools, ZipBooks charges processing fees when customers pay by card or bank transfer through the platform, separate from your subscription. If you collect a lot of payments online, those per transaction fees can outweigh the plan price, so model them against your typical invoice volume.
Pricing questions

ZipBooks pricing FAQ

How much does ZipBooks cost?

As of June 2026, ZipBooks offers a free Starter plan, Smarter at $15 a month, and Sophisticated at $35 a month, plus an Accountant plan priced by custom quote for firms managing client books. Payment processing fees apply separately when you collect through ZipBooks. Check the vendor for current pricing.

Is ZipBooks really free?

Yes. The Starter plan is free and covers unlimited invoices, unlimited customers and vendors, digital payments, basic reports and one bank connection. It is one of the more capable free accounting tiers available, though automation and extra users require a paid plan. Verified June 2026.

Does ZipBooks charge per user?

Not on the lower tiers in the usual sense. Starter is single user oriented, Smarter at $15 a month includes up to five team members, and Sophisticated at $35 a month allows unlimited users. So your team size, rather than a strict per seat fee, is what decides which tier you land on.

Is ZipBooks good value?

For a freelancer or very small business that wants clean books and invoicing without a monthly bill, the free Starter plan is strong value. Once you need automation, more users or deeper reporting, the paid tiers are still reasonable, though tools like Zoho Books or QuickBooks Online offer more room to grow if complexity is coming.

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