What is the cheapest accounting software for freelancers?
We put the well-known Dutch accounting packages side by side on their cheapest plan that includes a VAT return. Finq comes out most affordable at EUR 4.99 per month. The next package only starts around EUR 8, and familiar names like Moneybird and Jortt sit between EUR 15 and EUR 20 per month. The full, up-to-date comparison with a reference date is on our pricing page.
Mind the word 'complete': separate or free invoice tools exist, but as soon as you want VAT returns, bank imports and expense tracking too, most fall away or get more expensive. Finq keeps that complete package cheap precisely because we earn from the accounting, not from your invoices.
Is there such a thing as free accounting software?
Fully free accounting with a VAT return barely exists: software that connects your bank, tracks expenses and prepares your return costs money to run. What is free forever in Finq is the invoicing: unlimited invoices and quotes with your own logo, plus time tracking, clients, projects and mileage. For a starting freelancer who only needs to invoice, that is a genuine free start.
Want the accounting on top later? You switch it on for EUR 4.99 per month. So you only pay once your administration grows beyond sending invoices.
Why billing by the hour changes things
Most accounting software is built around products or one-off invoices. If you work by the hour, your pain is elsewhere: tracking hours, getting them onto the invoice correctly and being able to prove the 1,225-hour criterion. Finq starts at your calendar. You click hours per project, they add up per month and per client, and they land on the invoice with a specification. Your accounting becomes an extension of your hours, not a separate system.
