Overview
Zoho Books is affordable cloud accounting with a genuinely free plan. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Chennai, India, it serves Australian businesses.
Affordable cloud accounting with a genuinely free plan
AU Compliance Scores
BAS Lodgement3/5
STP Phase 22/5
Payday Super1/5
Modern Awards1/5
GST Handling4/5
Bank Feeds3/5
Modern Awards NoteNo Australian payroll features — Modern Award interpretation is not available natively. Requires third-party payroll integration (CloudPayroll, Employment Hero) for award compliance.
Pricing (AUD inc. GST)
All prices below are in Australian dollars and include GST. Pricing verified as of 2026-03-17.
Free
Free
AUD inc GST
Genuinely free for businesses under $50K AUD annual revenue. Includes bank reconciliation, GST tracking, and up to 1,000 invoices/year. One of the only major accounting platforms with a meaningful free tier.
- Revenue Cap: 50000
- Invoices Per Year: 1000
- Bills Per Year: 1000
- Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- Users: 1
Most Popular
Standard
$19.8/mo
AUD inc GST
Up to 5,000 invoices/year and 5,000 bills/year with bank reconciliation. 3 users included. $16.50/mo with annual billing.
- Invoices Per Year: 5000
- Bills Per Year: 5000
- Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- Users: 3
Professional
$39.6/mo
AUD inc GST
Up to 10,000 invoices/year with purchase orders and bills workflow. 5 users included. $33/mo with annual billing.
- Invoices Per Year: 10000
- Bills Per Year: 10000
- Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- Purchase Orders: Yes
- Users: 5
Premium
$52.8/mo
AUD inc GST
Higher volume plan — up to 25,000 invoices/year, 10 users, and custom domain for client portal. $44/mo with annual billing.
- Invoices Per Year: 25000
- Bills Per Year: 25000
- Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- Purchase Orders: Yes
- Custom Domain: Yes
- Users: 10
Elite
$217.8/mo
AUD inc GST
High-volume plan for larger businesses — 100,000 invoices/year and 15 users.
- Invoices Per Year: 100000
- Users: 15
Ultimate
$382.8/mo
AUD inc GST
Unlimited invoices with advanced inventory, custom reports, and dedicated account manager.
- Invoices Per Year: unlimited
- Users: 15
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuinely free plan for businesses under $50K revenue — not just a trial, actually free with bank reconciliation and GST tracking
- Cheapest paid plans among major platforms — Standard from $16.50/mo (annual), dramatically less than Xero ($75/mo) or MYOB ($70/mo)
- Australian data centres in Sydney and Melbourne — genuine AU data sovereignty with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification
- Part of the Zoho ecosystem — native integration with Zoho CRM, Projects, Inventory, and 40+ Zoho products
- Strong GST handling with automatic calculations, BAS report generation, and ABN validation
- 24x5 support with Australian phone number (+61 1800 911076)
- 6 pricing tiers from Free to Ultimate — scales from micro business to larger operations
Cons
- No native Australian payroll — STP Phase 2, Payday Super, and Modern Awards require third-party integration (CloudPayroll, Employment Hero)
- No direct BAS lodgement to ATO — BAS reports are export-only, requiring manual lodgement
- Invoice/bill limits on all plans (1,000/yr on Free, 5,000/yr on Standard, 10,000/yr on Professional) — not truly unlimited
- Fewer Australian bank feed connections than Xero (50+) or MYOB (130+) — relies on Yodlee aggregator
- Smaller integration ecosystem in Australia compared to Xero (1,000+ apps) — mainly Zoho-ecosystem focused
- No Payday Super support — depends entirely on third-party payroll integrations
Bank Feed Compatibility
Zoho Books supports automatic bank feeds from growing Australian financial institutions.
| Bank | Feed Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Bank | Yodlee | Active |
| Westpac | Yodlee | Active |
| ANZ | Yodlee | Active |
| NAB | Yodlee | Active |
Who Is Zoho Books Best For?
- Micro Business Budget
- Sole Trader Under 50k
- Zoho Ecosystem User
- Startup
- Au Data Sovereignty Budget
Zoho Books may not be the best fit for:
- Au Employer Payroll
- Direct Bas Lodgement
- Complex Compliance
- Large Team 10 Plus
Zoho Books Alternatives
If Zoho Books doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:
- Xero — Australia's most popular cloud accounting platform. From $35/mo inc. GST.
- MYOB — Australia's original business management platform. From $35/mo inc. GST.
- QuickBooks Online — Affordable cloud accounting from Intuit with strong global reach. From $33/mo inc. GST.
- FreshBooks — Invoicing-first accounting for freelancers and sole traders. From $27/mo inc. GST.
- Reckon One — Australian-built cloud accounting with flat-rate payroll. From $24/mo inc. GST.
Related Comparisons
Head to HeadHead to HeadHead to HeadHead to Head
Xero vs Zoho Books 2026
Zoho Books is significantly cheaper and includes a free tier for under $50K revenue, but its AU bank...
MYOB vs Zoho Books 2026
Zoho Books undercuts MYOB on price and offers a free tier, but MYOB provides deeper AU compliance wi...
QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books 2026
Both are budget-friendly options but Zoho Books offers a free tier for businesses under $50K revenue...
FreshBooks vs Zoho Books 2026
Both are secondary players in Australia but Zoho Books has stronger AU localisation with GST support...
Migration Guides
Step-by-step switching guides involving Zoho Books for Australian businesses.
Related Compliance Guides
GuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuideGuide
BAS Lodgement Guide for Australian Businesses
Business Activity Statements must be lodged quarterly or monthly with the ATO, reporting GST, PAYG i...
STP Phase 2 Explained — What Australian Employers Need to Know
Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 expands the data reported to the ATO with each pay run, including disag...
Payday Super 2026 — Employer Preparation Guide
From 1 July 2026, employers must pay superannuation on or before payday instead of quarterly. This i...
Modern Awards Explained for Australian Employers
Modern Awards set minimum pay rates, conditions, and entitlements for employees in specific industri...
Payroll Tax by State — Thresholds, Rates & Registration
Payroll tax is a state and territory tax on wages paid by employers above a threshold. Each jurisdic...
Workers' Compensation Insurance by State — AU Employer Guide
Workers' compensation is compulsory for all Australian employers and is managed by each state or ter...
Data Sovereignty in Australia — Where Is Your Business Data Stored?
Australian businesses are increasingly concerned about where their financial and employee data is ho...
How to Set Up Single Touch Payroll (STP)
Single Touch Payroll requires all Australian employers to report payroll information to the ATO each...
GST Registration Guide for Australian Businesses
Australian businesses must register for GST once their annual turnover reaches or is expected to rea...
Contractor vs Employee in Australia — How to Classify Correctly
Misclassifying an employee as a contractor is one of the most common and costly compliance mistakes ...
Superannuation Guide for Australian Employers
Employers must pay the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) for eligible employees at the current rate of 1...
Fair Work Compliance Essentials for Australian Employers
The Fair Work Act 2009 sets the national framework for workplace relations in Australia, covering mi...
Leave Entitlements by State — Long Service Leave & State Variations
While annual leave and personal leave are set nationally under the NES, long service leave (LSL) var...
ABN Registration Guide — How to Get an Australian Business Number
An Australian Business Number (ABN) is an 11-digit identifier required for most business activities ...
Tax Invoice Requirements in Australia — What You Must Include
Australian businesses registered for GST must issue tax invoices for taxable sales of $82.50 or more...