Guide · September 2026
Best free accounting and bookkeeping software in South Africa
People searching for free accounting software South Africa and free bookkeeping software South Africa are usually choosing a ledger, not a brand. This page separates full books from invoice apps, and free forever from a trial.
Quick answer
- Need a complete set of books at R0: Anchor — double-entry, invoices, bank rec, ZA VAT report, unlimited users. No card. Payroll is not included.
- Need invoices only: an invoice app (for example Inv24 or similar) can be enough if your accountant keeps the ledger.
- Need accountant-led Xero or Sage: pay for those packages. They are not free.
- Wave: not a plan for new South African businesses. Wave focuses on the US and Canada.
Accounting software versus invoicing software
Invoicing software creates quotes and invoices, tracks who owes you, and stores customer details.
Accounting and bookkeeping software also keeps a chart of accounts, journals, bank reconciliation, a profit and loss, and a balance sheet. VAT figures come from that ledger, not from a stack of PDFs.
Google’s results for these two searches mix both. Inv24 ranks with “free accounting software” in the title while describing invoices and a customer database. PopPay’s own 2026 guide says it is invoice software, not a ledger. If you need books, start from the ledger column in the table below.
What “free” usually means
- Forever free core: no subscription for books. Anchor’s public pricing is R0 with no paid plan on this product.
- Free with caps: Zoho Books’ South Africa pricing page states the free plan stays available while financial-year revenue does not exceed R1 million, with annual invoice limits (1,000 on the free plan). Confirm on Zoho Books ZA pricing.
- Free if you bank there: FNB Instant Accounting is tied to an FNB business account.
- Trial: QuickBooks and many others let you try, then pay.
Comparison table
Vendor features and prices change. Rows for other products summarise public vendor pages as of September 2026. Confirm on the vendor site before you switch. This is product information, not tax, accounting, or financial advice.
| Product | Price | Kind | VAT | Banking | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchor | R0 forever | Full double-entry ledger | ZA VAT report; you file on SARS eFiling | Statement import and reconciliation (no open-banking feeds) | Unlimited users and organisations |
| Zoho Books | Free plan with limits; paid plans above that | Full accounting | VAT tools on paid plans (confirm on Zoho ZA pricing) | Statement import on free; bank feeds on paid plans | Free plan: 1 user + 1 accountant (Zoho ZA pricing) |
| Gimbla | Free starter plan (vendor page) | Full double-entry ledger | VAT / GST tracking (vendor page) | Bank reconciliation and rules (vendor page) | Unlimited users on starter (vendor page) |
| Sage Accounting | Paid monthly | Full accounting | South Africa product with VAT support | Bank feeds and reconciliation | Plan-based |
| Xero | Paid monthly | Full accounting | South Africa product with GST/VAT support | Bank feeds (including Nedbank partnership) | Plan-based |
| QuickBooks Online | Paid monthly; trial, not a free forever plan | Full accounting | South Africa product | Bank feeds and reconciliation | Plan-based |
| Wave | Free in supported countries | Full accounting (US and Canada focus) | Not a South Africa VAT product | US/Canada banking features | See Wave help centre |
| Inv24 | Free invoicing tier | Invoicing and customer records, not a full ledger | Invoice fields; not a VAT201 workbook | Not a bank-rec ledger | Check vendor site |
| FNB Instant Accounting | Free for eligible FNB business accounts | Bank-tied bookkeeping | VAT calculations in the FNB tool | Uses FNB statements | Tied to the FNB account |
| Akaunting | Open-source; hosted cloud is a separate product | Full double-entry (self-host or cloud) | Tax tracking; not SA-specific VAT201 | Depends on setup | Self-host: your server; cloud: plan-based |
The 10 tools, in short
1. Anchor — free hosted ledger for South Africa
Anchor is free double-entry accounting for South African small businesses: invoices, bills, banking, reports, and a ZA VAT report (F4 / F14 / F20). Unlimited users and organisations. No credit card. Payroll is out of product; SARS eFiling is still on you. See pricing and the tax filing prep guide.
2. Zoho Books — free plan with a revenue and invoice cap
A real accounting product with a South Africa site. The free plan is not unlimited: Zoho publishes a R1 million financial-year revenue threshold and 1,000 invoices per year on free, plus a 1 user + 1 accountant seat. VAT returns sit on paid plans on the ZA pricing page. Strong if you already live in Zoho CRM and fit the caps.
3. Gimbla — free starter, same search intent
Gimbla’s South Africa landing page targets the same “free accounting software for South African small businesses” query, with a $0 starter list (invoices, bills, bank rec, double-entry, VAT/GST). It is the closest product-page competitor in these search results.
4–6. Sage, Xero, QuickBooks — paid SA market leaders
These rank because they are the default packages accountants know. They are not free. Xero has a Nedbank feed relationship. Choose them when your practitioner already runs that stack, or you need bank feeds and a large partner network more than a R0 ledger.
7. Wave — still in old listicles
Wave’s help article “Changes for Wave users outside the United States and Canada” (updated 7 September 2026) repeats the 2020 decision: product and customer support outside US/Canada was discontinued. Existing users can continue. A new South African SME should not build on Wave.
8. Inv24 — invoicing, titled as accounting
Free invoices, customers, and products. Useful if that is the job. It is not a substitute for journals, trial balance, or a VAT report from a ledger.
9. FNB Instant Accounting — free if you bank at FNB
Tied to FNB statements. Fine as a bank-side helper. It is not a standalone ledger you can take to another bank without friction.
10. Akaunting — open source
A global double-entry project. Self-hosting means you run the server. Cloud is a separate product. It is not localised for SARS VAT201 the way a South Africa-first report is.
How to choose without overbuying
- Ask whether you need a ledger this year, or only invoices.
- Ask your accountant which file they actually import (CSV, Xero, Sage).
- Read what free covers: users, invoices, VAT, payroll, bank feeds.
- Run one real month: invoice, bill, bank rec, VAT report, then decide.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free accounting software in South Africa?
- It depends on the job. If you need a complete set of books (ledger, invoices, bank rec, VAT figures) with no subscription, Anchor is built for that. Zoho Books has a limited free plan. Invoice apps are not a ledger. Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks are paid.
- Is free bookkeeping software the same as free accounting software?
- For these searches, yes. Google shows almost the same results for both phrases. Look for a double-entry ledger, not only invoices.
- Does Anchor submit VAT returns?
- No. Anchor prepares a ZA VAT report from posted books. You file on SARS eFiling.
- Why do so many articles still recommend Wave?
- Older listicles are stale. Wave discontinued support outside the United States and Canada. Existing users can continue; new South African signups should not plan around Wave.
Start a free Anchor set of books
No card. Unlimited invoices. VAT-ready reports. Payroll is not included.
Create a free accountQuestions? info@anchorapp.co.za
This page is general product information for South African small businesses, not tax or accounting advice. Confirm current vendor limits on their sites. Wave policy summarised from Wave’s public help centre (September 2026). Zoho free-plan limits summarised from zoho.com/za/books/pricing/ (2026).