Compare
Tabby vs. QuickBooks, Xero & Wave. No spin.
For freelancers, 1099 contractors and small business owners who just want clean books without the drama. We’ll tell you when another tool is the right call.
- Pricing verified June 2026
- Feature data from official pricing pages
- Updated regularly
- At a glance
Four tools. One honest look.
This is us
Tabby
$0–$90/mo
AI-native bookkeeping for freelancers, 1099 workers and small businesses. Mobile-first, CPA-designed, no accounting knowledge needed.
- Free tier that genuinely works, up to $15K/yr
- Tabby Talk: AI that sends invoices and chases payments
- AI invoice creator via voice or text
- Fewer integrations than QuickBooks or Xero
QuickBooks Online
$38–$275/mo
The market leader. Deeply capable and deeply complex, with a huge integration ecosystem.
- 800+ integrations, the widest ecosystem
- Payroll add-on (from $45/mo)
- Mature CPA ecosystem
- No free tier, complex UI, raised prices 15–20% in 2025
Xero
$20–$80/mo
Strong global accounting platform with unlimited users. Designed for accountants, not freelancers.
- Unlimited users on all plans
- 1,000+ integrations, global CPA network
- Multi-currency on Premium
- Starter limited to 20 invoices / 5 bills a month, no payroll
Wave
$0–$16/mo
The original free bookkeeping tool. Useful for solo freelancers who need invoicing and basic tracking.
- Free core accounting, invoicing and reports
- Simple UI, fast onboarding
- No AI
- No bank auto-sync on the free tier
- The difference
The others give you a ledger. Tabby does the work.
01
You approve. You don't do.
Tabby categorizes every transaction with 99% accuracy. Only what it isn’t sure about lands in a short review list, with a suggestion attached.
- Learns from every correction
- Payments matched to invoices
- Personal charges flagged
02
Ask in plain English. Get it done.
Tabby Talk sends invoices, chases late payers, pulls reports and reconciles accounts from a single sentence.
- 35 ready-made tasks
- Voice or text
- Nothing sent without your OK
- Feature matrix
Every feature, honestly compared.
Where we’re not the right answer, we say so.
| Feature | This is usTabby$0–$90/mo | QuickBooks$38–$275/mo | Xero$20–$80/mo | Wave$0–$16/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plansWhat you actually pay | ||||
| Permanent free tier | – | – | ||
| No credit card to start | – | – | ||
| Entry paid plan (lowest) | $30/mo | $38/mo | $20/mo (limited) | $16/mo |
| Predictable monthly pricing (no annual price hikes) | ~15–20%/yr increases | Moderate | ||
| 30-day money-back guarantee | – | – | – | |
| AI & automationWhere Tabby is most differentiated | ||||
| AI transaction auto-categorization | Partial | Partial | – | |
| AI learns from your corrections over time | – | – | ||
| Ask plain-language financial questions | – | – | – | |
| AI invoice creator — voice or text prompt | – | – | – | |
| Weekly AI business health digest | – | – | – | |
| AI auto-match receipts to transactions | – | |||
| Bank & transaction syncHow your transactions get in | ||||
| Bank connection via Plaid (12,000+ institutions) | Pro only ($16/mo) | |||
| CSV / Excel bank statement import | ||||
| Bulk PDF bank statement upload & AI categorize | Growth plan | – | – | – |
| QuickBooks data migration | N/A | – | ||
| Real-time sync (instant, not daily) | Growth plan | Pro plan | ||
| Mobile experienceWhere Tabby has no real competition | ||||
| Dedicated iOS & Android app | Limited | |||
| Designed mobile-first (not ported from web) | – | – | – | |
| Receipt scan on mobile | Pro plan | |||
| Categorize transactions on mobile | – | |||
| Create invoices on mobile | – | |||
| Invoicing & paymentsGetting paid | ||||
| Send customized invoices | ||||
| Proposals / quotes | Standard+ | |||
| Collect payments via ACH & credit card | Pro+ | |||
| Track receivables & unpaid invoices | ||||
| W-9 collection from vendors (one-click) | Pro+ | – | – | – |
| Tax supportTax-ready books, all year | ||||
| IRS Schedule C / 1099-ready categories | Partial | Partial | ||
| Tax-ready P&L report | Standard+ | |||
| 1099-NEC contractor tracking | Soon | Plus+ plan | – | – |
| Full accounting controlCPA-level tools — where QB and Xero are stronger | ||||
| Chart of accounts (view) | ||||
| Custom categories & AI chart of accounts | Pro+ | – | ||
| Bank reconciliation | Growth | |||
| Manual journal entries | Growth | – | ||
| Accrual basis accounting | Growth | – | ||
| Multi-currency (USD, CAD, GBP, AUD, EUR) | Growth | Essentials+ | Premium ($80) | – |
| Split transactions into multiple categories | Pro+ | – | ||
| Reports & visibilityUnderstanding your numbers | ||||
| Profit & loss report | ||||
| Balance sheet | Growth | |||
| General ledger | Growth | – | ||
| Export reports — Excel & PDF | Standard+ | |||
| Consolidated multi-entity reports | Growth | Advanced ($275) | – | – |
| Teams & usersWho gets access | ||||
| User seats (paid entry plan) | 2 (Standard) | 1 (Simple Start) | Unlimited (all plans) | Unlimited (Pro) |
| Dedicated accountant seat | Pro+ ($50) | |||
| IntegrationsWhere QB and Xero pull ahead | ||||
| App marketplace size | Growing | 800+ apps | 1,000+ apps | Limited |
| Stripe — payment processing | Standard+ | |||
| Ramp — expense management | Standard+ | – | – | – |
| PayPal | Soon | |||
| Payroll (built-in or direct integration) | Soon | Add-on $45+/mo | Add-on via Gusto | Add-on |
| Support & onboardingGetting help when you need it | ||||
| Free tier support | AI chat | – | – | – |
| Paid plan support | Chat + email | Phone + chat | Chat + email | Email (Pro) |
| Priority support + live onboarding call | Growth ($90) | 24/7 on Advanced | – | – |
| Designed for non-accountants | – | – | Partial | |
| Built by CPAs with freelancer-first design | – | – | – | |
IncludedNot availableSoonComing soon
- Honest verdict
Which one should you actually use?
Pick Tabby if…
- You're a freelancer, 1099 contractor, realtor or small business owner who runs things from your phone
- You want AI that actually does the work, not a chatbot pinned to a help center
- You're switching from QuickBooks and don't want to need an accounting degree
- Your budget is $0–$90/mo and you want the features to match
Pick QuickBooks if…
- Your CPA or bookkeeper specifically works in QuickBooks
- You need 800+ app integrations: payroll, CRM, e-commerce, ERPs
- You track inventory or run a retail or product business
- You're fine with a steeper learning curve and $38–$275/mo
Pick Xero if…
- You have 3–10 people who all need accounting access
- You operate internationally and need multi-currency from day one
- Your accountant uses a Xero partner program
- You're a UK, AU or NZ business with local compliance needs
Pick Wave if…
- You're just starting and can't spend anything yet
- You only need invoices, a few expenses and a basic P&L
- You don't need bank auto-sync or mobile receipt scanning
- You're OK with 2.9% + $0.60 per card payment
- Fine print
What pricing pages don't say.
QuickBooks
Pick QuickBooks if…
QuickBooks raised prices 15–20% in July 2025 and has averaged 12–17% a year since 2023. Payroll is a separate add-on from $45/mo plus $6.50 per employee.
Xero
The Starter plan is a demo.
Starter limits you to 20 invoices and 5 bills a month, so most businesses move to Standard ($47/mo) fast. No payroll, and no phone support on any plan.
Wave
"Free" has a transaction-fee ceiling.
Bank auto-sync needs the Pro plan ($16/mo). Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60, so $10,000 a month in card payments is about $350 in fees.
All of them
None were built for 1099 workers.
They were designed for traditional businesses with employees, inventory and accountants on staff. No mobile-first UI and no AI that understands your work. That’s the gap Tabby was built to fill, by a CPA who spent 12 years watching self-employed people panic at tax time.
Freelancer or small business? Try Tabby first.
Connect your bank in five clicks and see AI categorization and a weekly business digest before you decide. No credit card. Cancel any time.
- Free plan forever
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Cancel anytime