Overview

ZipBooks brings estimates and invoicing together with payment collection, expense categorization and financial reporting. Automatic transaction imports from thousands of financial institutions, including many major U.S. and Canadian banks, can reduce manual bookkeeping. The Starter plan allows one bank connection, however, so businesses managing several accounts need a higher tier.

Square and PayPal handle digital payments, while the Gusto integration can sync time entries for payroll and record payroll transaction details in ZipBooks. That pairing is useful for businesses billing for project work and keeping payroll activity alongside their books. ZipBooks says payment processors handle sensitive card data; it uses 256-bit TLS for data in transit and AES256 or AES128 encryption for stored data. Two-factor authentication is enabled by contacting support.

Key features

Billing, books and time

Invoices and estimates cover ordinary client billing, with recurring auto-billing and automated payment reminders available for businesses that want less follow-up work. Accounting features include bank connections, transaction categorization, reconciliation and financial reports. Time tracking works in a browser or iOS app, and entries can be brought into invoices; this makes the product more relevant to billable service work than a bookkeeping tool without time capture.

Mobile and team controls

ZipBooks offers native mobile apps and an optimized mobile web experience for invoicing, payments, receipts and expense categorization. Team permissions can limit access to invoicing, accounting, reporting and time tracking. Live chat and email support operate Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Mountain Time, a useful window for support but not continuous coverage.

Pricing

ZipBooks is freemium, with a free Starter plan and a free trial. Its paid plans have custom pricing, so buyers should confirm costs directly before committing or expanding a team.

Starter: Unlimited invoices, vendors and customers, Square or PayPal payments, basic reports and one bank connection. It suits a small operation with a single account, but lacks the multiple-bank and time-tracking features assigned to Smarter.
Smarter: Recurring invoices with auto-bill, automated reminders, multiple bank accounts, time tracking and five team members. This is the practical step up for service businesses automating billing or tracking billable time, but the five-member limit may constrain a larger team.
Sophisticated: Smart tagging, account reconciliation, secure document sharing, financial reports and unlimited users. It fits teams needing more structured accounting and broader access; unlimited users removes the stated seat ceiling, though the price remains custom.
Accountant: Client account management, financial package exports, bulk transaction editing and data migration. These features target accounting professionals managing client work rather than a business seeking only its own billing and books.

The feature split means the free entry point can cover basic invoicing and a single bank connection, while recurring billing, time tracking and multi-account workflows start at Smarter. Sophisticated adds reconciliation and unlimited users; confirm the price of each tier against the capabilities and team size required.

Platforms

ZipBooks runs on the web, Android and iOS. Time tracking is specifically supported in a browser and iOS app; the mobile app is described for invoicing, payments, receipts and expense categorization.

Who it's for

ZipBooks is best suited to small businesses that invoice clients, want bank imports and reports, and benefit from tracking project time or syncing that time with Gusto. Starter is a sensible fit for a business with one bank connection and basic reporting needs. Businesses with multiple accounts, recurring billing or a small team should compare Smarter, while teams needing reconciliation or unlimited users should assess Sophisticated. It is less suitable when a buyer needs a straightforward published price before selecting a plan.

Pros and cons

Pro: Invoicing, payments, accounting and time tracking connect useful workflows, including importing time into invoices.
Pro: Automatic imports span thousands of financial institutions, helping reduce transaction entry for supported accounts.
Pro: Team permissions cover key work areas, and higher tiers offer up to unlimited users.
Con: The Starter plan allows only one bank connection, limiting its fit for businesses with multiple accounts.
Con: Recurring billing, reminders and time tracking are reserved for Smarter, and reconciliation and unlimited users for Sophisticated.
Con: Paid plans use custom pricing, making tier-to-tier cost comparisons harder before contacting ZipBooks.
Con: Two-factor authentication requires a support request, rather than being self-enabled in account settings.

Alternatives

For a different accounting option, compare FreeAgent, Clear Books, BUSY, Odoo Accounting, Dolibarr, Tryton, Wave and Zoho Books. Wave is worth considering when a reader wants a free plan for invoices and bookkeeping and accepts its stated per-transaction card fee. Dolibarr and Tryton are free open-source options for buyers willing to use self-hosting or third-party hosting; BUSY has a free billing and accounting plan. Clear Books offers a free, no-transaction-limit sole-trader plan, while Zoho Books' free plan is for solopreneurs and micro businesses under its stated annual-revenue condition. FreeAgent and Odoo Accounting are other freemium choices; compare their plan fit and pricing against ZipBooks before choosing. Explore category guides for Gym Accounting Software, Salon Accounting Software, Freelance Invoicing Software and Bookkeeping Software.

Verdict

Choose ZipBooks if your small business needs invoicing tied to bank-connected books and would benefit from billable-time tracking or Gusto payroll syncing. Its connected workflows are the main reason to choose it; custom pricing and feature gates between plans are the main reasons to look elsewhere if cost certainty or multi-account access at entry level matters.

	Xero Bank Reconciliation	ZipBooks
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$25/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	No	Yes
Paid from	$25/mo
Recurring invoices		Yes
Online payments		Yes
Time tracking		Yes
Expense tracking		Yes
Mobile apps		ios

Xero Bank Reconciliation vs ZipBooks

Xero Bank Reconciliation

ZipBooks