Best Accounting Software for Sole Traders in Australia (2026)

If you’re a sole trader in Australia, you’ve probably noticed that most accounting software is designed for businesses with employees, departments, and complex reporting needs. You just need to track income and expenses, send invoices, handle GST, and not mess up your BAS. But you’re still paying for a product built for a much bigger operation.

Over 60% of Australian businesses are sole traders or non-employing businesses. That’s a lot of people being sold software they don’t fully need — and paying accordingly.

The good news is that in 2026, there are several solid options that are actually designed (or at least well-suited) for how sole traders work. Here’s what’s worth looking at, what each one does well, and what to watch out for.

What sole traders actually need from accounting software

Before comparing platforms, it’s worth getting clear on what matters when you’re a one-person operation. The requirements are different from a business with a team.

The essentials: income and expense tracking, invoicing, bank feeds, GST calculation, and BAS reporting. If the software can’t do these well, nothing else matters.

Nice to have: receipt capture, automatic transaction categorisation, basic reporting (profit and loss, cash flow), and the ability to give your accountant or BAS agent read-only access.

What you probably don’t need: payroll, inventory management, multi-entity consolidation, project costing, or advanced approval workflows. These features add cost and complexity for no benefit if you’re working solo.

With that in mind, here are the best options available right now.

Treldy

Best for: Sole traders who want a modern, fast platform built for Australian businesses — without paying for features they don’t use.

Pricing: $19/mo (Standard) | $39/mo (Pro) — 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Treldy is the standout option if you’re a sole trader looking for something that’s genuinely simple without being basic. The interface is fast and keyboard-friendly — if you’ve ever been frustrated by how many clicks it takes to do something in Xero or MYOB, you’ll notice the difference immediately.

The Standard plan at $19 per month covers everything most sole traders need: unlimited invoicing, expense tracking, bank feeds, reconciliation, and full BAS and GST reporting. There’s no invoice cap, no transaction limit, and multi-currency is included on all plans. That last point matters if you freelance for overseas clients.

If you want to save more time, the Pro plan at $39 per month adds AI-powered auto-categorisation and smart transaction matching. For sole traders processing a decent volume of transactions — say, a freelancer billing multiple clients weekly — the automation pays for itself in time saved.

There are no lock-in contracts. Pricing is transparent and hasn’t crept up since launch. If you’ve been burned by Xero’s annual price hikes, that’s worth something.

Strengths: Genuinely fast interface, Australian compliance built in, transparent pricing, AI automation on Pro, multi-currency on all plans.

Limitations: Newer product, so the third-party integration ecosystem is still growing. If you rely on a specific niche integration, check compatibility first.

Reckon One

Best for: Sole traders on a tight budget who want to pay only for what they use.

Pricing: From $16/mo — modular pricing (add features as needed).

Reckon takes a different approach: you start with a base platform and bolt on modules for invoicing, expenses, payroll, and projects as you need them. For a sole trader with simple needs — say, a tradesperson who just needs to track jobs and send invoices — this can be the cheapest option.

The base product handles bank feeds, reconciliation, and GST tracking without a lot of bloat. It’s Australian-built, so ATO compliance features are native rather than adapted from an overseas product.

The trade-off is that the interface isn’t as polished as newer tools, and if you start adding modules, the price advantage disappears. It also doesn’t have the automation features you’ll find in more modern platforms — so you’re doing more manual work.

Strengths: Low starting price, pay for what you use, Australian-built, straightforward for simple setups.

Limitations: Dated interface, modules add up, lacks automation, smaller integration ecosystem.

Zoho Books

Best for: Sole traders earning under $50,000 who want a genuinely free option.

Pricing: Free for businesses under AU$50,000 revenue | Paid plans from $20/mo.

Zoho Books deserves attention for one reason: the free plan is real. If your annual revenue is under $50,000, you get functional accounting software at no cost. That’s not a 14-day trial — it’s a permanent free tier.

For a sole trader just getting started — maybe you’re freelancing on the side, or you’re in your first year of business — Zoho Books can handle invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and basic reporting without costing you a cent. It also has decent automation features, even on the free tier, like recurring invoices and automatic payment reminders.

The catch is that Australian localisation isn’t as deep as locally built options. BAS and GST are supported, but some workflows feel like they were designed for a different market. If you’re comfortable with accounting concepts, you’ll work around it. If you’re not, you might find it confusing.

Strengths: Genuinely free for small businesses, good automation, solid feature set for the price, part of larger Zoho ecosystem.

Limitations: Australian compliance isn’t as polished as local software, interface can be overwhelming, BAS workflows aren’t as intuitive.

QuickBooks Online

Best for: Sole traders who want strong reporting and a polished mobile app.

Pricing: From $15/mo (Simple Start) to $40/mo (Plus).

QuickBooks is worth considering if reporting matters to you. The dashboards and financial reports are genuinely better than most competitors — more customisable, better filtering, and easy to export. If you want to understand your business performance beyond just “how much is in the bank,” QuickBooks makes that easier.

The Simple Start plan at $15 per month covers the basics for a sole trader: invoicing, expense tracking, GST, and basic reporting. It’s competitively priced and the interface is clean.

The caveat is that QuickBooks is an American product localised for Australia. It works, but occasionally you’ll hit a workflow that doesn’t feel quite right for Australian business. Bank feed connections can also be less reliable than locally built alternatives.

Strengths: Excellent reporting, competitive entry price, good mobile app, free migration from Xero.

Limitations: Not Australian-native (occasional friction), bank feeds less reliable, smaller local support team.

MYOB Business Lite

Best for: Sole traders who want a long-established Australian brand, or who plan to hire employees soon.

Pricing: From $25/mo (Lite).

MYOB has been in the Australian market for decades, and its Business Lite plan is positioned for sole traders and micro-businesses. It covers invoicing, expenses, bank feeds, and GST — the basics you’d expect.

The reason to choose MYOB is if you anticipate growing into a business with employees. MYOB’s payroll capabilities are the best in the Australian market, and being on the platform already means you won’t have to migrate later. If you’re a sole trader today but planning to hire in the next year, starting with MYOB saves a future headache.

For sole traders who’ll stay solo, though, MYOB’s $25 per month starting price is harder to justify when simpler, cheaper options exist. The interface also feels dated compared to newer tools, and some workflows require more clicks than they should.

Strengths: Established Australian brand, best-in-class payroll (for when you grow), strong ATO compliance, accountant familiarity.

Limitations: More expensive than simpler alternatives, dated interface, overkill if you’re staying solo.

How to decide

Here’s the decision simplified.

If you want the best value and a modern experience, Treldy at $19 per month gives you everything you need without the complexity or price creep. The AI features on the Pro plan are a genuine time-saver if you’re processing more than a handful of transactions each week.

If you’re just starting out and revenue is under $50,000, Zoho Books’ free tier is hard to argue with. Use it until you outgrow it, then reassess.

If you’re on a very tight budget and want to pay for only what you use, Reckon One’s modular approach keeps costs low for simple setups.

If reporting and analytics drive your decisions, QuickBooks has the edge — especially at $15 per month for the Simple Start plan.

If you’re a sole trader planning to hire, starting with MYOB now saves a painful migration later.

One more thing: talk to your accountant

If you work with a bookkeeper or accountant, loop them into your decision. Most Australian accountants are most comfortable with Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks — but the landscape is shifting as newer tools gain traction. A good accountant will support whatever software works best for your business, not just whatever they’re most familiar with.

And if your accountant insists you must use a specific platform regardless of your needs? That might tell you something about whether they’re working for you or for their own convenience.

Getting started

Switching accounting software — or choosing your first platform — doesn’t need to be a big production. Most of the options above offer free trials. Take 30 minutes with each one, connect your bank feed, and see which interface clicks. The one that feels natural is usually the right choice.

If you’re already on Xero and the price hikes have you looking around, most platforms have specific migration guides. Export your chart of accounts, contacts, and recent transactions from Xero, import them into the new tool, and run both in parallel for a month while you get comfortable. Your data isn’t locked in, even if it sometimes feels that way.

The most important thing is that your accounting software works for how you work — not the other way around.