Skip to content
Start free

Compare · prices checked 22 Oct 2026

Hesafi vs Zoho Books vs Wave: Free accounting software for Kenyan small businesses.

Zoho Books and Hesafi both have a free plan. Wave no longer serves Kenya. One question matters more than the rest: must your software issue eTIMS invoices?

Start freeWhat moving takesAsk us on WhatsApp

Start here

Three questions sort it out.

Answer in order. If the first answer is yes, you can stop there.

  1. Question 1: Must your accounting software issue eTIMS invoices?

    YesNo, next

    Zoho Books

    Standard issues eTIMS invoices from the app, and Zoho says its eTIMS software is approved by KRA. Hesafi doesn't issue them.

    zoho.com (eTIMS), checked 22 Oct 2026

  2. Question 2: Do you need bank feeds, or several people in the books?

    YesNo, next

    Zoho Books

    Standard has bank feeds (check your bank is supported), and even the free plan lets in 1 user plus an accountant. Wave would have been the other answer, but it no longer serves Kenya.

    zoho.com/ke/books/pricing, checked 21 Oct 2026 · Wave help centre, checked 22 Oct 2026

  3. Question 3: Does most of your money move through M-PESA, and would you rather pay once?

    YesNo, next

    Hesafi

    It reads your M-PESA statement, keeps your books on your device and costs KES 3,500 once after a free start.

    Start free

  4. No to all three?

    Either free plan

    Zoho Books Free and Hesafi Free both cost KES 0. Try the one that feels easiest.

Cost over time

Free is free. After that, monthly adds up.

Zoho Books and Hesafi both have a free plan. If you outgrow it, Zoho Books Standard is billed every month or every year; Hesafi Standard is paid once.

Time span
fig. 02A beam balance with one large coin in the left pan and monthly coins dropping into the right pan one by one, until their weight tips the beam toward them.

After 3 years: Zoho Books Standard billed monthly, KES 35,964. Zoho Books Standard billed yearly, KES 30,564. Hesafi Standard, KES 7,500 keeping Hesafi Care for two more years.

For the first 3 months, Zoho Books Standard billed monthly costs less than Hesafi Standard. From month 4, Hesafi costs less.

OptionPriceBillingAfter 3 yearsSource
Zoho Books StandardKES 999 a monthMonthlyKES 35,964zoho.com/ke/books/pricing, checked 21 Oct 2026
Zoho Books StandardKES 849 a month, billed yearlyYearlyKES 30,564zoho.com/ke/books/pricing, checked 21 Oct 2026
Hesafi StandardKES 3,500 once, 1 year of Hesafi Care included; then KES 2,000 a year, optionalOnce + 2 years of CareKES 7,500Our pricing

Zoho Books: zoho.com/ke/books/pricing, checked 21 Oct 2026. Zoho Books has a free plan for businesses with revenue under KES 5 million a year (1 user plus an accountant, up to 1,000 invoices a year). Wave isn't shown: it no longer serves Kenya. Standard includes 12 months of Hesafi Care. After that your version keeps working without it; Care brings new versions and tax tables.

Start free, pay once when you're ready

Side by side

Where each one is stronger

Zoho Books' strengths come first.

Where Zoho Books is stronger, where Hesafi is stronger, and where it's close. Sources are listed under the table.
ComparedHesafiFree, or Standard KES 3,500 onceZoho BooksFree, or Standard KES 999 a month
Where Zoho Books is stronger
Issues eTIMS invoicesNo: use KRA's free eTIMS toolsYes, on Standard and above
Bank feedsNo: import a statement fileYes, on Standard, where your bank is supported
Several people and your accountantNo: one main device, up to 3 devices per licenceYes, the free plan includes 1 user plus an accountant
Your books from any computerOnly on devices that hold your booksYes, in the cloud
Where Hesafi is stronger
Price after the free planKES 3,500 onceKES 999 a month (KES 849 billed yearly), excl. taxes
Books on your own deviceYesNo: in the cloud
Works offlineYesNot built in, as far as we know
M-PESA statement PDF importYes, StandardNo: M-PESA comes in only through a Pay Now button on invoices
Where it's close
Free planInvoices, manual books, reports, backupsUnder KES 5 million revenue a year, 1 user plus an accountant, 1,000 invoices a year; no eTIMS or bank feeds
Supplier PIN and eTIMS number per purchaseYes, StandardFetches purchase bills from KRA once you're integrated
Invoices and reportsYes, FreeYes

Zoho Books: zoho.com/ke/books/pricing, checked 21 Oct 2026. Zoho Books free plan: zoho.com (pricing), checked 21 Oct 2026. Zoho Books eTIMS: zoho.com (eTIMS), checked 22 Oct 2026. Free plan limits: zoho.com/ke/books/pricing, checked 22 Oct 2026. M-PESA: zoho.com (M-PESA help), checked 22 Oct 2026. Regular prices, not promotions. Features change: check each product's site before you decide. We make Hesafi, so we've put the other product's strengths first. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Which fits

Zoho Books or Hesafi?

Moving over

Moving from Zoho Books or Wave takes a start date and a statement.

Hesafi can't open Zoho Books or Wave files. You start from a date with your balances and keep their reports as your history.

  1. Save your historyExport the Zoho Books or Wave reports you want to keep, like profit and loss and the balance sheet, as PDF or Excel.
  2. Pick a start dateThe 1st of a month is easiest. Statement lines from before it are left out when you import, so nothing is counted twice.
  3. Enter what you hadHesafi asks how much was in the bank and cash at the end of the day before. If you import your M-PESA statement, its balance is used.
  4. Import from that dateYour M-PESA statement PDF and your bank's CSV, Excel or OFX export.
  5. Check one monthCompare the first month's profit with your old reports.

Importing statements is part of Standard, KES 3,500 once.

Start free and pick a start date
A two-hole desk punch beside an open ring-binder ledger: a spreadsheet sheet is punched, slides out and drops onto the binder's rings, which close on it.

Questions

Questions before you switch

Ask us anything on WhatsApp.

Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm EAT. We reply within 1 hour during those hours.

Ask on WhatsApp

Keep reading

Free to start. Paid once, if ever.

Hesafi Free has invoices, manual books, reports and encrypted backups. Standard adds M-PESA and bank imports and tax workings for KES 3,500 once.

Start freeChat on WhatsApp