A Free Accounting Alternative for Ireland | HelloBooks Paying for accounting software you barely use? HelloBooks has a free plan for Irish sole traders and micro companies, with Irish VAT rates and AI coding.
None of the established Irish accounting products offers a permanent free plan; they rely on introductory discounts that end after a few months. HelloBooks has a genuine free plan for very small businesses, with Irish VAT rates, invoicing, AI categorisation and the mobile app. It suits sole traders, side businesses and new companies with modest volumes. As you grow, paid plans add users, bank connections and multi-currency.
Free Plan with invoices within 200 transactions, bills & quotes — no credit card.
The free plan covers up to 200 transactions in total, and the count does not reset each year. When you outgrow it, move to a paid plan without changing systems.
Most new Irish businesses start small: CSO figures show that 92.6% of active enterprises in 2023 were micro firms with fewer than ten people. A free plan sized for that reality lets you keep proper books from the first invoice without adding another monthly bill.
A self-employed consultant with a few invoices a month, a new limited company in its first year, a craft seller with a small number of sales, or anyone not yet registered for VAT who wants tidy records from day one. If your transactions grow past the limit, move up a tier without changing systems.
Free spreadsheets and free invoicing apps leave the bookkeeping to you. Even on the free plan, AI credits let HelloBooks propose the account and VAT rate for transactions, so the records are usable by an accountant without being rebuilt.
It will not file to ROS; you enter the VAT3 yourself. It does not run Irish payroll. And it is designed for small volumes, so a busy retailer or a company with staff will need a paid plan or another product. Be honest about your volume before you rely on any free tier.
Starter raises the user count and adds bank connections and recurring invoices. Pro removes the user cap and adds multi-currency, which matters once you invoice in sterling or dollars. Your records, settings and history stay where they are when you change plan.
Even a very small business must keep records that support its tax returns: sales and purchase invoices, bank statements, and the workings behind any VAT return. Keeping them in one system, with each document attached to its transaction, makes that obligation easy to meet.
Sign up with your email, choose Ireland, add your business details and VAT number if you have one, and upload a bank statement. Within minutes you will see your transactions coded and ready to confirm.
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Free Plan with full access to the AI accountant — no credit card, no time limit.