Best Accounting Software for Sole Proprietor in 2026

If you're running solo — whether as a freelance dev, indie hacker, or one-person SaaS — you know accounting is that necessary evil you can't ignore. Tax season hits different when you're personally liable for everything.

The right accounting software shouldn't just track expenses. It should automate invoicing, handle quarterly taxes, and integrate with your existing stack without requiring a CPA to set up. Most "small business" tools are overkill or underwhelming for sole proprietors who need something between a spreadsheet and enterprise bloatware.

Our updated 2026 guide breaks down the best accounting software for sole proprietor setups based on actual use cases: if you need dead-simple expense tracking, if you're dealing with multiple income streams, or if you're scaling toward hiring your first contractor. We cover pricing tiers that make sense, API integrations for developers, and which platforms won't make you want to throw your laptop during tax prep.

Key takeaways from the full article: