Affordable ERP for micro businesses: 2026 price guide

What a micro business really pays for ERP and accounting in 2026

A micro business pays from nothing for a free invoicing app to about EUR 830 a year for a per-user ERP licence, at list prices seen on 30 September 2026; accounting with inventory costs EUR 290 to 550. Skyline Nexus ERP Solo, a full ERP for one user, costs EUR 17 a month in Germany, EUR 8.50 for months one to three under the launch offer until 31 January 2027.

Four different products hide behind the words cheap ERP, and no single product is cheapest for everyone: the answer depends on whether you hold stock, how many people log in and which tax rules apply. Competitor prices were read on the vendors' pricing pages on 30 September 2026, exclude VAT unless stated and change often, so confirm them on the vendor's page before you subscribe.

What do you actually need? Four tiers and what each costs a year

Buy the tier you need now plus the next one you expect. Yearly figures are twelve times the monthly list price seen on 30 September 2026.

• Invoicing app: quotes, invoices and payments. Free on Zoho Books Free, Wave Starter, sevDesk Kostenlos or Odoo One App Free; USD 84 a year for Xero Lite, capped at five invoices a month.
• Bookkeeping: ledger, VAT or GST figures and bank reconciliation. GBP 144 (Zoho Books UK Standard) to GBP 216 (Xero Ignite); EUR 154.80 (Lexware Office M) to EUR 252 (QuickBooks Online Simple Start, EUR list); CAD 240 (Zoho Books Standard) to CAD 360 (QuickBooks Online EasyStart).
• Accounting with inventory: EUR 288 (Zoho Books France Professionnel) to EUR 549.60 (sevDesk Buchhaltung with Inventar); GBP 288 (Zoho Books UK Professional) to GBP 708 (Sage Accounting Plus); CAD 420 (Zoho Books Professional) to CAD 1,320 (QuickBooks Online Plus).
• Full ERP: sales, purchasing, stock, POS, accounting and CRM in one database. EUR 132 (DoliZen Solo, a hosted Dolibarr) to EUR 831.60 per user (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials); SAP Business One and Oracle NetSuite publish no list price.

Price comparison: plans that include inventory, as of 30 September 2026

Like for like: the lowest published plan with inventory, for one user, at list price, as the vendor's page showed it on 30 September 2026.

• Zoho Books Germany Professional: EUR 40 a month, EUR 480 a year; 5 users, stock, XRechnung and ZUGFeRD; no POS listed.
• sevDesk Buchhaltung plus Inventar (Germany): EUR 45.80 a month, EUR 549.60 a year; XRechnung and ZUGFeRD; extra users EUR 5.90.
• Holded Plus plus the inventory add-on (EU list): EUR 40 a month, EUR 480 a year; Verifactu included; POS EUR 25 more per store.
• QuickBooks Online Plus UK: GBP 56 a month, GBP 672 a year; 5 users and MTD for VAT; payroll is an add-on.
• Sage Accounting Plus UK: GBP 59 a month, GBP 708 a year; unlimited users, MTD for VAT, payroll for 5 employees.
• QuickBooks Online Plus Canada: CAD 110 a month, CAD 1,320 a year; 5 users; payroll is an add-on.
• Saudi Arabia, with ZATCA Phase 2: Zoho Books Professional SAR 129 a month (SAR 1,548 a year); Qoyod Pro SAR 180 (SAR 2,160), POS SAR 50 extra per POS user.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials: EUR 69.30 per user a month, billed yearly, EUR 831.60 a year; implementation extra.

The real price drivers: what pushes the bill up after month one

The headline price is rarely the year's bill. Check these eight drivers:

• Per-user fees: Odoo and Business Central charge per user; sevDesk adds EUR 5.90 and Holded EUR 10 a month per extra user.
• Inventory and POS: a higher tier at QuickBooks, Sage and Zoho Books, and a paid add-on at sevDesk (EUR 19.90) and Holded (EUR 25).
• Per-document e-invoice fees: Fortnox (Sweden) charges SEK 3 per e-invoice sent, Visma eAccounting (Norway) NOK 4 per EHF invoice.
• Payroll per employee: QuickBooks UK Payroll Core is GBP 5 a month plus GBP 1.50 per employee; in Canada CAD 30 plus CAD 5.
• Promotion cliffs: Xero UK Ignite is 90% off for six months, so year one costs 6 x GBP 1.80 plus 6 x GBP 18 = GBP 118.80 and year two GBP 216.
• Annual-only billing: Business Central, Fatture in Cloud and Rewaa bill the whole year up front.
• Bank-bundled plans: FreeAgent is free with a NatWest, RBS, Ulster or Mettle account, Coconut with Revolut or Zempler, while you keep that account.
• VAT: prices usually exclude it. A German Kleinunternehmer or an unregistered Canadian small supplier cannot recover it; Saudi Arabia adds 15% at checkout.

Free, open-source and cheaper options: when they are the better choice

Free ERP exists, but each free route trades money for limits, time or skills. It wins when you sell services without stock, stay under a free plan's revenue cap, or can run open-source software yourself. Some paid plans also undercut Skyline Nexus ERP Solo. As of 30 September 2026:

• Odoo One App Free: unlimited users on one app; a second app moves you to Standard at EUR 31.10 per user a month.
• Dolibarr: free open-source software; hosted from EUR 11 a month (DoliZen Solo, VAT basis not stated), EUR 14 per user (DoliCloud) or EUR 19 (DoliCenter).
• ERPNext: free under the AGPL-3.0 licence; Frappe Cloud from USD 5 a month, with a 250 MB database and only the Mumbai, KSA and Virginia regions.
• Zoho Books Free: one user plus an accountant while revenue stays under USD or CAD 50,000 (SAR or AED 200,000 in the Gulf); no inventory.
• Pandle, UK: its free plan files MTD for VAT and Income Tax; Pandle Pro lists stock control at GBP 5 a month, less than Solo.
• Local specialists: e-Boekhouden ZZP Pakket at EUR 9.95 a month in the Netherlands (240 bookings a year); Danea Easyfatt Professional at EUR 180 a year in Italy, with SdI sending.
• Same price, different scope: Zoho Books Saudi Arabia Standard costs SAR 69 like Solo, with ZATCA Phase 2 but no inventory; Wave Pro in the US costs USD 19, also like Solo.
• MTD or payroll built in today: QuickBooks, Sage and Xero UK plans submit MTD for VAT; Sage Accounting Start includes payroll for one employee.

Odoo alternative? How per-user ERP pricing adds up

Odoo is the ERP many small businesses price first. On the EUR list seen on 30 September 2026, Odoo Standard costs EUR 31.10 per user a month, or EUR 24.90 on annual billing (EUR 19.90 in the first year for the initial users), with all apps included. For one user that is EUR 373.20 a year at the monthly list price. Odoo's Canadian price is reported by oec.sh at CAD 55 a month; we could not read it live.

Per-user pricing suits businesses that stay at one or two users. Ask any vendor what the second user costs and what implementation costs; SAP Business One and Oracle NetSuite quote only on request.

Worked example: 12 months for a one-person trading business in Germany, the UK and Canada

One owner, one shop, reselling goods, so inventory is a must. Figures are the first 12 paid months: Skyline Nexus ERP Solo on monthly billing with the launch offer until 31 January 2027, after the free month (its annual option, EUR 170, GBP 150 or CAD 250, covers 15 months); competitors at list price unless a promotion is named.

Scope differs: QuickBooks Online Plus and Zoho Books Professional include five users, Sage Accounting Plus unlimited users and payroll, and the UK plans submit MTD for VAT, which Solo users do through MTD bridging software or their accountant's MTD software while direct filing is rolled out.

• Germany, Solo: 3 x EUR 8.50 plus 9 x EUR 17 = EUR 178.50.
• Germany, competitors: Zoho Books Professional 12 x EUR 40 = EUR 480 (EUR 301.50 more than Solo); sevDesk with Inventar EUR 549.60 (EUR 371.10 more); Odoo Standard for one user EUR 373.20 (EUR 194.70 more).
• UK, Solo: 3 x GBP 7.50 plus 9 x GBP 15 = GBP 157.50.
• UK, competitors: QuickBooks Online Plus with 90% off six months, 6 x GBP 5.60 plus 6 x GBP 56 = GBP 369.60 (GBP 212.10 more); Sage Accounting Plus on promotion GBP 389.40 (GBP 231.90 more); Pandle Pro GBP 60, less than Solo.
• Canada, Solo: 3 x CAD 12.50 plus 9 x CAD 25 = CAD 262.50.
• Canada, competitors: Zoho Books Professional CAD 420 (CAD 157.50 more); QuickBooks Online Plus CAD 1,320 at list, CAD 726 in its promotional first year (CAD 463.50 more).

Country compliance checklist, as of September 2026

Your plan must also produce the invoices, till records and returns your tax authority expects. The official position as of September 2026:

• Germany: receiving e-invoices mandatory since 1 January 2025; issuing mandatory in 2027 above EUR 800,000 prior-year turnover and for all domestic B2B from 1 January 2028, Kleinunternehmer exempt. Electronic tills need a certified TSE (section 146a Fiscal Code).
• France: all VAT-liable businesses must receive e-invoices since 1 September 2026; SMEs and micro-enterprises issue and e-report from 1 September 2027 via an approved platform.
• Italy: e-invoices through the SdI for all resident VAT numbers, forfettari included since 2024; retail takings through a registratore telematico (RT) or the agency's web procedure.
• Spain: Verifactu-adapted invoicing systems before 1 January 2027 for corporate-tax payers, 1 July 2027 for others, autónomos included; TicketBAI in the Basque Country.
• Poland: KSeF since 1 February 2026 for the largest taxpayers and 1 April 2026 for the rest; up to PLN 10,000 gross a month may stay outside until the end of 2026.
• Belgium: structured B2B e-invoices since 1 January 2026. Netherlands: Peppol is voluntary; a plan announced on 17 September 2026 targets mandatory B2B e-invoicing from 1 July 2030.
• UK: Making Tax Digital for VAT for all VAT-registered businesses (threshold GBP 90,000); MTD for Income Tax above GBP 50,000 qualifying income from 6 April 2026, GBP 30,000 from 2027, GBP 20,000 from 2028.
• Canada and Saudi Arabia: GST/HST registration above CAD 30,000 in one calendar quarter or four consecutive quarters, records kept six years. ZATCA Wave 25 brings Phase 2 from 1 February 2027 to businesses above SAR 187,500 VAT-able revenue in any year 2022 to 2025.

Skyline Nexus ERP Solo: what you get from EUR 17 a month

Skyline Nexus ERP Solo is the full ERP for one user and one branch, with the Core plan's modules: general ledger with automatic posting, invoicing with credit and debit notes, inventory per location with FIFO costing, POS, bank reconciliation by CSV or XLSX statement import, CRM, VAT reports with a prefilled return form, financial statements, audit trail and roles. It is a cloud service with an AI help assistant and an MCP server for Claude.

Live today: ZATCA Phase 2 and Saudi payroll in Saudi Arabia; XRechnung, ZUGFeRD and Peppol BIS files in Germany. Other national connectors (Factur-X, SdI, KSeF, Verifactu, Peppol sending, direct MTD filing), bank feeds, payroll outside Saudi Arabia and till certification (TSE, NF525, RT, kasa fiskalna) are being rolled out market by market; until then, use the POS for invoice-based sales or beside a certified till. Tell us your country and we will confirm your go-live date.

Every plan starts with a free first month: 30 days, all modules, no card. The launch offer, valid until 31 January 2027, gives 50% off the first three months, or 15 months for the price of 10 on annual billing. Prices exclude VAT; upgrade to Core any time with unused time credited. Monthly, months one to three, annual:

• Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Finland: EUR 17; 8.50; 170. France, Italy: EUR 15; 7.50; 150.
• Spain, Portugal: EUR 12; 6; 120. Greece: EUR 10; 5; 100.
• United Kingdom: GBP 15; 7.50; 150. Canada: CAD 25; 12.50; 250. United States: USD 19; 9.50; 190.
• Saudi Arabia: SAR 69 (79.35 with 15% VAT); 34.50; 690. UAE and Qatar: AED or QAR 69; 34.50; 690.
• Poland: PLN 49; 24.50; 490. Sweden: SEK 189; 94.50; 1,890. Denmark: DKK 125; 62.50; 1,250. Norway: NOK 199; 99.50; 1,990.